Cape Town, That Special Place

What is your biggest reason for choosing South Africa as your vacation destination? Is it the exotic wildlife of its safari parks that are situated all across the country or the awesome landscape of its magnificent national parks like Darkensburg? Well, they all may play some part in making up your mind but we can bet the main reason is always the beautiful city of Cape Town. And what is so special about Cape Town, the answer is everything, from its gorgeous natural settings and scenic beauty to the lively and seductive lifestyle, all aspects of the city make it a perfect tourist destination. And the recent football world cup has made it even more prominent on the tourist’s radars and thousands of them are flocking its streets all year long.

The cultural diversity and tolerance of the new Cape Town depict a sharp contrast to the images of the city of the Apartheid era and today all the communities are coexisting together peacefully and equally. You can find cheap flights to Cape Town from most of the major European airports as it is the major city of the country but for the very same reason the prices of the hotels here are a lot higher than the rest of the tourist destinations of Africa. In fact the price tag attached to the vacation in South Africa is a lot higher than anywhere on the continent, you are expected to pay around $ 50 for accommodation, food and sightseeing in the city while you can expect to pay only $20 for the same facilities in the destinations like Botswana or Kenya. But the high price is worth it if you consider the fact that it is the most beautiful city of the continent.

The first place where the tourists head to in the city is the huge slab of sandstone right in the centre of the city called the Table Mountain. Being a gorgeous place itself it also provides the most memorable view of the whole of Cape Town provided it is not covered by the mist which the locals called The Table Cloth. The mountain has its own ecosystem with more than 1400 species of plants and many mammals. There is a cable car available for taking the tourists to the top of the mountain but if you are one of the adventurous kinds then there are a lot of tracks to trek in the mountain. There are a couple of restaurants on the top and also a few souvenir shops to take back something to remind you of this trip.

Another of its major tourist attraction is the historical Robben Island that was used as a prison for the long years spent by the South African leader Nelson Mandela in imprisonment. It’s a part of the UNESCO’s world heritage sites and you can get a boat to take you to the island from the city’s harbour. The nightlife of the Cape Town is one of the liveliest in Africa and you will find some of the most magnificent and exciting bars and clubs in the harbour area.