Located on the south western tip of South Africa and facing the Atlantic, with a developed and world famous waterfront, its dramatic views of Table Mountain, Cape Town is ideally located to provide the traveler with lots to see and do.

Scenic beauty, cultural diversity, gourmet delights and breathtaking scenes all conspire to make Cape Town and its surroundings a destination to be enjoyed. Cape Town is the oldest port and most visited city in South Africa.

The city centre boasts a Castle, historic Houses of Parliament, gardens and more, but be warned that crime is high and best to keep valuables out of site. With an unemployment rate of 39% (2007) the struggle to survive is clear in the people who live here, a clear divide between the wealthy and the poor, the ride from the airport will take you past the slums, don't walk the city centre at night!

With so much to do and see Cape Town provides much for the traveler, Table Mountain has the wow factor with fantastic views of the city and area, the rotating floor on the Cable Car provides everyone with a 360 view of the city. Its the backdrop for city and often is draped in a flowing 'tablecloth' of clouds (as you will see in my photos). There are over 350 ways to get to the 1085m high mountain, climbing, hiking or enjoying the ride in the cable car. From the top the best view of the city and up to 200km out to sea. Be warned that the Cable Car is closed by strong winds or anytime the mountaintop is clouded, take the opportunity to get to the top when it comes, and if your lucky enough to have a clear night, its a perfect place to view the sunset (half price too!).

Photos of Cape Town, South Africa 2007 © Joe Mendonca

Table Mountain has been in operation since 1929, the cable cars carry up to 65 people at 10 metres per second, the cables weigh 18 tons, the round form of the car fills two functions, the rotating floor offers passengers a 360 degree panoramic view of Cape Town, it also offers excellent aerodynamics in high winds, the filled water tank in the floor of the cabin (4000 litres of water) offers additional ballast and higher stability, during normal weather the tank is emptied at the Upper Station and the water is supplied to the restaurant.

The V&A Waterfront has been developed since 1988 to preserve historic buildings, it has fine shopping and a culinary choice, fine dining where wild game is served including ostrich, kudu and even crocodile meat. Boat trips, helicopter rides and more can be found here. Buskers, street entertainers and musicians or enjoy live music and acts at the Amphitheater.

Robben Island is with reach, daily trips by ferry to this historical venue, home to Nelson Mandela for many years. The importance of the island is for South Africa's young democracy, its historic context of Robben Islands's Maximum Security Prison. For nearly 400 years of colonial and apartheid rulers banished those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society to this rocky 575-hectare island. Inhabitants included slaves, political and religious leaders who opposed Dutch colonialism in East Asia. Khoikhoi and other African leaders who resisted British expansion in South Africa, leprosy sufferers, the sick, the mentally disturbed, and political opponents of the apartheid regime in South Africa. The last political prisoners were released from in 1991. On January 1, 1997, Robben Island opened to the public and in December 1999 was declared a World Heritage Site.

Beaches worth a visit are Clifton and Camps Bay, offering fine white sand, but the water is something that is terribly cold, it is the Atlantic after all and I couldn't go beyond my ankles in the freezing waters. Watch for signs regarding shark sightings and what you should do in the event you should be bitten. Sandy Bay is the only nudist beach in South Africa.

Near Cape Town is the protected paradise of Cape Point with fauna and flora, the southern tip of the peninsula is a must for a half or full day trips, Simons Town and Boulders Beach Penguin Colony is on the way.

Night entertainment usually means everyone ends up at the Bronx, gay or straight this is the most popular place to be in Cape Town, but don't expect anything spectacular, it resembles more of a bar/pub with a dance floor than an extravagant club.

History and Background

Cave drawings and ancient tribes which have long vanished due to licensed killing of the Bushman.

People lived in the Cape for thousands of years, small groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers (Sans) and pastoralists (Khoikhoi) are collectively known as the Khoisan. Cononial conquest, smallpox and racism have decimated the only real indigenous people, in fact it was legal to hunt Bushmen (San) up until 1927 when the last official permit was issued.

The earliest European sightings of the Cape were by the Portuguese explorers Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco Da Gama at the end of the 15 century. in the 1960's and 1970s a wave of Portuguese settlers came to the Cape fleeing areas in Portuguese colonies Angola and Mozambique.

Shipwrecked Dutch sailors built a a small fort in 1647 and on their return to Holland a year later they persuaded the Dutch East India Company to establish a post here, and remained under Dutch control until 1795. The fist non-Dutch immigrants were the French Huguenots, subsidized by the Dutch, fleeing persecution in Catholic France. The first Muslims arrived as slaves from Dutch colonies of Java and Malaysia in the 1650s.

A second wave of Muslims were brought here by Britain from India in the 1860s. Britain has maintained a healthy interest in the Cape, finally consolidating their rule in 1814.

Since 1994 South Africa's borders have opened up and people from all over the continent have flocked here in search of opportunities and better life.

Photos of Cape Town - Shark Dive, South Africa 2007 © Joe Mendonca