Cape Town – the (M)other City

Camps Bay, the Waterfront, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Point, the cable car – that’s what a holiday in Cape Town’s all about, right? If you go by the guidebooks, then yes – but if you go on local knowledge and don’t follow the crowds, you’ll discover a side to the city that Capetonians like to keep under wraps. By Narina Exelby.

Tour the Peninsula by bike
Check out the Mother City from two wheels. Hire a bike from Downhill Adventures and see where your nose takes you. The road from Camps Bay to Llandudno is especially lovely – and mostly flat; you can also save yourself the toll fee on Chapman’s Peak (R20 each way for vehicles; cyclists go up for free) and challenge yourself to ride up one of the most scenic and dramatic roads in the country. Go in the early morning to avoid traffic. You could also book onto a leisurely bike tour of Cape Point or the Winelands, or more challenging rides on Table Mountain and Tokai.

How: Bike hire is R100 for 24 hours (including a helmet and bike lock), and tours are from R350 to R500 a day. For more info, call Downhill Adventures on 021-422-0388 or see http://www.downhilladventures.com. For info on Chapman’s Peak Drive, call 021-791-8222 or see http://www.chapmanspeakdrive.co.za.

Wine and a song at Kirstenbosch
The Summer Sunset Concerts at Kirstenbosch are a fantastic way to enjoy this exquisite botanic garden. On Sunday afternoons, pack a picnic blanket and a few bottles of wine and listen to some of the best of South Africa’s bands as they strum their stuff under the shadow of the Table Mountain range. Get there in the early afternoon to spend some time in the gardens and avoid the queues at the gates. There are carols close to Christmas.

How: Entrance to the gardens is R27 an adult, R15 for students and R5 for scholars; concert tickets include entrance and are R40 an adult, R30 for students and R15 for scholars. For info on who’s playing when, call Kirstenbosch on 021-799-8899 or see http://www.sanbi.org.

Picnic on the mountain
Instead of taking the cable car up Table Mountain, take a hike. Park at the base of the cableway, walk up Platteklip Gorge and picnic at Hely-Hutchinson dam at the top. Or take the cable car up or down (rates are almost half for a one-way trip). If even the thought of a walk up the mountain exhausts you, pack some sandwiches and take a stroll along the Pipe Track, a contour path that runs from the parking lot at the base of the cableway road along the Twelve Apostles, and has fab views over Camps Bay. Go in the late afternoon and catch the sunset over the Atlantic.

How: For maps of the mountain, check out http://www.tmnp.co.za. One-way fees for the cable car are R65 for adults and R35 for children and seniors; for info on the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway call 021-424-8181 or see http://www.tablemountain.net.

A funky market for seconds
Check out the Milnerton Flea Market on weekends (Saturdays are best) for a market with a difference. It’s not the usual artsy craftsy kind; there you’ll find second-hand tools, a range of backyard plants, LPs that are decades old, picture frames begging for a coat of paint and antiques going for a song.

How: Head out of town on the N1 and take the R27/Paarden Eiland/Milnerton off-ramp. After about a kilometre the market will be on your left; you won’t miss it.

Boom with a view
Get close to the massive boom of the Noonday Gun at the Noon Gun Tea Room. It’s up a steep road in the Bo-Kaap, that area of funky-coloured houses, where the Misbach family serves traditional Malay fare. A lunch of mutton curry or bobotie will set you back R60. Walk about 50 metres further up the hill and you’ll get incredible views over the city.

How: Head up Church Street from Buitengracht, then make your way to the top of Longmarket Street (one way going down) to number 273. For info call the caf on tel 021-424-0529.

Cape Town’s sky by night.
If the weather’s bad, you’ve had enough sun or are looking for evening entertainment, be sure to visit the Planetarium in Queen Victoria Street. There you’ll find a number of interesting shows on what’s happening in the night sky: you’ll sit in a comfy reclining chair in a dome-roofed cinema and the stars will be projected above you. Mind-blowing stuff.

How: Entrance for adults is R20 and R6 for children. For info on the shows and times, call the Planetarium on 021-481-3900, e-mail info@iziko.org.za or web http://www.iziko.org.za.

Indulge in a holiday treat
What is a trip to the beach without the treat of an ice-cream cone? At the Sinnful Ice Cream Emporium in Camps Bay you’ll find hundreds of the funkiest flavours in town – from chilli chocolate and white chocolate with poppy seed to heavenly hash and honeycomb. Make sure you go at the beginning of your holiday, and give yourself time to work through the tubs.

How: Sinnful Ice Cream Emporium is next to Blues Caf in Camps Bay, on the beachfront. For info call 021-438-3541.

Catch some real movie magic
Clear your mind of rosy Hollywood expectations and watch an art-house movie at the Labia Theatre in Orange Street. There are four screens, each showing films five times a day. They’ve expanded into Lifestyles on Kloof (entry in nearby Kloof Street), with an additional two screens.

How: Shows cost R25, but there are discounts for various card holders. For more info and what’s showing, call the Labia on 021-424-5927, e-mail labiatheatre@labia.co.za or web http://www.labia.co.za.

Market research
Spend a Saturday wandering through the Neighbour Goods Market in Salt River. You can stock up on organic foods produced in Cape Town – organic vegetables, coffees and teas, handmade chocolates and gourmet sandwiches. Vintage clothes are also on sale, as is jewellery, designer lights, leather products and handmade stationery.

How: The market is at the Old Biscuit Mill, 373-375 Albert Road in Salt River and is open from 09h00 to 16h00.

Kayak Cape Town’s coast
To see the mountain and city from a completely different angle, take a two-hour sunset paddle with Kaskazi Kayaks (it’ll set you back R200). You don’t need to have any kayaking experience to head out with them, and you’ll be taken out along the Green Point/Sea Point coastline – but only if the conditions are good. Being on the water while the sun sets is a real hey-shoo-wow moment. You can view the penguins at Boulders from a kayak too – a guide from Sea Kayak Simon’s Town will take you out on a trip (R200) to see some of Cape Town’s most famous birds.

How: For info, call Kaskazi Kayaks on 021-439-1134 or see http://www.kayak.co.za. Call Sea Kayak Cape Town on 082-501-8930 or see http://www.kayakcapetown.co.za.

Escape the beach crowds
Instead of trying to squeeze your beach towel between the hordes of body beautifuls at Clifton, pack buckets, spades and an umbrella and take the kids out to the beaches between Blouberg and Melkbos. There are no facilities between these two main beaches, but the shoreline will be much quieter and, out of season, it’s possible to be the only people walking on the sand. There are no lifeguards, but chances are you won’t be tempted to swim, anyway – the water’s too cold. While you’re out there, get some of the tastiest take-away fish and chips in town from Fish Paradise on the corner of Viola Road and Marice Circle in Blouberg, then head to the beach and get your fingers oily.

How: To get to the beaches, head out on the R27 through Milnerton, follow the signs to Big Bay and then keep the beach on your left. You’ll find a number of parking lots – pull off at any of them. Contact Fish Paradise on tel 021-556-1479.

Go birding in the Mother City
Rondevlei Nature Reserve near Muizenberg is a stone’s throw from the centre of Cape Town, and a great place to get some birding done. There is a recorded list of 226 species, including marsh owls and rameron pigeons – and you may even see a hippo. Picnic on the banks of the vlei and take a stroll around the reserve.

How: To get there head out on the M5, which eventually becomes Prince George Drive. Turn left into 5th Avenue then right into Perth Road. Entrance is just R5 for adults, R2,50 for seniors, R2 for children aged three to 13 and children under three enter for free. For info contact Rondevlei Nature Reserve on tel 021-706-2404 or see http://www.rondevlei.co.za.

Other well-loved favourites
– Indulge in seafood at the Brass Bell (tel 021-788-5456) in Kalk Bay, with the waves crashing around (yes, around) you.
– Soak up the atmosphere of St George’s Mall in town, and check out the artists and entertainers.
– Trawl the antique and art shops of Kalk Bay Main Road, then head to Olympia Caf (tel 021-788-6396) for delicious vegetarian meals.
– Walk up Lion’s Head and watch the sun set or the moon rise.
– Munch on fish and chips at the Hout Bay harbour.

biking, picnic, summer sunset concert, hiking, flea market, kayaking, birding