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Cape Town
Cape Town
Where To Go: Table Mountain
the park stretches from flat-topped Table Mountain to Cape Point
Table Mountain National Park
Hike up Table Mountain for an unforgettable view. The cable car is such an obvious and popular attraction you might have difficulty convincing yourself that it's worth the trouble and expense. It is. The views on the way up and from the top of Table Mountain are phenomenal, and there are some good easy walks on the summit.The mountain is home to over 1400 species of flowering plants, which are particularly spectacular in spring. For an adrenalin rush like no other consider doing the abseil. It's also possible to walk up the mountain from both the City Bowl side or the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens side.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Rhodes Dr
Newlands
Covering over 500 hectares of Table Mountain, this is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. The landscaped section merges almost imperceptibly with the fynbos (fine bush) vegetation cloaking the mountain and overlooking False Bay and the Cape Flats. Apart from the almond hedge, some magnificent oaks, and the Moreton Bay fig and camphor trees planted by Cecil Rhodes, the gardens are devoted almost exclusively to indigenous plants.
About 9000 of Southern Africa's 22,000 plant species are grown here. You'll find a fragrance garden that has been elevated so you can more easily sample the scents of the plants; a Braille Trail; a kopje (hill) that has been planted with pelargoniums; a sculpture garden; and a section for plants used for muti (medicine) by sangomas (traditional African healers).
District Six Museum
25A Buitenkant St
City Bowl
How to go there: train
Main Station
Your one essential museum visit in Cape Town should be here. As much for the people of the now vanished District Six as it is about them, this is a hugely moving and informative exhibition which repays repeat visits. Note that almost all township tours stop here first to explain the history of the pass laws.
The floor of the main hall is covered with a large-scale map of District Six on which former residents have labelled where their demolished homes and features of their neighbourhood were. Reconstructions of home interiors, photographs, recordings and written testimonials build up an evocative picture of a shattered but not entirely broken community. The staff, practically all displaced residents, each have a heartbreaking story to tell.
Robben Island
12km (7.5mi) from Cape Town
ferries leave from Nelson Mandela Gateway at Fish Quay, Waterfront
Robben Island
How to go there: ferry
from the Waterfront
Proclaimed a UN World Heritage Site in 1999, Robben Island is unmissable. Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC right up until the first years of majority rule, Robben Island's most famous involuntary resident was Nelson Mandela. For this reason alone, it is one of Cape Town's most popular pilgrimage spots.
Most likely you will have to endure crowds and being hustled around on a guided tour that, at two and a half hours, is woefully too short - such is the price of the island's infamy. Still, you will learn much of what happened to Mandela and other inmates, since one will be leading your tour. The guides are happy to answer any questions you may have, and although some understandably remain bitter, as a whole this is the best demonstration of reconciliation you could hope to see in Cape Town. Booking a tour is essential, as they are extremely popular. Groups are guided through the old prison and taken on a 45-minute bus ride around the island, with commentary on the various places of note. These include the prison house of Pan-African Congress (PAC) leader Robert Sobukwe, the lime quarry where Mandela and many others slaved, and the church used during the island's stint as a leper colony.
The information on this website is provided "as is." Lonely Planet accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs, and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.
©2009 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.
©2009 Lonely Planet Images www.lonelyplanetimages.com
All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.
Cape Town
Where To Go: Table Mountain
the park stretches from flat-topped Table Mountain to Cape Point
Table Mountain National Park
Hike up Table Mountain for an unforgettable view. The cable car is such an obvious and popular attraction you might have difficulty convincing yourself that it's worth the trouble and expense. It is. The views on the way up and from the top of Table Mountain are phenomenal, and there are some good easy walks on the summit.The mountain is home to over 1400 species of flowering plants, which are particularly spectacular in spring. For an adrenalin rush like no other consider doing the abseil. It's also possible to walk up the mountain from both the City Bowl side or the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens side.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Rhodes Dr
Newlands
Covering over 500 hectares of Table Mountain, this is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. The landscaped section merges almost imperceptibly with the fynbos (fine bush) vegetation cloaking the mountain and overlooking False Bay and the Cape Flats. Apart from the almond hedge, some magnificent oaks, and the Moreton Bay fig and camphor trees planted by Cecil Rhodes, the gardens are devoted almost exclusively to indigenous plants.
About 9000 of Southern Africa's 22,000 plant species are grown here. You'll find a fragrance garden that has been elevated so you can more easily sample the scents of the plants; a Braille Trail; a kopje (hill) that has been planted with pelargoniums; a sculpture garden; and a section for plants used for muti (medicine) by sangomas (traditional African healers).
District Six Museum
25A Buitenkant St
City Bowl
How to go there: train
Main Station
Your one essential museum visit in Cape Town should be here. As much for the people of the now vanished District Six as it is about them, this is a hugely moving and informative exhibition which repays repeat visits. Note that almost all township tours stop here first to explain the history of the pass laws.
The floor of the main hall is covered with a large-scale map of District Six on which former residents have labelled where their demolished homes and features of their neighbourhood were. Reconstructions of home interiors, photographs, recordings and written testimonials build up an evocative picture of a shattered but not entirely broken community. The staff, practically all displaced residents, each have a heartbreaking story to tell.
Robben Island
12km (7.5mi) from Cape Town
ferries leave from Nelson Mandela Gateway at Fish Quay, Waterfront
Robben Island
How to go there: ferry
from the Waterfront
Proclaimed a UN World Heritage Site in 1999, Robben Island is unmissable. Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC right up until the first years of majority rule, Robben Island's most famous involuntary resident was Nelson Mandela. For this reason alone, it is one of Cape Town's most popular pilgrimage spots.
Most likely you will have to endure crowds and being hustled around on a guided tour that, at two and a half hours, is woefully too short - such is the price of the island's infamy. Still, you will learn much of what happened to Mandela and other inmates, since one will be leading your tour. The guides are happy to answer any questions you may have, and although some understandably remain bitter, as a whole this is the best demonstration of reconciliation you could hope to see in Cape Town. Booking a tour is essential, as they are extremely popular. Groups are guided through the old prison and taken on a 45-minute bus ride around the island, with commentary on the various places of note. These include the prison house of Pan-African Congress (PAC) leader Robert Sobukwe, the lime quarry where Mandela and many others slaved, and the church used during the island's stint as a leper colony.
©2009 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.
©2009 Lonely Planet Images www.lonelyplanetimages.com
All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.
