kittycat1

So, I am off to South Africa for a friends wedding, all I have booked is my flight and two nights accommodation for the wedding night, so tips and must sees and dos please- Im travelling on my own so single girl friendly please. I fly into Cape town and will be making my way to Hermanus, then have a day and a half to get back to the airport. Total of 10 days there.

nonthaburi

Stay safe, can be dangerous.

kittycat1

I'm not going anywhere near Joburg and have been reassured cape town is safe for a single girl.

commander

Head to VA waterfront. Very safe there. Loads of nice restaurants and bars. Head also to Camps bay.

ededed

You might want to post this in the African forum then, where there are a number of posters who can give you specific advice about places to go and things to do.

kittycat1

done- thanks ededed- hopefully between teh two I can get some wise tips.

Thanks Commander- I have booked for a few nights in a V&A waterfront hotel, and looking at sharkdiving in camps bay

TheShed

Given the number of great whites around there can I suggest that you do Cagediving rather than "shark diving". :-)

kittycat1

yes thats what I meant shed! I shall make that very clear when I book it!

mikewot

Table mountain is pretty amazing, cable car to the top. Need to go up when the tablecloth isn't obscuring everything. I was there 4 days and only managed on the last morning before flight in the afternoon.

ededed

flares

You will not find a tip on the mountain...it's more of a table

busybee2

the garden route is fairly safe... plet bay or camps bay go see the penguins at boulders beach, lots of safaris you can see, we did with the kids on quad bikes for part of one. and zip lines further along.

commander

Plet? That is nowhere near Cape Town. It's nearer Port Elizabeth on the eastern cape isn't it?

I visited Plet for a few days in '11. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.

Nowhere near cape Town though.

I spent months in a place called Langerbaan which is around 1hour north west of CT. Superb. Best steak and beer I have ever had.

raining

I've just come back from there today - what a beautiful part of the world. I was also there for ten days, staying with friends from here with their family in Cape Town. Managed to get to the top of Table Mountain but had to just keep judging the weather day by day as it was windy and the cloud covered the mountain by early afternoon most days. If you are going to see the penguins at Boulders (they were gorgeous) then spend a few hours in Kalk Bay too - it has lovely little independent shops, cafes and galleries. Very safe to walk around too. You could do a trip to Cape Point on the same day. Absolutely stunning views. Sadly I didn't see any baboons on the loose causing mayhem as it was too hot and windy for them apparently. I just loved driving around (borrowed friend's car) and getting out at various points along Chapman's Peak. The beaches are just breathtakingly beautiful. Also went to Robben Island but you need to book a few days to a week in advance. We spent three days in Franschhoek at various wine farms, a definite highlight of the trip! As for Cape Town city itself, I am used to wandering round cities for a few hours by myself with my camera and meeting my husband later and I did so in Cape Town too but I was more uneasy, with the exception of the V&A Waterfront area. I was followed and approached several times by beggars. I felt reasonably safe though it wasn't the place to be pissfarting around with the lens and the settings etc, if you're into photography. In the evenings, I would definitely recommend taking a taxi in the city centre rather than be a single female - there was one time we dodged a guy following us on a busy street, it was only 10pm but the atmosphere changed as soon as it got dark. Try to get to Bo-Kaap in the day to see the gorgeous painted houses - I went with my surly looking husband and still felt a little intimidated so you could try going in a group, there are lots of organised tours there. Another highlight of the trip, if you have access to a car, is a rescued lion place in Paarl, just half an hour out of Cape Town centre. It's called Drakenstein Lion Park, like a retirement home for big cats that have been rescued from terrible lives (circus, pets, etc). No petting the cats, no walking with them - just watching them be happy and safe. I get the impression from posts of yours that I've read that you'd enjoy that. If you aren't going to drive, get the red tour bus as it takes you to lots of places and Cape Town and its surrounding areas are quite compact, you'll see a lot. I would still love a month there though...

I'm already feeling sick about the price I'll be paying for good wine now that I'm back in Abu Dhabi...

busybee2

yeh i know its a bit far from cape town, you can fly to george... plett bay lovely... but we drove from george to cape town in a day it can be done.