Excursions in South Africa: Cape Town City Tour
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a tour of the "Mother City". Your tour will include visits to the Castle of Good Hope, the Parliament Buildings and Bo-Kaap, plus of course the iconic Table Mountain.
Cape Town City Tour
Cape Town, South Africa
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a tour of the "Mother City". Your tour will include visits to the Castle of Good Hope, the Parliament Buildings and Bo-Kaap, plus of course the iconic Table Mountain.
The Castle of Good Hope was constructed during the late 17th century in a style typical of European fortification at the time, and replaced an earlier, far more modest fort constructed by Jan van Riebeeck (the leader of the Dutch East India Company party charged with turning the Cape into a key re-supply station). High spring tides used to send waves crashing up against the castle walls: amazing when you now consider how far the walls now are from the ocean, a product of huge land reclamation projects that have helped expand Cape Town seawards.
The Houses of Parliament are a large sprawling complex, the size a legacy of apartheid when the three different "races" each had their own legislature. The original wing is a great example of Neoclassical architecture. Also in this area you'll visit the pretty Company Gardens and the lively Greenmarket Square.
Next you head to the cable car station at the foot of Table Mountain for the ride up. Your cable car rotates through 360º during the journey, giving you fantastic views over the city, coastline and Robben Island. These views are continued at the summit, and you can see over the far side of the mountain down the Twelve Apostles that form the backbone of the Cape Peninsula at this point. You descend from the cable car station into Bo-Kaap, Cape Malay quarter. The bright pastel shades and unique version of Cape Dutch architecture used in the buildings are a proud reminder of the Cape Malay's rich heritage. The descendants of slaves bought in by the Dutch from all over their empire (including Malaysia, hence their name), most of the community are practicing Muslims, and the sound of the call to prayer blends with the aroma of delicious Cape curries to evoke an exotic atmosphere unique in Africa.
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