Cape Town - Solo

Football Friend

Hi,

Heading to Cape town in the next few weeks for 13 days and just wondering if anyone has been there before can offer any tips or advice as this will be my first solo trip so I'm pretty nervous.

So far I've booked the Backpack hostel for the first 4 nights as it's got great reviews on trip advisor. Then I've booked into a garden route tour for the next 4 days. Mainly because I wanted to see Bloukrans bridge and do the bungee but it's a pretty cool itinerary. That will have me back in Cape town on Monday night and I'm flying home Thursday afternoon (have not booked accommodation for this yet but I'm sure I can wing it)

So far on my list to do are, diving with sharks (1 day), skydive (1 day), table mountain, township tour, Cape point and Boulder beach day trip, Robben Island waterfront and aquarium in one day and maybe if time allows Kirstensboch, SANCCOB and Districk 6.

Can anyone tell me if that's too much,am I missing anything worthwhile?

Also has anyone any general tips regarding safety, how much money to carry, where to get it, parts of town to avoid and certain times etc. Sorry for all the questions but it's the first time travelling solo so I want to be as prepared as possible.

Thanks

sarkozy

That's not a bad plan, I think.

If it's 'The Backpack' hostel you're staying in, then I don't think you could be staying in a better location. I hear it's very sociable and it's right where you want to be in central CT where it's safe day and night, and there are shops, galleries, great bars, restaurants and a cinema.

CT is a great city to walk around in (it's one of the safest large cities in SA to do this). District 6 is well worth a wander (the museum is very good), but also don't forget to walk around Bo Kaap, the still very much Malaysian neighbourhood just beyond where you'll be staying.

I'd also recommend the red sightseeing bus - in CT, there are two routes. One does much of the cape - I think this would be the one to go for as it brings you through Constantia (where you can visit the botanic garden) and over to Hout Bay, look at penguins, etc. If the weather's clement, a combination drive and cycle tour of the cape is worth it.

When in SA, you must have at least one braai (barbecue) - the hostel may do these for guests. It's a great SA tradition, and a great way to get to know people.

With Robben Island, you really do need to book your ticket in advance to avoid disappointment, and it's well worth it.

I think you should also do a wine tour of Stellenbosch and Franchoek. These can be easily booked from your hostel - wineries on our tour included Fairview and Solm's Astor/Solm's Delta, among others, which I really enjoyed.

As for your garden route tour, I presume this is one that takes in places like Mossel Bay, Knysna over towards Port Elizabeth. I never did the garden route, nor went to Mossel Bay or Knysna, but was living in Lesotho at the time and so spent some lovely weekends in the Drakensberg. If you're into hiking, horse trekking, outdoor pursuits, it's amazing, but there are many similar places closer to CT, and I suspect you'd be stuck for time if you want to visit places well, rather than just pass through them.

Mind you, a lot of ground can be covered in the region. One holiday involved flying to Johannesburg, and then to Windhoek in Namibia, driving through the desert to Swakopmund, then getting a bus (by Intercape) overnight to Cape Town where we spent a week before getting a bus back to Lesotho via Bloemfontein. All in two weeks.

Just something to consider.

But your itinerary looks just perfect, really, and it'll definitely want to make you go back to explore more of this amazing region.