Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa

Botanical Gardens are a wonderful attraction to visit when traveling. All, including Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, are serene places of great beauty, but what sets Kirstenbosch apart from others is that it grows only indigenous South African plants. The 1,300 acre park, a lush green tablecloth spread at the foot of Table Mountain’s craggy peaks, features 90 acres of cultivated garden planted with blooming flowers that change with the seasons.

In the early spring (late July and early August), when temperatures are still cold and rains are common, the first of the annuals bloom and many of the Cape’s unique plants like proteas, ericas and buchus flower. Read More »

Gansbaai, about two hours east along the coast from Cape Town in South Africa, is considered the Great White shark capital of the world due to its high concentrations of the shark in the waters just off shore. There are dozens of companies that offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about sharks, see them up close, and even get into the water with them.

White Shark Ecoventures is one of these companies. It will provide shuttle service to guests in Cape Town, picking them up at the early hour of 5am for the morning dive. Guests will arrive at the Gansbaai office by 8am and enjoy a light breakfast and coffee while preparing the necessary paperwork. Then it’s off to the docks, where the boat and its passengers begin the journey from the beach out into the bay, a trip of about 15-minutes. Once the boat docks, the deckhands set to work, chumming the water to attract a shark. Soon the call is sounded and divers begin to put on their wetsuits as the cage is lowered into the water and attached to the boat.

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Cape Point, South Africa, about an hour from Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula, is one of the most scenic spots in the country. Commonly thought of as the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet (which is actually a bit further East), it is the spot where the cold Benguela current on the west meets the warm Agulhas current from the east. It’s the most southerly part of South Africa and is one of the highest sea cliffs in the world.

The peninsula  is home to over 250 species of birds, 1100 kinds of plants (many of which grow nowhere else in the world) and wild animals like baboons, bucks, and (from May to November) dolphins and whales.

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From the 1960′s until the end of apartheid in South Africa, Robben Island was used as a prison for those convicted of political crimes. Located just 15-minutes by ferry from the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, the island was most-famously known as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 (of the 27 total years he spent in prison) years. A visit to the island is a “must-do” for most visitors to Cape Town.

Tours of the island are conducted at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm (weather permitting) every day. The tour takes about 3 hours, including the ferry rides to and from the city. The tour starts with a bus ride around the island to learn its history and then continues with a look inside the maximum security prison and the daily life of the prisoners.

Guests will see where prisoners were processed, where they lived and learn about the conditions where were kept. The most interesting aspect of the tours though, is that each one is led by a former political prisoner who will also talk about his own story on Robben Island and will tell firsthand accounts of life as a political prisoner.  It’s one of the best ways to learn about the history of apartheid in South Africa and to get perspective on the struggles that those who fought against the policy faced.

The tours cost 200 Rand per person. Tours regularly sell out and should be booked in advanced.

Photo Credit: Katie Hammel