The Mother City Essentials
A Preparatory Guide of Sorts
The Mother City is a weird and wonderful place surrounded by beauty and flowing with diversity. From art and culture to the environment and wildlife, it’s most likely the weather that will catch you off-guard. Here’s a simple guide to keep you in the know my dudes and dudettes.
Shoes = Tekkies, Sandals = Plakkies
With the peninsula overflowing with activities to do, places to see and food to eat, you’ll more than likely be in a state of euphoria or put simply — experiencing a sensory overload. It’s only natural to want to see it all and because a lot of things are in close proximity to each other, you’ll find yourself mostly walking around on your adventures. So pack comfortable shoes, the kind you’ll be stoked to spend the whole day walking in. Whether it’s sneakers or sandals, let your choice be a wise one. (Don’t wear high heels if the point above wasn’t clear enough.)
Deals on wheels
Walking is a winner, but at some point, a set of wheels may come in handy if you need to get from the CBD to the beach or from a museum to the Winelands. So, let’s take a look at your options and what mode of transport would best suit your next adventure.
MyCiti bus system
This is an excellent way to travel between sites within the CBD. The routes are mapped out at each point and go as far as Hout Bay or Blouberg if you so wish! On the website, you’ll find a fare calculator so that you can plan your expenses well in advance based on where you need to go. For more information on routes and pricing see here.
Hop on, hop off buses
CitySightseeing’s red Hop-On Hop-Off double-decker bus system is well-known around the world and Cape Town is no different as they stop at all the major points of interest within the city. From cruising around the Cape Peninsula to an intimate tour around the CBD, the flexibility of these tours is ideal when you’re not too tight for time. If English isn’t your first language, don’t worry, these guys have got you covered. These tours offer informative audio-commentary services in over 15 languages. It gets even better when you’re able to take a seat on the roofless second floor and enjoy the sunshine with Table Mountain staring in the reflection of your sunglasses.
UBER or taxi?
The local taxis in South Africa are known for their hustle, and sometimes they bend the rules when it comes to the laws of the road. This is because they make most of their turnover during the peak hours when they try to take on as many passengers as physically possible with the incentive to move quickly. Riding in a local taxi is still awesome though! Uber is another option if you’re looking to go for the more personalised ride with the aid of their reliability, safety and in-app payments. Either way, it’s affordable getting around our busy streets!
Rent a car
Renting a car would be the best decision you could make, provided you know exactly where it is that you want to visit. If you’ve got that down, you’re exploring at your own pace and seeing the things that not every tourist might have seen before. You have the ability to venture an hour or five beyond the city of Cape Town to see the floral West Coast with its icy Atlantic waters or venture up the Garden Route towards Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and the Tsitsikamma National Park.
Friendly culture — We don’t bite
We all speak loudly. It’s a good thing. This is because speaking quietly can be seen as gossiping or ”skinner” (pronounced ‘skun’-’er’). To avoid being seen as the neighbourhood chatterbox, people speak loudly so that their conversations can be heard and it’s obvious that there’s nothing to hide.
Taking photos and videos is a breeze
Locals just LOVE posing for photos and videos. Chances are people will pose or ask you to photograph them before you’ve even offered! However, remain courteous and still ask to take a shot or two of them if they haven’t openly obliged just yet. You know, manners.
LGBT welcome
South Africa has grown to be a very prejudice-conscious country and has, thus, become increasingly accepting for the most part. In other words, we treat people how they want to be treated. We aim to uphold a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. So with regards to the LGBTQ+ community, they are loved, valued and welcome. In fact, the LGBTQ+ community is rife in Cape Town and makes up a large part of the city’s culture.
Vegetarian or Vegan-friendly, our food is amazing
No one is really sure about what to expect when it comes to Cape Town’s food scene, but let’s put your doubts aside — it will be the sole reason you come back! (Quite the overstatement, but let’s roll with it). With world-class restaurants to local spots that will change your life, every meal will be different and most certainly delicious. The range of cuisines is vast, the ingredients are fresh and the dishes are never short of flavour. If we could suggest a personal favourite, it would be the Cape Malay Indian cuisine but here’s the latest on hip and happening restaurants for 2019.
Although most South Africans consider chicken to be a vegetable because we really enjoy good meat, we also have many food options for vegetarians and vegans. In fact, it’s not unusual to find people braaing (BBQ) some big ol’ mushrooms and chickpea burger patties these days. So do not fear, Veggie friends!
Cape Town weather in April
The seasonal shift from Summer to Fall is Cape Town’s most unpredictable time of year so be prepared for it all. You’ll be warm and then you’ll be cold. You’ll be in the rain and then you’ll be catching a tan. You’ll be walking on the street and the next minute, you’ll be blown into a tree. We’re kidding, sort of, but this can all be experienced in one day. A roller coaster if you will, so take cognisance of everything below.
Sun
Ah yes, the African sun. Warm on the skin and dry at the touch. This is the thing everyone tends to take way too lightly in April. The sun is harsh. Whether it’s overcast or clear as day, sunscreen is not even a question. Even though most of you will be visiting in April, don’t let the slight air-chill fool you into thinking the sun won’t sizzle your skin. It can and it will. SPF recommendation? We’d say no less than 20 SPF for the April heat but for future reference, in peak Summer you’ll need 30–40 SPF or higher. Heed these words.
Temperature
We’ve seen weekly weather forecasts start off with lows of 9 degrees Celsius and highs of 18 degrees, but three days later you can hit highs of 27–32 degrees. Absolute madness. To make sure you’re prepared, a warm top is your best friend and worst nightmare because you’ll put it on and take it off, on the hour every hour. So along with your sunscreen, keep a warm top or jacket with you at all times, unless you’re Bear Grylls of course.
Wind
“The answer my friend is blowing in the wind” — Bob Dylan.
What ol’ Bob doesn’t know about Cape Town’s wind though, is that if you leave yourself mentally unprepared for the wind in which you seek the proverbial answer, it could leave your hair and car-door in quite an uncomfortable position.
So here’s the deal, in April the wind is 50/50 on which direction it would like to blow.
If the wind is blowing in a strong South Easterly direction, the most sheltered parts of the peninsula include, but is not limited to Claremont, Newlands, Clifton, Seapoint, upper bowl of the CBD, a bit of Green Point and Tokai. Are you taking this down? Anyway, this doesn’t mean that any other areas of Cape Town is a no-go-zone but rather requires a little more open-mindedness towards Mother Nature’s wrath.
If the wind is blowing in a strong North Westerly, head on over to Kalk Bay, Constantia, Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach. The CBD can be a winner too. When the wind blows in this direction though, expect some rain to be on the way as this wind direction brings in many cold fronts from the Atlantic ocean.
How to save water when you visit Cape Town
The Cape Peninsula recently experienced its worst drought in 20 years. Capetonians have managed to save water using pretty nifty methods but as a tourist, this is what you can do to help us save water:
- Choose to stay in accommodation that has water-saving and contingency plans in place. Make sure you call and ask before booking, so you know exactly what to expect.
- Re-use your towels instead of asking for a new one daily.
- Try to flush the toilet as little as possible. Each flush uses between 6 and 14 litres, depending on the kind of toilet. In other words, if it’s yellow let it mellow.
- Use a cup to rinse your mouth when brushing your teeth rather than letting the taps run.
- Limit your showers to under 2 minutes and avoid bathing.
- Report leaking taps and toilets as soon as you notice them.
- Avoid washing clothes until you have a full load of laundry, or make use of water-wise laundry services such as Green Planet Laundry.
- If possible, use a dishwasher to clean dishes. Just make sure you only run it when it is full.
- Use this cool calculator to make sure you’re helping to save water.
It’s adventure time
The ways in which you could explore this breath-taking city are plenty but knowing some deals on wheels or where to go depending on the weather puts you in good stead when planning your day. A little bit of preparation never hurt anyone and the fact that you’re reading this means that you’re basically ready for the time of your life, right?
We’re excited to welcome everyone to the Mother City! For further info, please visit our website.
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