Within less than an hour drive from the city centre lie numerous attractions that can easily rank top class in the World. You are truly spoilt for choice! Here are just a few suggestions for day trips you can take to see and learn more about the place that is or will be your new home for some time.

Visiting the Winelands
Why not take a scenic drive through South Africa’s premier wine region. The stunning wine estates in Stellenbosch and Paarl with their Cape Dutch architecture and the picture perfect Franschhoek with the array of superb gourmet eateries, offer a wonderful setting for indulging in nature, great fresh produce and wine tasting.

 A trip to Robben Island
A 1 hour boat trip from the V&A Waterfront lies Robben Island museum, a former prison where Nelson Mandela and many other political prisoners were held during the shameful years of apartheid. Most of the guides working at the Museum today are former political prisoners. Their life stories are deeply moving and inspirational. Robben Island is also a nature reserve. Apart from the marine wild life that includes fur seals, Southern Right whales, dusky and heavyside Dolphins the island is also home to more than 100 bird species.

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
This is a must for any visitor coming to Cape Town. One can only imagine what Bartolomeu Dias felt arriving here in 1488, but it easy to see why he named it the "Cape of Storms". It is also easy to see how the Cape of Good Hope is the legendary home of The Flying Dutchman. Crewed by tormented and damned ghostly sailors, it is doomed forever to pound its way through the nearby waters without ever succeeding in going around the Cape. Apart from watching the endless horizon of water with the closest piece of land being South Pole, you can also explore a number of walking paths and hiking trails, have a picnic combined with whale and bird watching, see some game including bontebok, the rarest antelope in Africa. You can also see numerous baboons, just remember not to feed them. On your way back to Cape Town you should definitely stop at Boulder's Beach. Here you will find the most amazing colony of penguins, terribly cute, in very beautiful surroundings just outside the naval port of Simon’s Town.

Whale watching in Hermanus
An amazing experience! During the months from June to November the whales of the Antarctic approach the South African coastline, and Hermanus is known to have one of the best land based whale watching in the World!

A trip to Seal’s Island
It is another beautiful day in the Cape, perfect for a boat trip. You can take a short boat trip to Seal’s Island from the small fishing harbor of Hout Bay. The boat has a glass bottom and after a little tour around Chapman’s Peak it turns towards Seal’s Island. At your arrival you will be greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic Cape Fur seals that clap and performed for you as if they were trained...
 
Cruises
Why not take one of the many cruises on offer? Boats leave daily from the V&A Waterfront offering Lunch/Dinner cruise, Champagne Sunset cruise and many others.

Last update: September 22, 2009