Unique :: Table Mountain, The Bay and The Cape

          Table Mountain is one of South Africa’s greatest landmarks and towers 1,086m above the city of Cape Town. It is visible from as far as 200 km out to sea on clear days and is often covered with cloud called the tablecloth. A revolving cable car carries visitors up and down in about 5 minutes and numerous walking and hiking paths lead up and across Table Mountain. Spectacular views of the city, the Cape peninsula, the coastline and the ocean can be seen from 11 viewpoints on the summit.

          Table Mountain is more than a place of dramatic scenic beauty, it is also a place of richly diverse flora. Over 1,470 plant species occur on the mountain, more than in the British Isles. Complementing this is the fauna such as the Table Mountain Ghost Frog that is found nowhere else in the world.

Robben Island
          One of the most significant and symbolically charged pieces of land in South Africa, Robben Island guards the entrance to Table Bay. The name hails from the Dutch word for seals, “robbe”. The island was home to Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned there along with other political prisoners. Now a living museum, the island and its ghosts are visited voluntarily. As a place of history, education and insight into South Africa’s past, this is an essential excursion. The return boat trip (half an hour each way) to this World Heritage Site and a guided tour around the museum by an ex-inmate is an experience not to be missed.

Cape Point - The Cape of Good Hope
          This landmark is part of Table Mountain National Park and is located at the end of the Cape Peninsula. In 1488 Bartholomew Diaz rounded the Cape during a dreadful storm. He subsequently named it the Cape of Storms. On a second voyage, the weather was much kinder to him and it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope. The Park offers a rich diversity of plant species as well as a marine reserve and animals such as baboons and Cape Zebra. The peak is 249m above sea level and can be reached by foot or the funicular railway. The lighthouse at the tip of the Peninsula is the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere.