Since I only had a day and a half in Cape Town on my way to Zimbabwe, I decided to come back for a proper visit this week. I found a cute Airbnb studio, in an area called Sea Point, that is 1 block from the ocean and within walking distance of bars, restaurants, a grocery store with the BEST bakery and is an easy spot to uber from. I had a small kitchen and Netflix in the studio, so the last 10 days have been a great mix of exploring the city and the surrounding area, and getting some mellow time to read, sleep in, watch movies and do some cooking. I’ve met some really nice people here and have never felt unsafe! The gentleman that I sat next to on my flight gave me his contact information just in case I needed anything and a woman on my ferry to Robben Island sat and chatted with me for 20 minutes after I offered to take a photo of her and her husband!

I took the cable car up to Table Mountain for some neat views of the city and there is a paved walk along the ocean front called the Promenade that was so close to my Airbnb, I was able to walk there nearly every day.

Some of the highlights were….

Boulders Beach (where penguins live)

I joined a day long tour of the southern peninsula with two others and a private guide. We drove the Chapmans Coast route along the Atlantic Ocean and made our way to False Bay on the way to The Cape of Good Hope.

The beaches where the penguins live and are protected are along False Bay where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean mix near the tip of the continent. It was quiet and lovely, our group being the only ones there that afternoon! There were many dassie rats hiding along the shore and on some of the boulders. 😂

The Cape of Good Hope

We were again, super lucky, to have this space almost completely to ourselves! There is a light house and a beautiful 45 minute hike from the visitors center to the official Cape of Good Hope, which is the south westerly most point of the continent of Africa. We also stopped at an ostrich farm at the end of the day and got to feed them!

Attempting to Cage Dive with Sharks

Unfortunately, there were no sharks on the day that I did this, but it was a fun boat ride and we saw lots of sea lions and hungry seagulls. I have a voucher to go again anytime in the next 3 years to try to see sharks again though! 😉

Robben Island

Robben Island in Table Bay is 5 miles from the mainland and takes its name from the Dutch word for seals. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned prior to the end of apartheid. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I took a ferry to the island for a guided tour of the jail and the surrounding area.

Thanks to everyone who is following along! I can’t believe it’s already been almost 6 weeks since I left Denver! It’s gone by so quickly. My next stop is Zanzibar, Tanzania. More to come =)