September 2020
As the weather changes, the days get longer, and the nights shorter, we couldn’t be happier! Known as Cape Town’s secret-season due to the idyllic weather, the city starts flourishing as soon as the vibrant wildflowers arrive. There is so much to do in the Mother City, and we have tried to narrow it down to the top ten.
Spring Flowers
HOP-OFF AT OVER 30 STOPS WITH CITY SIGHTSEEING
One of the best ways to see our city is on the iconic City Sightseeing Red Bus. With 3 routes to choose from you can explore all corners of Cape Town this spring. These routes consist of the Red City Tour, The Blue Mini Peninsula Tour, and The Purple Constantia Valley Wine tour. With over 30 stops along these routes, there are so many places to explore and experience.
City Sightseeing Family
SUNRISE FROM LIONS HEAD
For the early birds, enjoy the 360-degree iconic view from Lions Head. This mountain in the city centre is featured on many postcards, Instagram posts and social media blogs around the world, especially at sunrise. Watch as Table Mountain glows in the golden morning light, with the pinks and purples of the changing skyline as the city below wakes up for the day. Strike a yoga pose or two.
Lions Head
TABLE MOUNTAIN
Spend a day out with the family on Table Mountain (Stop 7), which has something on offer for everyone, young and old. Enjoy the views from the summit, abseil off this iconic mountain, enjoy a bite to eat in their cafe, join one of their guided walks, or take a stroll at your leisure whilst listening to their free audio tours. Table Mountain is in one of the richest floral kingdoms in the area in the world. With Spring in the air, you are bound to enjoy their 2200+ flora species on the mountain, which is famous for its Fynbos, a very unique vegetation type that has developed over millions of years.
Image Name: Proteas
FREE CITY WALKING TOUR
With our free walking tours that start at our tour office on Long Street (Stop 5), you’ll be guaranteed to see the city’s main attractions and learn things along the way that you may not be able to appreciate from your car. The tours are hosted by local knowledgeable guides, that each offers their own twist and personality to the tours. Join us at one of the following tours, Vibrant Bo-Kaap or the Historic City Tour which covers the beautiful Gardens.
City Sightseeing Free Walking Tour
BROWSE A LOCAL MARKET
Nothing like a day at the market to refresh oneself. Situated on the Blue Route, at Stop 24 in Hout Bay you’ll find the Bay Harbour Market, which is housed in an old fish factory. This market has so much to offer from arts, crafts, fashion, décor to live music and decadent cuisines. There is something on offer for everyone within their 100 vendors, making this market is a great outing for the whole family.
WORLD OF BIRDS
Set on four hectares in the Hout Bay valley the World of Birds is Africa’s largest bird park with over 3,000 birds and 400 species, in more than 100 walkthrough aviaries, this park allows you the most amazing up close and personal experience with nature. It is not just all about the birds though. The park is also home to the highly inquisitive New World monkeys, as well as many different species of tortoises, blue-tongued skinks, squirrels, foxes, and Guinea pigs to name but a few.
World of Birds
KIRSTENBOSCH BOTANICAL GARDENS
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden (Stop 20) is a spring haven with lashes green lawns, fynbos and abandons of flora. Time to dust off those picnic baskets as spring is here, and the flowers are in full bloom offering exceptional scenery. A fantastic way to see these lush gardens from a different vantage point and to get that perfect selfie is on their aerial walkway called the Boomslang, a 128-metre-long walkway which allows visitors to experience the Botanical Gardens from the treetops. Pack a picnic, lie on the grassy slopes, and enjoy the Spring sun.
WINE TASTING IN CONSTANTIA
In Cape Town, any time is wine time! This makes exploring and tasting your way through the beautiful Cape Winelands one of our top ten things to do in Cape Town in Spring. Constantia located on our Purple Route at Stop 25 is only 20 minutes from the city centre. This is where our Blue Route joins our Purple Route. Constantia is the oldest wine region in the country, home to many award-winning estates that offer cellar tours, wine tastings, as well as gourmet food and wine pairing feasts.
A DAY ON THE BEACH
With the weather improving, spend the day on the beach soaking up the Spring sun. Cape Town has so many pristine beaches that are perfect for sunbathing and water sports. With the sea in front and the mountains behind, Camps Bay (Stop 8) is one of our favourites. It is ideal for swimming, even though the water is cold, it has few waves and large boulders which you can jump off into the calm, clear water. Pack a picnic, hire an umbrella and deckchair and enjoy the change of seasons on this beautiful beach. With so much sand it is merely impossible in resisting building sandcastles and the kids will happily fill their beach buckets with sea sand for their sandcastle, while the older kids and dads can enjoy a game of touch rugby, frisbee and Beach Bats or simply relax and enjoy the view.
Camps Bay Beach
CRUISE IN THE HARBOUR
Nothing like fresh Spring air and the smell of the sea. The Waterfront Harbour Cruise is perfect for the whole family to go out and explore the Waterfront harbour, with so much to see as the historic Chavonnes Battery Museum, the Nelson Mandela Gateway as well as the famous Clock Tower. The children will enjoy the many Cape Fur seals that can be seen during the cruise. These animated seals can be seen swimming through the canals, splashing in the water or simply enjoying the Spring sun on the docks.
Spring is here, let’s celebrate life, a season of change and the fact that we made it through one of the coldest Winters.
