CAPE TOWN: Enjoy an African adventure

Jan 26 2008 by Alison Stokes, Liverpool Daily Post

Prior to 1966 the area was a vibrant black community with a thriving jazz scene until it was declared a white district and 60,000 people living there were evicted and moved out to the townships.

Even today the area is pretty much a wasteland with controversy surrounding any proposed developments.

But the displays inside the museum, where ex-residents have marked out the sites of their former homes and their comments are a powerful reminder of the former regime.

The following day it was time to take in the wildlife on a tour around the Cape of Good Hope.

Driving through the rugged wilderness of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, on our way to the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, there's a chance to spot wild zebra and ostriches before stopping off to watch the African penguin colony waddling about their daily business at Boulders Beach.

My final day I spent with a spot of retail therapy. Current exchange rates mean you get more for your pound and no visitor to South Africa can return home without one carved wooden statue.

There were also many other attractions we didn't have time to do but are certainly worth mentioning.

You can take a boat trip to Robben Island, the prison island 13km off shore, where the ANC's political prisoners Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu were locked away.

The boats leave regularly from the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, but you'll need to book at least a day ahead as they're always popular.

You could also meet a cheetah at Spiers wine estate. One of the most commercial, and not necessarily the best wine producer in the region, it's also home to a cheetah rescue and outreach centre.

Serious wine lovers would enjoy a trip to Stellenbosch, the centre of the vineyards, while foodies would love tasting an authentic Cape Malay curry in the Bo-Kaap district or dining out on King Clip at Camps Bay.

One of the best beaches in South Africa, Camps Bay is also the best place for great seafood restaurants.

Then there is the nation's favourite sport.

Tourists can see the Rugby World Cup - or at least a replica of it - at the rugby museum on the ground floor of the Sport Science Institute at the Newlands Stadium.

The SA Rugby Museum is crammed full of exhibitions and insights into the country's world-beating Springboks, and the Newlands Park is also home to a South African test cricket ground, too.

The trouble is, with so much on offer in Cape Town four days is never enough. I guess the winelands and whale-watching will have to wait.

* KLM flies from Cardiff airport to Cape Town, connecting in Amsterdam, with prices starting from £625.

British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Cape Town, flight time 12 hours. But the great thing is that as Cape Town is only two hours ahead of GMT, you don't get jet lag.

Alison Stokes stayed at the Ambassador Hotel, Victoria Road, Bantry Bay, sandwiched between Green Point and Camps Bay. The hotel runs a regular shuttle service between its sister hotel at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, two miles away. She travelled with specialist South African tour company 2by2 Holidays. Prices start from £499 for an eight-day trip to Cape Town (excluding air fares), www.2by2 Holidays.co.uk, tel: 01582 766122.

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