2025 South Africa, Zimbabwe & Zambia - Day #6 - Cape Town

from our Rothschild Safaris Itinerary

Cape Town City Tour

• Departure time 8:30AM
• Please meet in the lobby of your hotel
• Recommended attire - casual clothing, comfortable shoes
• Activity inclusions - private vehicle, entrance fees
• Special notes - lunch is payable direct, order and specific activities may vary.

Your day starts with a spectacular cable car ride up Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming the bulk of Table Mountain National Park. The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 2 miles (3 kilometers) from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheater of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbor.

Head back down the mountain by cable car and dive into an eclectic mix of Cape Town's highlights on your city tour. You will get a sense for Cape Town's pop-culture via a walking/driving tour through some of the city's most beloved neighborhoods. From the Company Gardens to the Spin St Slave Tree and the Trafalgar Flower market there is much in which to see and participate.

Visit District Six, which exists today as a stark reminder of the trauma that occurred across the nation when whole communities and people groups were displaced in the name of 'national good. Visit the museum and the actual site en-route to one of Cape Town's most artistic neighborhoods - Woodstock. This suburb features some of the best examples of urban renewal and is home to designers, boutique stores and the most highly regarded street art (graffiti) in the country. Filled with the tastes and sounds of a new Cape Town, you will feel the creative pulse of the city and meet with local artisans of food; coffee; visual art and crafts.

Lunch will be enjoyed at a local restaurant offering freshly prepared, uncomplicated, wholesome food. At the end of your exciting day of discovery, return to your hotel for the remainder of the day at leisure.

Please note that the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is weather dependent. Your tour can be canceled at the last minute at the discretion of the cableway company. Rothschild Safaris is not responsible for canceled tours; nor can we issue refunds for canceled tours which are at the discretion of the cableway company. Note that your guide will discuss alternative options with you.

I started the day with a 30 minute Peloton sltrength workout and a short walk on the treadmill in the fitness center. After breakfast in the hotel, we started our formal Rothschild Safari itinerary. We met our guilde at the front of the hotel at 8:30 am for a Cape Town City Tour.

The day included:

• Table Mountain - Table Mountain is an iconic, flat-topped mountain that forms a spectacular backdrop to the city of Cape Town. While I stayed at the car park and read my book, Tom, Sharon, Kevin, Donna and the guide took aerial cableway to the top and walked the Klipspringer Walk.
• Truth Coffee - We explored the shop and got a cup of coffee. Truth Coffee was voted as the best coffee shop in the world by London's Daily Telegraph.
• Company Gardens - We walked through the Company Gardens. The garden is the oldest in South Africa, with its origins dating back to 1652. It was established by the Dutch East India Company as a "vegetable garden" to provide fresh produce for the settlement and for the passing ships on the trade route between Europe and Asia. Over time, it evolved from a purely utilitarian farm into a botanical and public space.
  
  
• District 6 - We stopped in District 6 and talked about its history. In 1966, under the apartheid government's Group Areas Act, District Six was declared a "whites-only" area. Over the next two decades, more than 60,000 residents were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to the distant, barren area known as the Cape Flats. Their houses and businesses were bulldozed, turning a thriving neighborhood into a wasteland. The former inner-city residential area of Cape Town that has become a powerful symbol of the injustices of apartheid.
• Bo-Kaap - We explored Bo-Kaap. It means "above the Cape" in Afrikaans. It is a vibrant and historically significant neighborhood in Cape Town. Situated on the slopes of Signal Hill, it's famous for its brightly colored houses, steep cobblestone streets, and unique cultural heritage. The area, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, has its origins in the 1760s. It was established when Dutch settlers built rental houses for slaves and political exiles brought to the Cape from various Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as from other parts of Africa.
• De WaterKant - We drove though De Waterknat, "The Waterside." De Waterkant's history is closely tied to that of its neighbor, Bo-Kaap. Its roots date back to the 1700s when the area was a working-class residential district where many of the servants lived. Its original residents were people of mixed-race heritage, including freed slaves and artisans. It is now a trendy gay village.
• Upper Union - We had a late lunch at the Upper Union Restaurant. The five of us shared ten small plates.
• Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art - We stopped at the museum to talk about its architecture. The museum and the Silo Hotel were built from a set of old grain silos.

The actual agenda for the day was different than the itinerary that we got from Rothschild Safaris.

Donna, Kevin and I walked back from the museum. We stopped for a quick glass of wine at Time Out Market.

Sharon made dinner reservations for the group at COY for 7 pm. We had a four and a half hour dinner! I had the tuna first course, the octopus second course and the Mielie Samp for my entree.

By the time, we walked home and crashed it was 11:15 pm...