According to US
news and World Report, Cape Town is the number one destination to visit in
2014. After exploring this great city for two months, I can definitely
understand why it tops travel lists. Cape Town has a very diverse terrain between
the mountains, ocean views and native animal species, which makes it the
perfect city to explore. My Cape Town bucket list is a list of my top five
favorite activities that we experienced during our time here, including: hiking
table mountain, paragliding off Signal Hill, great white shark cage diving, petting
baby (and adult) cheetahs and wine tasting through Stellenbosch wineries. These
five activities not only offered excitement and lots of adrenaline, but they
also exposed me to the many different regions of the Western Cape.
#1: Table
Mountain
Even from the airplane windows on my
flight into Cape Town, everyone was gawking at the first sights of Table
Mountain. No matter where you are in Cape Town, Table Mountain always stands
tall in the background, making for an amazing panoramic view. Recently, Table
Mountain was named one of the seven natural wonders of nature making is a
staple activity in any tourist's itinerary. There is a cable car that runs from
a platform at the base of the mountain and can take you up to top in only four
minutes; however, although it is not for the faint of heart, it is a mission
for many to hike all the way to the top. As a group we hiked a route called
Plateklip Gorge which is one of the fastest routes to the top; within two hours
we had all made our way to the top! Even though the hike was tiring, as we came
closer to the peak Megan and I got an extra burst of energy and sprinted to
finish. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. I was truly speechless
as I took in the aerial views of the city and surrounding coastline. Pictures
don't do the view justice, but these are images that I will keep in the back of
my mind forever.
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| Panoramic view from the top of Table Mountain |
#2: Paragliding
On some windy days towards the beginning of
the trip while down at the V&A Waterfront, I could see small colorful
parachutes soaring through the blue skies. I knew from here on out that
paragliding was going to be the first item on my Cape Town bucket list.
Because paragliding is weather sensitive, we had to reschedule a few times
if the wind was sub par, but this made the flight all the more worthwhile when
we were finally able to go. The day that we went was probably one of the nicest
weather days we experienced during this temperamental Cape Town winter-- it was
almost 75 degrees Fahrenheit and there was not a single cloud in the sky. We
made our way to the top of Signal Hill for launch and in no time, I signed my
life away and got strapped in. My “pilot” carefully laid out the bright purple
and green parachute and soon we were air borne! I am afraid of flying, but the
ride was so smooth and the views of the city are unbelievable that I wasn’t the
least bit nervous. As we began our descent, we did some tricks known as the "roller
coaster" over the ocean waves. Even as we spiraled closer the ground, the
parachute remained in control and I absolutely loved every minute. Paragliding over
Cape Town is definitely the perfect way to see all the different parts of the
city!
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| Paragliding over Cape Town! |
#3: Great White
Shark Cage Diving
In my opinion, the great white shark
is one of the most terrifying animals that roam the oceans of the Western Cape,
but after hearing about the thrill of cage diving, I knew that I had to
experience it for myself. Megan and I decided to go diving off the coast of a
town called Gansbaai, a small fishing town that is famous for whales and great
white sharks. After a twenty-minute boat ride out to sea, we anchored off and the
large metal cage was lowered into the water and secured to the side of the
boat. The dive masters began throwing chum into the water and although the
birds quickly began circulating the nearby waters, no sharks were in sight.
Just as everyone was getting impatient and worried that we wouldn't see
anything, a giant shadow appeared in the water. As it came closer, the shark's
dorsal fin breaks the surface of the water. All of us in the first group grabbed
our masks, zipped our wetsuits, and nervously climbed into the cage. As I
dunked my head under for the first time, I saw a shark about 3-4 meters in
length swimming right in front of the cage. Even though I had visions of them
trying to gnaw at the metal bars of the cage, this shark didn't seem phased at
all. He just continued towards the fish bait about ten feet out from us and
when he got close enough, took it all for himself. To say shark diving was a
thrill is quite an understatement. Cape Town is said to be the great white
shark capital of the world so it’s definitely something not to miss during a
visit!
#4: Cheetah
Outreach Reserve
The Cheetah Outreach center is an
area in Somerset West that works to protect the endangered cheetah population
in South Africa. Currently, it is a common issue for farmers to shoot cheetahs
that roam agricultural properties in order to protect their land, crops and
herds. In response to the concern for the declining cheetah population, the
Cheetah Outreach Center breeds Turkish Anatolian Shepherd dogs and places them
on South African farms to guard livestock in an effort to reduce conflict
between farmers and predators. All admissions into the center benefit a program
that breeds these guard dogs and include personal encounters with both cubs and
adult cheetahs. We were lucky to see cubs at this time of year since spring is
usually the most common breeding time. There were two cubs that were both three
months old in one enclosed, protective area that loved playing together. I was
surprised that such small cubs already had such quick speed! It was difficult
to calm the rambunctious cubs down but luckily they were easily distracted by a
chew toy made from tree bark and we were able to kneel down and stroke their
fuzzy outer coats. After playing with the tiny cubs, this one seemed huge and pretty
intimidating. For an up close and personal experience, this animal encounter
was one of the best, and certainly one of my most memorable experiences in Cape
Town.
#5: Stellenbosch
Wine Route
The wine lands in the Western Cape are
known far and wide for world-class vineyards. Wine is one of the largest
exports of South Africa and Stellenbosch is one of the most renowned regions
for high quality wine. Our group first visited Fairview wine estate where we
learned about a type of red wine called pinotage which is unique to South
Africa. The pinotage grape is a cross between a pinot noir and a cinsaut grape
and makes for a bold, earthy flavor. At Fairview, we also did cheese tasting
which consisted of all fresh, locally made cheese from milk produced on the
vineyard's farms. Next, we continued to the Spice Route where all of us girls
went chocolate tasting. We tasted a total of five chocolates that were made
from cocoa beans from around the world including Uganda, Madagascar, Venezuela,
São Tomé and Trinidad. It was really interesting learning about the many
different favors of the cocoa bean, as well as the different flavors that are
infused into the chocolate. To finish the day, we went to the Spier Wine
Estate. The Spier property was stunning and very well maintained. It was a
little bigger than Fairview and there was even a wedding on the grounds while
we were there. The wine tasting was very educational—we learned the proper
etiquette for sipping and swirling. The wine was excellent, the company was
great, and the Stellenbosch region as a whole is so beautiful, making it the
final item on my Cape Town Bucket List.
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| Fairview Vineyard! |
- Carolyn Drogt
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