Exploring Cape Town is not just for tourists, there is plenty to see and experience as a local resident!
Cape Town is at its best on a wonderful sunny day with clear skies, booming with beautiful scenery all around. You can easily take a scenic drive or a guided tour to Cape Point via Chapmans Peak and see the glistening sea and scenery, a spectacular view!
At Cape Point there is the Cape Point Ostrich Farm (open 7 days a week) with lots to explore. There are the ostriches, a reptile sanctuary, an egg shop, a leather shop and a restaurant. At the restaurant, The Hatchery, you can enjoy a classic farm-style breakfast while overlooking the ostriches on the farm. You could also spot new ostrich hatchlings as the farm has over 40 breeding birds. The farm also has a reptile rehabilitation centre where you can expect to see snakes, lizards and geckos as part of their rehabilitation programme.
After your fuel up at the Ostrich Farm, your next stop is at the very tip top of the mountain. Taking The Flying Dutchman Funicular to the top of the mountain is a bucket-list experience, the birds-eye view from there is just breathtaking. Don’t give this one a miss, there’s beautiful fauna and flora to see and snap pictures of. From flowering Proteas and Fynbos, there are hummingbirds that swarm around to find sweet nectar on the beautiful flowers. You may even spot some Zebra and Eland here. And below it all, the expansive, calming turquois-blue ocean.
But you’re a tourist today so there’s plenty more to see! Your next stop is Simon’s Town, to Boulders Beach. Here you’ll meet a colony of African penguins on the beach. The highlight of the day’s activities, from viewpoints on a wooden deck you’ll be watching the swaddling birds with their young chicks. On a warm, sunny day you can also refresh and enjoy a swim on Seaforth Beach with your family and friends.
After all the day’s excitement there is nothing better than having traditional Fish & Chips at Seaforth Restaurant, right on the harbor. Great to accommodate the family with the Seaforth Beach right around the corner. It is also the perfect setting to slow down and enjoy a drink while watching the sunset over the waves.
If you’re not ready to end the day and head back home, your next destination will be at Mineral World in Simon’s Town - with a jaw-dropping amount of shiny semi-precious stones. Here you can go digging for stones in a scratch patch and fill up a bag or bucket to take home with you, there is also an indoor putt-putt track.
The drive home is definitely not a dull one. You will continue again along the coast, with the glistening beach and sunset on the one side and the giant Table Mountain spread out on the other.
Sound like an experience? Gather up your friends and family and explore Cape Town like a tourist. If the hassle of driving around and finding parking is a bother, don’t be shy to take a guided tour with Cape Sand Tours.
They have a registered tour guide and will pit-stop at each of the must-see spots and tell you all about the history, fauna and flora. Your whole group can just sit back and take in the experience, no one needs to be assigned as the designated driver.