Mike Jacoubowsky

If I have the chance to go without my wife, that will likely be the case! But there are sacrifices and compromises that need to be made when married and traveling with your spouse. In my perfect world, I'd ride a bike across a few countries, staying away from anything that looked like a modern city, maybe spending some time fixing bikes for people.

benberg2013

I will be visiting Cape Town in February, and will be there for 2 nights and 1 day.

To be more specific, I will be arriving into Cape Town on the Wednesday in the evening, and i'll be leaving early Friday morning.

So I will have 1 full day, Thursday, to see attractions of Cape town.


I would like to see these things:

Table mountain, Robben Island , the penguins (Boulders beach?) and Cape of Good hope (Cape point). And wouldn't mind seeing V&A harbour.

I have also seen about the whales by Hermanus, but i think that it may not be the right season in February?

And about Table mountain, I've seen that there is an electric cableway to go up and down?

I could start the day at around 7am, and return at night, so maybe all or alot of these options is possible? I don't need to spend much time in one place.

Thanks.

Mike Jacoubowsky

That's too much for one day. What time do you arrive Wednesday? Perhaps possible to get a sunset option for Table Mountain? Robben Island will take just over three hours if I recall correctly (but just looked; their website says 4). You can do the Cape of Good Hope and the Penguins on a half-day tour. OK, you could do it all in one day...

Robben Island 9am-1pm, afternoon half-day tour of Cape of Good Hope and Penguins, then sunset option on Table Mountain. That's quite a bit for one day.

Dianne_AfricaDirectUSA

Hi Benberg2013!

If you can't extend your stay, then you will definitely need to prioritize that list and decide what's important to you.

If it helps, you can take Whales off the list. They won't be around in February. Besides, Hermanus is a decent drive out of Cape Town.

As for Table Mountain, it is not easy to predict. The cable car shuts down if the weather shifts dramatically. And often there are long lines and waits. So if you only have one day and you have other things on your list, I would probably tell you to leave it as an activity that you can do if you can fit it in at the end of your day..

My recommendation would be for you to see the penguins because it's something unlike you can ever do elsewhere and I think you'll find the Cape of Good Hope will give you a great feeling of having made it so far south in Africa! Plus the views will satisfy the feeling that you probably would get at the top of Table Mountain. The trip to the Boulder's Beach is about a 1 hour drive and the Cape of Good Hope is about another 30 mins more. You need to plan on some time to enjoy both spots. Plus there's a walk to both..

If you have time upon your return back to Cape Town, then see if you can get in a trip to the top of Table Mountain. Go check the lines out. And if you have just a tad more time, a visit to District 6 Museum will give you some of the political freedom and apartheid history that you might be seeking out of Robben Island. But I would leave these as "if I have time to fit in" activities.

South Africa is an incredible place and the Mother City, Cape Town, is amazing! Most people return and yearn to go back!

Best
Dianne
Africa Direct USA

worldtraveller73

Agreed - Even the second option there is a lot and you might have to line up a rental car.

I would personally get up early and tackle the hop on hop off bus to get in the sights. I would obviously skip Table Mountain if there is cloud as you won't see anything.

For what it is worth, tickets for Robben Island sell in advance (2-3 days wait during our visit in Nov 2013). You'll need to plan ahead for that if time is precious.

Roger

Gosh, a whole day! Many would just enjoy Cape Town without worrying about must-sees for which you would need more time.

You have some serious responses offering useful advice. No matter what firm plans you make, they can be affected by the weather - as noted, strong winds may mean the Table Mountain cable car is cancelled and you wouldn't have time to visit on foot, and even with an advance ticket for Robben Island, services can be affected by the weather, unlikely in February but possible.

So if these are important, go ahead and buy advance tickets for these but be prepared for possible disappointment. Otherwise, rely on the hop on hop off tourist buses for an overview. Go around once and make notes of where you would want to visit, either by staying on the bus or by using taxis/Uber.

And whatever you do, enjoy the city, the people, the food and the wine.

Mike Jacoubowsky

You have no idea how badly I'd like to go back with a bike and ride! Other than the winds, looks like an incredible opportunity to cover some miles and see something different than 'round these parts. I did see quite a few road bikers heading south, towards the Cape of Good Hope, but it appears most turned back before they got there. Seems like some nice loops could be made, riding to the Cape then coming back up through the vineyards region?

I've never brought a bike on a mileage run. Maybe it's time to change that! (But mileage run with checked baggage isn't a real mileage run, but maybe I can bend the rules a bit).

Mike Jacoubowsky

Tickets for Robben Island and the Table Mountain Cable Car are explicitly refundable if weather is bad, so you can buy them ahead of time and get a refund later if need be.

Roger

A bit more info, from 2013 but probably still valid:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...tern_Cape.html

cerenbregeon

If you have time left, I would suggest you check some community-based tours! It really helps you connect with local people and you usually end up seeing things you would miss with a classic touristic visit. In Cape Town, for example, I attended a tour with a nonprofit and I had the chance to see their projects and mingle with locals. (It also helped a lot that our tour guide James was super dedicated with his job) So if you want to do something REALLY different in Cape Town, check this out https://visit.org/organization/uthando/

JDiver

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

That does sound like a very good option, and rather than merely gawking actually both learning from local people and benefitting and respecting them.