Tourist Places To Visit In Cape Town

Adorned by a nature reserve right in the centre of its pastures, Cape Town is an ancient city. The town nurtures age-old cultures and traditions even today, gaining popularity as "Mother City". Studded with stunning coastal areas, tourists must visit some of the beaches in Cape Town. Along with coastal beauty, the city also offers other tourist places such as Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the magnificent Robben Island. The city also has a penguin reserve that can be visited to cheer up in the presence of joyful penguins. With such unique places to tour, Cape Town is a hotspot for tourists in South Africa. Let us take a look at some of these exciting tourism spots.

Boulders Beach is studded with age-old granite boulder-stones. These solid rocks have withstood constant pounding by the towering waves over the years. Owing to this, Boulders Beach forms an ideal swimming destination for locals and tourists alike. The prime reason why a truckload of tourists throngs this beach is the presence of hundreds of African penguins in the vicinity. These penguins have formed a colony of their own at Boulder Beach, greeting visitors with a unique braying sound. In addition, the pristine and quiet waters of Boulders Beach provide relaxation, and its cleansed sands attract many tourists.

Cape of Good Hope is a foreland that adorns the southern extremities of Africa. The cape gained historic importance when Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese voyager, stepped foot on its shores. He bestowed the cape with its current name, sighting interesting trade routes between Europe and the African continent. The region is blessed with wonderful flora and fauna too, with antelopes, dassies, southern right whales, and penguins enticing tourists. The pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean blend with the cloudy skies to offer breathtaking landscapes for visitors, adding to the site's natural allure.

The Aquila Game Reserve's authorities not only offer tourists with a unique wildlife tour, but also pamper them with sumptuous local cuisines and lavish African hospitality. The 10,000-hectare expanse of the reserve proudly nurtures the famous five wildlife prodigies of South Africa: lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards, and buffaloes. Tourists can venture into Aquila Game Reserve on a vehicle of their choice: on the back of a horse, on a safari jeep, or on a quad bike. The reserve offers day as well as night safaris for its visitors. In addition, visitors can also indulge in lush African spa treatments that use the healing benefits of herbs.

Robben Island is studded with some distinct historical sites that help tourists relive the freedom fighting struggles that South Africa went through at the hands of colonialism. Some of these intriguing spots include the Maximum Security Prison, navy and army bunkers, Bluestone Quarry, the Lime Quarry, and Robert Sobukwe's house. Significantly, this island also houses the prison cell where South Africa's own, Nelson Mandela, was placed during his struggle for freedom. Tourists can also pay a visit to the Robben Island Museum, which holds significant artifacts that resemble the days of World War II and colonialism.

Situated about two hours away from Cape Town, the Inverdoorn Game Reserve nurtures close to 30 distinct species of freely moving wild animals. Some of these magnificent creatures include buffalo, cheetah, hippo, rhino, giraffe, oryx, and the remarkable Cape Barbary Lion. Experienced tour guides can also help visitors catch a glimpse of the fastest mammal, cheetah, in full swing from close range. Tourists can get aboard open-air jeeps that take you on an expedition of the park's serene grasslands. To relax from all the touring, visitors can also explore the curio shop, stroll along the cactus gardens, or spend some time swimming.

Located just 15 minutes away from the busy streets of Cape Town, Groot Constantia is one of the most antiquated wineries in the whole of South Africa. This wine shelter houses a sumptuous wine tasting center, bustling with activity on a regular basis. The place also consists of two splendid restaurants. Simon's diner provides delectable beer while Jonkershuis joint always has traditional Malay culture oozing from its delicacies. Along with tasty cuisine, Jonkershuis also offers an exquisite view of the vineyards in the background, setting up a unique dining experience.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is renowned all over the world for the picturesque landscapes it presents tourists with. The garden has more than 7,000 species of indeginous plants scattered across its expanse. Some intriguing spots to visit include medicinal garden, the Cape Peninsula and its 2,500 floral variants, and the fragrance garden. The Protea garden attracts a lot of visitors during spring season. The authorities arrange for free expeditions of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden during the day, with safaris plying at 11 AM and 2 PM. The cycad amphitheater is also famous for its life-size effigies of dinosaurs.