A Beginner's Guide to Africa (Part 1 of 3)

Taking on an adventure like Africa is no small feat when you’re traveling from California. A five-hour flight to New York, followed by a seventeen-hour flight to Johannesburg, finished off by an additional two-hour flight to Cape Town! Once you’ve made it through 25 hours in the air, though, the experience is truly worth the journey!

Starting in Cape Town, South Africa, our home for the first leg of the trip was at the Table Bay Hotel. Located in the historic Victoria and Albert Waterfront, the hotel sits on the edge of South Africa’s west coast with a view to the west of Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years) and a view to the east of majestic Table Mountain. The waterfront location makes the hotel a perfect home base for seeing all of Cape Town’s attractions as well as touring the coast. It’s also right next to the Cape Town Stadium, once home to the World Cup and currently South Africa’s beloved football league. And if you just can’t leave the gym behind, there’s a large Virgin Active within a nice walking distance from the hotel.

The Victoria and Albert Waterfront plays partly to the tourist and partly to traditional South African industry. Clearly an important part of Cape Town, the V and A is great for strolling through shops selling traditional African gifts and accessories. There is also a large mall (coincidentally attached to the Table Bay Hotel) that carries all of the world-famous retail stores. Local fishing opportunities are also numerous with many chartered boat services. For us, the most interesting part of the Waterfront was the Robben Island Museum. The museum is where you’ll start your tour of the infamous island that played a significant role in Africa’s emergence from years of Apartheid. My suggestion is to take the first tour of the day as the museum isn’t as crowded and your ferry to the island is right on time. The waterfront also has a wide selection of restaurants featuring fresh daily selections of seafood and meats.

A great feature of the Table Bay Hotel is the courtesy shuttle that takes you to the funicular at the base of Table Mountain. This world-famous mountain is definitely worth the time as it gives you the most breathtaking views of Cape Town and the entire Western Cape coastline. The hiking opportunities on top of the mountain are endless, and, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even rappel down the side!

To see more of Cape Town and the surrounding area, we hired a private guided tour which drove the entire western coast to the southernmost point of South Africa. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Seal Island and Chapman’s Peak in Hout Bay, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Boulders Beach to watch the South African penguins play in the sand. Our favorite part of the tour was the time spent in the Table Mountain National Park to visit Cape Point. As you drive through the park towards the Point, the countless ostrich, zebra, baboon, elk and other native species almost becomes overwhelming (don’t feed the animals and definitely don’t leave your car doors unlocked unless you want baboons stealing your personal items). The photo opportunity you’ll have at the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point) will ultimately be shared with you by a few dozen other international tourists, but just smile and marvel at the fact that you’re standing, literally at the bottom of Africa. Cape Point is also the location of the Two Ocean Restaurant, the perfect place to stop for lunch. Again, get there early so you can get a table out on the veranda to view where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans begin to mix. The fare is traditional (the sushi was amazing) with the most unusual dishes being ostrich meat medallions (which I have to say, were delicious!) and shark steaks.

If you’re a wine enthusiast, a day trip to Stellenbosch is a must. Not only will you find some amazing South African wineries (you can arrange a wine tasting trip through the hotel), you’ll also see the major Dutch influence in the architecture of the town and surrounding areas. The town has many unique shops and restaurants (most featuring traditional Dutch food) to stroll through, so plan to spend the day enjoying the area.

Once we experienced all that Cape Town had to offer, we caught a plane and headed to what people usually think of when they think of Africa: safari! Part 2 will take you into the “bush” and put you face to face with the “Big Five” of Africa. Stay tuned!

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to South Africa. In need of further inspiration? Check out Fora advisor Marc Scholnick’s guide, African Island Destinations: Lamu, Zanzibar, Okavango Delta, and Robben Island - Perfect Stops on Your African Safari Journey.