Dear Readers,
First of all, thank you for dropping by once again on my corner of the internet, it really does mean a lot when you read, comment & appreciate my blog posts ‘cos you are the reason I put up content like so! This week, Cape Town, heaven on Earth, is what I’m going to write about.
So, Cape Town is where the husband & I started our holiday in South Africa. We were here for 5 days and just didn’t have the heart to leave. It’s one of those cities that has so much to do that 5 days is just not enough. Anyway, here are the 16 things we did in Cape Town & we very strongly recommend you do them too…
1.Paraglide from the Signal Hill
2.Explore the V & A Waterfront Area
3.Stop by Dapper Coffee Co to gawk at cars while sipping a drool-worthy drink
4.Shop for handicrafts at Greenmarket Square
5.Head to Bo-kaap for blogger-style, Insta-worthy photographs
6.Quench your thirst by slurping on the ‘Coconut Dream’ at Honest Cafe
7.High Tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
8.Experience Cape Town with a local guide i.e. do super tourist-yy things with a local
9.Wine & Dine at Cape Town’s nicest restaurants, Harbor House
10.Go above & beyond… at Table Mountain
11.Channel your inner teenager at Camp’s Bay
12.Feast your visual senses with a Helicopter ride
13.Wine Tasting at South Africa’s oldest vineyard, Groot Constantia
14.Transition into heaven with La Colombe
15.Recharge your soul at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
16.Kayak with dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean
So, without further ado, let’s delve deeper into these divine activities!
Paraglide from the Signal Hill
Jumping off a cliff was on my wish-list for years now & I’m really glad it got ticked off in the beautiful city of Cape Town. Cape Town happens to be one of those majestic cities that is enveloped by a humungous Table Mountain, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and a bunch of quirky looking hills.
Paragliding is an adventure sport that’s sought after mainly for the views and what place better than Cape Town to experience this, right?
This 4-5 minute flight is probably the easiest & the most therapeutic adventure activity I had the privilege to experience. For the chickens out there, relax, you have a pilot right behind you taking care of everything, so all you gotta do is sit back & enjoy. We did this sport with TANDEM and we recommend you go for them too; they’re professionals!
Explore the V & A Waterfront Area
This area is perhaps one of the many happening spots in Cape Town because it’s full of museums, interesting handicraft stores, high street – high end shopping, Ferris Wheel ride, road shows by locals & swanky restaurants. R & I headed here every other evening to chill & get a vibe of how Capetownians are in their natural habitat.
Stop by Dapper Coffee Co to gawk at some jaw dropping cars while sipping a drool-worthy drink
Car enthusiasts, ALERT! Dapper Coffee Co is by no means your run-of-the-mill coffee shop. It houses some of the nicest vintage & luxury sports cars because it happens to be a car dealership too. The vibe here is too cool for school so make sure you stop here to soak it all in.
Shop for handicrafts at the Greenmarket Square
Greenmarket Square is where you must head to, to find the nicest handicrafts made to (rustic) perfection by the locals. It’s located on a cobbled square and is definitely worth a visit. Don’t forget to carry your bargaining skills along but also do so with a compassionate heart. The locals are quite welcoming & more or less convince you to pick some really cute stuff!
Head to Bo-Kaap for blogger-style, Insta-worthy photographs
Bo-Kaap is that colorful housing area of Cape Town that you’d often find in perfect Instagram photo albums. It’s a historical township where some locals live till date. It’s situated on the cobbled slopes of Signal Hill which gives it a very old-school vibe. It’s one of the most photographed areas of the Mother City (Cape Town).
Quench your thirst by slurping on the ‘Coconut Dream’ at Honest Cafe
Honest Cafe is a very small artisan chocolate company popular among Capetownians for its’ dark chocolate & desserts. It is hop, skip, jump from the Greenmarket Square & Bo-Kaap so do visit and don’t forget to try their soul-touching drink called Coconut Dream.
High Tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
Whether you’re a tea person or not, returning from Cape Town without experiencing high tea at Nellie is an absolute shame. I can’t really pin point as to what it is about this place but it’s going to make you cringe while leaving.
Their morning/afternoon/evening tea can be taken in a luxurious lounge or their spacious terrace or even down in the garden by the fountain.
It’s said that their high tea is known as a Cape Town Institution.
Make sure you’ve been starving yourself for a couple of hours before this experience as you’d need extra space in your tum to house all the scones, cheese cakes, macaroons, so on & so forth. Their wide selection of teas stole my heart. High Tea at the Nellie is an experience in itself.
Experience Cape Town with a local guide
Allow a local to take you to
Chapman’s Peak
Table Mountain National Park
Cape of Good Hope
Boulder’s Beach
Muizenberg Beach
One of the 5 days in Cape Town, we had a local tour guide who drove us around in his car and shared some lovely, heart-warming details about the city that we wouldn’t have known otherwise. R & I are big fans of viewing a city with a local now. Our guide who took us around, told us how he’s studied Tourism at University and has been doing this for over 20 years…he told us how much he loves interacting with people, sharing & listening to a variety of heart-felt experiences. If you intend to fly to Cape Town, you must get in touch with Amman (email me for his phone number). He’s probably the nicest tour guide I’ve had the privilege to meet. He knows all the secret spots in and around the city such as epic vantage points, refreshing bakeries and coffee places and has a personality that will leave you enchanted! He took us around Chapman’s Peak, Table Mountain National Park, Cape of Good Hope, Boulder’s Beach and Muizenberg Beach. Yes, these are all touristy places but when experienced with a guide as knowledgable as Amman, it’s a different experience altogether.
@Boulders Beach where our guide Amman took us to a secret corner which many tourists (sans local) miss out on.
Wine & Dine at Cape Town’s nicest restaurants, Harbor House
Amman was the one who strongly recommended us to try this restaurant. I’m glad he did ‘cos R & I wouldn’t have probably gone to Harbor House if we didn’t have Amman take us there.
Harbor House isn’t a restaurant, it’s a holiday in itself- the views, food quality, service and sense of calm will steal a fragment of your soul away.
Go above & beyond… at the Table Mountain
We had booked a cable car to take us on top of this majestic mountain. Folks, the view & vibe at the top of Table Mountain cannot be described in mere words.
Just imagine yourself about 5000 feet above ground overlooking Indian Ocean on one side & Atlantic Ocean on the other…
Chill at Camp’s Bay
One of the happening areas of Cape Town full of L.A style restaurants, tidal pools, pubs & a lot more. A free evening in Cape Town must be dedicated to Camp’s Bay!
Feast your visual senses with a Helicopter ride
There are multiple ways to experience a city & hopping onto a chopper is one of ‘em! R & I had our jaws dropped because Cape Town’s beauty somehow quadrupled when we saw it from a bird’s view!
Wine Tasting at South Africa’s oldest vineyard, Groot Constantia
One of the oldest vineyards of South Africa, Groot Constatntia is located on the ‘other’ side of Table Mountain. It’s too exquisite to be missed.
Transition into heaven with La Colombe
La Colombe happens to be the 6th best restaurant in the world and you know how serious this title is when you visit this place where Chefs are food-gods that spoil you rotten with food that looks like art & can perhaps mess with your head- but then the servers help you maintain your sanity by explaining to you what is it that you need to eat! :-p
When in Cape Town, visiting this place is MANDATORY!
Recharge your soul at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Regarded as one of the great botanical gardens of the world, Kirstenbosch Estate falls under the Cape Florist region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Folks, this was hands down my favorite place in the whole of Cape Town since I’m a sucker for gardens.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, situated on the slopes of Table Mountain, includes a fragrance garden, 2500 species of plants found on the Cape Peninsula, a Protea garden, a braille trail, and a cycad amphi-theatre. You must must must go here!
Kayak with dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean
If you’re an adventurous person who is not afraid of water then you must experience this guided Kayaking in the sea. R & I did this with Kaskazi Kayaks. They know this stuff well enough to ensure the ocean conditions are safe and strive hard to take you near the dolphins so that this kayaking experience is one of a kind!
Comment below which of these things skyrocketed your interest in flying to Cape Town; also, mention your favorite picture below
(let’s see how you describe it)!
Love & Light,
Aakansha
Amazing amazing amazing❤
Words falling short to describe your such an amazing blog!!!
That adventure though🤩
Thank You so so much Neha!
Sending a tight hug your way…
catch!
-(HUG)-
Hey Aakansha ,
What a fantastic post . This is chock full of information . Your exuberance is refreshing . You are the most intellectual blogger …and your blogs have given me exposure to many new vocabulary …I think you have the mysterious power of art to deeply move a person. Continue fueling your blogging engine . All i can sae is that you are shimmer n spark
P.S. You are looking dashing in all your outfits especially loved your hat
Thank You so so much for your kind words Aakriti.
This comment has inspired me to work harder towards my upcoming posts!
You’re an absolute diva yourself for being so candid with your warm words & wishes!
Love & Light,
Aakansha