A captivating urban landscape like no other
Cape Town, South Africa
What is the most naturally beautiful city in the world? Cape Town is certainly a contender for that title. The Mother City has it all: great beaches, wine farms, wildlife, history and hip art galleries. Eating and drinking options are top notch too, with menus featuring fresh locally-sourced ingredients. Then there’s the weather: Cape Town has sunshine at times of the year when much of Europe is under a dark blanket. What’s more, as the oldest city in South Africa is only an hour ahead of Switzerland, there’s no jet lag to contend with.
Up in the clouds
Table Mountain is the best first introduction to the city and, chances are, it will be covered by its familiar barrister’s wig of white cloud – or ‘the table cloth’ as locals call it. Most visitors ascend on foot or by cable car but Cosa can arrange for an unforgettable hot air balloon ride to see sunrise without the crowds.
Down by the water
Home to the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, the V&A Waterfront is the place to shop for authentic souvenirs, stop off for some famous Capetonian seafood and listen to live music. It pulsates with energy all day long, and well into the evening. The V&A is also the departure point for Robben Island.
Meet the local penguins
Wildlife lovers will want to make the short trip to Boulders Beach to get up close and personal with the endangered colony of African Penguins. From two breeding pairs in 1982, the population has grown to an estimated 3,000 today. Don’t forget to bring your swimming costume if you’d like to take a dip – weather permitting – with the delightfully friendly penguins.
Walk around Robben Island
One of the world’s most famous prisons lies just off the coast of Cape Town. It was here that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his long incarceration, along with many other anti-apartheid activists. We can organise a private guided tour of this Unesco World Heritage Site that is both fascinating and moving.
Essential Cape Town
Cape Town was founded in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company arrived to set up a supply station for trade ships. Colonisation by the Dutch then the British was followed by the torrid apartheid years, which finally ended in 1994. Ferries run to Robben Island so that visitors can see the prison where Mandela was incarcerated for so long. Today Cape Town is the poster-child for modern cosmopolitan South Africa with its stunning scenery, great food and relaxed lifestyle.
Where it is
South Africa
When to go
October to March
Why go there
History
City life
Coastal landscape
What to see
Table Mountain
Robben Island
Boulders Beach
