CAPE TOWN OPTIONS 2017
We currently have a group of about 12 people who will visit Cape Town in June after the Africa study abroad class. The Cape Town visit is not a part of the class. Instead the group will be making a private visit to the Cape after the course ends. For many travelers, this will be their only chance to visit Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula or the fynbos region so it makes sense for them to take advantage of the opportunity. Because it is not a part of the class, the visit to Cape Town is relatively unstructured. There is no set schedule or agenda. No group activities are currently planned. Each traveler can choose from among many, many possible activity options in Cape Town: shopping, dining, music, museums, water activities including shark diving (weather permitting), more shopping, nature hikes on Table Mountain and numerous others.
Cape Town is often called the “Mother City” of South Africa because from the European perspective it is where the country’s history began. For general background on Cape Town see the Wikipedia page at:
For more specific information about the city or possible activities you can consult any one or more of many published guidebooks. However, I do not recommend this approach. The guidebooks are EXPENSIVE, even as e-books, and in my experience they usually contain many sloppy, careless mistakes and downright inaccurate information. I have stopped buying guidebooks. I think that a better approach is to use internet resources to find information on Cape Town. Here are some sites that might be helpful.
The “official” Cape Town guide:
A Huff Post article summary from a couple of years ago:
Tripadvisor, Viatorand Expedia advice: (contain advertisements)
Internet versions of popular travel guides. Be sure to double-check information when possible. These guides may be OK for general information but double-check the specifics:
Others:
A quick Google search on Cape Town Tourism will generate many hits. You may prefer some of these but the above are the best available information in my opinion after I spent several hours searching and scanning.
Be patient with these web sites as they sometimes “migrate” to new locations that are tricky to find. Searching for the site title usually fixes this.
Taxis, public transportation or hired drivers for day trips will be available at cost for transport to activity locations. The person who is organizing our lodging in Cape Town can help arrange transport or can provide it but will charge for the service. Some sites are within safe walking distance of our lodgings.
In the past, many IUP travelers have enjoyed a visit to the colony of endangered South African penguins at Boulders Beach in Simonstown on False Bay. It is considered a “half-day” trip from Cape Town to Boulders and back. Because most of this “half-day” trip is driving time, the visit to the penguins is typically combined with a road trip to the Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope) via Hout Bay and Chapman’s Peak to make a “full-day” excursion. Booking a full-day or half-day trip calls for organization and must be set up and paid for in advance. It is much cheaper for travelers to share expenses and book a private group trip than to book individual trips. Therefore,
Those members of our group who might want the Cape Point/Boulders Beach option should discuss it and reach a consensus early in the semester.
For more information, see:
Please contact me with any questions.