Sightseeing

The city of Cape Town is nestled at the foot of the massive 1086 metre sandstone bulk of Table Mountain, flanked by Devil's Peak, Lions Head and Signal Hill on the lower slopes of which lies the area known as the City Bowl.

It is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in Africa, with a multi-cultural environment resulting from a melting pot of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers, as well as the local Khoisan tribes (Bushmen and Hottentots) and the Bantu tribes from the north.

A trip to Robben Island Museum is a must for any visitor to Cape Town. For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile and isolation. It is also the prison where Nelson Mandela spent many of his years.

The Waterfront Craft Market represents a mecca of entrepreneurship and micro business development. This vibrant indoor craft market, adjacent to the Two Oceans Aquarium, features a diverse assortment of innovative designs and traditional handcrafts, antiquities and accessories. The Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre forms the bulk of the retail space at the Waterfront, and has a wide variety of national retailers, boutiques and services, along with a large selection of restaurants, coffee shops and fast food outlets. The Red Shed Craft Workshop, adjoining the Victoria Wharf centre, is filled with a mix of handmade merchandise and art. The Alfred Mall & Pierhead is situated within the historic Pierhead and overlooks the small craft harbour and adjacent dry dock. Those seeking quality specialist artefacts, jewellery, curios and art with a nautical or African flavour will find a wonderful selection here.

The South African Maritime Museum has the largest collection of model ships and some fascinating artefacts. There is also a floating exhibit, the S.A.S. Somerset. Other items of historical interest are the Time Ball Tower, (which was once used by ships in the bay to set the time) and the Old Clock Tower, built in 1887. The topmost floor housed the clock mechanism, while the bottom floor housed the elaborate tide-gauge operated by a float on the water below