Cape Town is above all one of the most beautiful cities on the continent: vibrant, sunny, green, trendy, "fun & cool" as she likes to define herself. It is one of the most pleasant places to visit, especially its pedestrian streets and its enchanting central park. Its architecture, combining colonial and Art Deco buildings, is also remarkable. Picnicking in the shade of a tree and watching the city and the sea from the 1,000-metre high imposing Table Mountain, as well as from Lion's Head and Signal Hill, is a pleasure. And to make the most of these spots, nothing beats discovering them with locals. An immersion proposed by Airbnb Experience.
Billionaire villas, turquoise (but icy) water lined with white sand, a Hollywood walk or surfers with blond heads are more reminiscent of California than Africa. This will destabilize the tourist who comes to seek the change of scenery of the savannah with its colorful boubous and wild animals! Because Cape Town is a sophisticated avant-garde city. The new rainbow generation, dear to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, comes from diverse backgrounds and is involved in the arts, design and audiovisual production, as evidenced by the disused factory district transformed into Woodstock art galleries and the many start-ups dedicated to the creative economy. While the turbulent Longstreet has long been the epicenter of the Cape Town night, sophisticated restaurants and bars have opened everywhere, especially on Bree Street, in Gardens but also at Sea Point and Green Point, creating a real "little Brooklyn", ultra trendy. There remain the millions of deprived township inhabitants, the "coloureds" of Cape Town, who have developed a remarkable urban culture, and the Xhosa from rural areas of the Eastern Cape, who have kept alive tribal traditions. These middle and working classes from these suburbs crowd into the city bowl to work, where all the administrative offices are located. A real social and cultural patchwork that you must visit to understand the whole issue.
Spectacular landscapes and biodiversity
First, Table Mountain. This magnificent mountain rises from the top of its 1,080 metres between the city and the Atlantic Ocean. Once at its peak, visitors are amazed to discover a wild and preserved nature in the heart of the city. It has been literally shaped by the constraints of the terrain and blends into this natural universe. The various panoramas of Cape Town, the two oceans and the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains are of breathtaking beauty. Below, the city looks like an anthill with its tiny houses and large straight highways that are lost on the horizon. Only the Central Business District (CBD), with its skyscrapers, stands out from this infinite urban grid. On the other side of the mountain, we discover the turquoise beaches of Camps Bay and the villas hung on the hill. Other panoramic views in the heart of the city are worth a visit, such as Signal Hill and Lion's Head. From these heights overlooking the Sea Point and Green Point districts, with its famous stadium, you can admire Robben Island in the light of the setting sun, the shadow of Lion's Head being projected on the city that is lost forever. Seeing the clouds swirl at the top of the Mountain Table and getting colored at nightfall is magical! Many cornice roads also offer exceptional views for visitors travelling by car, including Chapmans Peak Drive, towards Cape of Good Hope.
On the Cape of Good Hope peninsula, you can observe penguins, sea lions, whales, white sharks, dolphins, but also baboons, ostriches... Classified on the World Heritage List, the peninsula is the smallest of the six plant kingdoms on the planet, of which the "royal procession" is the queen. This large flower is emblematic of Cape Town and is part of the "fynbos", a fragile plant ecosystem with more than
8,500 species, many of which are endemic to the region
Finally, it will be necessary to get lost on the country roads of the wine route, which offers landscapes of vineyards, mountains and sublime colonial buildings. If you take the tour further, you will discover the mineral landscape of Petit Karoo and the coast between the forest and the ponds of the Garden Route. A palette of unexpected temperate landscapes to discover during the summer months.
Quality of life and gastronomy
In Cape Town, you spend half the year in flip-flops and the sun shines even when there are clouds. There is a Mediterranean climate that attracts many Westerners. What better way to dream than to take three steps out of town and find yourself in the heart of one of the most beautiful natural parks in the world to go on a small trek, meet your friends on the beach of Camps Bay, on the beautiful Sea Point promenade for a jog... The region offers many activities: surfing, kitesurfing, mountain biking, climbing, canyoning, paragliding, parachute jumping. Water sports enthusiasts will enjoy sailing, fishing, diving.
And, not to spoil anything, Cape Town is one of Africa's best eating cities. Gastronomy has been raised on a pedestal thanks to the culinary revival brought about a few years ago by ingenious chefs such as Luke Dale-Roberts and Margot Janse. The ingredients are produced locally (fish, seafood, meat, fruit and vegetables...) and they are mainly from organic farming. Local flavours are combined with Mediterranean and/or Asian flavours to create refined "fusion" dishes. Meals obviously accompanied by delicate wines harvested in the region.
Smart info
Useful. To immerse yourself in the local atmosphere and discover Cape Town with locals, there is nothing like organizing your activities with Airbnb Experience.
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