In Cape Town and its environs, you can also visit the Rugby Museum (SA Rugby Museum), one of the largest in the world, the Fisheries Museum ( SA Fisheries`s Museum ), the promenade ( Sea Point ), the ostrich farm ( Cape Point Ostrich Farm ), the bird park ( World of Birds ), take a walk through the wine estates of Constantia (Constantia Wine Route), travel to Seal Island (Seal Island), walk along the mountain road (Chapman`s Peak Drive), see a collection of exotic trees in Tokai Forest Park.
CAP BEACHES
On the Cape coast, the beach season lasts from October to April. To sunbathe, sunny days are enough. Family-friendly beaches coexist with endless wild deserted beaches. The most famous beaches are Camps Bay, Cliffton, Blouberg, Llandudno, Sandy Bay, Muizenberg, Noordhoek, Simon`s Town. They say you can’t swim here because of the cold water. This is not entirely true. The water temperature in these places often depends on the direction of the wind and, accordingly, the current. For example, due to the warm Mozambique current, the water on the beaches of Museenberg and Simonstown during the beach season in the South African summer in November – April often warms up to + 18-19C. Well, for surfers, even cool water is not a hindrance, these places they call “water paradise” for the “perfect” waves.
ATTRACTIVE Stellenbosch
Formally Stellenbosch– the second oldest city in South Africa after Cape Town (1679), but many locals do not agree with this. After all, when there were already several streets in Stellenbosch, Cape Town was still just a fort. The city has a lot of beautiful old buildings in the style of “cape dutch”. One of the oldest and best universities in the country is located here. Despite its age, the city looks very young due to the many students. It is literally immersed in greenery. Tasting in Stellenbosch. It was in these places that the French Huguenots began to settle three and a half centuries ago. Here, thanks to the efforts of an enthusiast named Van der Stell (the city is named after him), the first vine in South Africa appeared. Today Stellenbosch is the wine capital of South Africa. Endless vineyards sprawl around the city. In total, the wine route through the Stellenbosch region includes 29 farms that produce wines that annually win major international prizes in their categories. The most famous companies are: Bergkelder, Boschendal Estate, Hazendal, KWV, Lanzerac Estate, Morganhof,Rust en Vrede, Saxenburg, Simonsig, Spier Cellars, Zevenwacht.
One of the more popular holiday destinations here is the Spier Wine Estate. Wine tastings are held here, under huge awnings in the fresh air there is an open-air restaurant Moyo in Arabic style, which offers dishes of international and African cuisines. Lunch is accompanied by performances by African singers and dancers. There are more than four thousand wine farms here and in the neighboring wine-growing regions of Franchouke, Parle, Somerset West, Durbanville. The best world brands will not yield to local Cabernet Lanzerac, Cabernet Sauvignon Waterford, Merlot, Chardonnay. Only in South Africa do Pinotage, which has become a symbol of South African winemaking. There is even an international Pinotage Club on the Internet. Where there is wine, there is cheese. In addition to wines, famous cheeses are produced in the area, for example, at the Simonsberg farm.Brandy from Stellenbosch. Local brandy is highly appreciated by the most sophisticated connoisseurs. Fan Rein farm (Van Ryn Brandy Cellars) has huge authority. Here you can see how this drink is made, and then try it.
Tastings are held from Monday to Thursday from 8.00 to 17.00. Guided tours twice a day from Monday to Friday at 10.30 and 15.00. Hot air balloon flights are organized from November to April in the Stellenbosch area. With a glass of fine South African sparkling wine, enjoying the magnificent panorama of vineyards, surrounding mountains, forests and rivers is even stronger.
To Stellenbosch for health. In the vicinity of the city there is a large hotel and health complex Sante Winelands Hotel & Welness Center 5*. It is the second in the world, in addition to everything, wine therapy is offered here, including a special fruit diet, massage and scrub with a paste of crushed grape seeds and peel in combination with healing oils. At the end of the program – taking wine baths in Cabernet Sauvignon diluted with mineral water in combination with color therapy. In this case, the oxygen enrichment liquid is subjected to sonic and magnetic effects. This method was first proposed in 2001 in France.
Landmarks of Stellenbosch. In these places it is interesting to visit the Huguenot Museum; Franshhoek Pass; a monument on Mount Parl in honor of the Afrikaans language; ostrich farm Ostrich Show Farm; Parla Museum (Paarl Museum); wine center (Stellenbosch Farmers` Winery Center); country museum (Stellenbosch Village Museum); lion park (Drakenstein Lion Park), as well as the Butterfly World park and Le Bonheur crocodile farm. “Butterfly World” Indoor pavilion with hundreds of different species of butterflies from all over the world. Very interesting for children. There is a cafe and a gift shop.
Crocodile farm. Over 1000 predatory reptiles. Guided tours every half an hour, crocodile leather shop.
Open daily from 9.00 to 17.00.
How to get there: 40 min. by ground transport from Cape Town or 20 min. from Cape Town Airport.
Duration of stay: for connoisseurs of wine and those who are in no hurry to see everything at once – from two days. In the meantime, tourists come here mainly on excursions.
THE WHALES OF HERMANUS
The small resort village of Hermanus with many old buildings, 120 km east of Cape Town, is considered the unofficial world capital of whales. Every year from July to October, dozens of sea giants gather here in Walker Bay. They start love games, give birth to cubs, play with them. You can watch them directly from the embankment or from the board of a sightseeing boat (very close). Here you can see such a unique picture as a shark grabbing a bird flying low over the water. Tourists and local residents are notified about the appearance of whales near the shore by the alert service. Her only collaborator is the bugler Wilson Thembala Salukazana. Every year at the end of September – beginning of October Hermanus hosts a whale festival with many performances and live music…
In the vicinity of Hermanus, you can taste wonderful wines in the cellars of wine farms. Among these farms, Hamilton Russel and Bouchard are undoubtedly some of the best in South Africa. Length of stay: during the season of whales or white sharks – two to three nights is a must.
CAPE IGOLKIN
From Hermanus 130 km to the southernmost point of Africa – Cape Agulkas. The name was given to it by the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century, since in this place the arrow (“needle” / agulka) of the compass points due north. There is also a lighthouse, the second oldest in South Africa (1848), as well as a museum. Outwardly, this place is unremarkable and historically unpromoted, so the main impressions associated with the meeting point of the two oceans are the Cape of Good Hope. There are wonderful opportunities for outdoor activities: helicopter tours, boat trips, fishing, diving, horseback riding, golf, active sports, hiking trails.
GUNSBY. Rendezvous with sharks
Near Hermanus there is an interesting town of Gansbai. Specialists and thrill-seekers know that its waters are one of only two places in the world (along with the Great Barrier Reef) where Great White Sharks (Great White Shark/GWS) are found in abundance. They are attracted by a large colony of fur seals, of which there are about 70 thousand. To get a closer look at the formidable predator, it is proposed to dive into the water for about a meter in a metal cage. To do this, a boat with tourists leaves the bay for the sea and after 30 minutes anchors near Dyer Island. The cage is open at the top, divers descend there one by one. No special preparation is required. An important point is the presence of a good bait. However, there are enough impressions when watching sharks from a boat. The optimal season for observing BBA is winter and early spring, from April to October. The water temperature at this time rarely exceeds +16°C, therefore, when diving, a special suit is recommended (if possible with a heater). Here you can visit the Jackass Penguin Reserve and botanical gardens Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. At low tide, the remains of ancient sunken ships appear from under the water.