This blog is an example of a tour led by Peter --- 23 tourists spending a week exploring the Western Cape and Garden Route.
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CAPE TOWN AND GARDEN ROUTE TOUR OCTOBER 2016
Sunday 16th October 2016
I fly from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Take a Taxi (driver is Bapi) to Sea Point -- The Hyde Hotel -- where I check in; take a walk along the promenade and prepare for the upcoming tour.
Taxi back to the Airport where Reynard (and his daughter Kaitlin) meets me. We meet up with the group as they arrive from Durban. They have already done a tour through Mpumalanga and the KNP. Reynard is a partner in Tourism that Cares.... A tour operator based in Cape Town. They set up this tour and requested me to be their representative in the Western and Eastern Cape leg of the tour.
Load the bus (Drive is Sam) and drive to Sea Point. Checking in is relatively painless. I meet and talk to Yehiam (tour leader -- working for ECO the Israeli Tour operator) about the tour and later we have supper.
Monday.
Breakfast and then on the bus for Table Mountain. Unfortunately the wind is too strong so no cable car. So after a short stop we drive up to Signal Hill where we can take some photo's and enjoy the views across the bay as well as down to the City and Harbour.
A WINDY MORNING SO NO TABLE MOUNTAIN CABLE CAR IS POSSIBLE
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| AFTER A FAILED ATTEMPT TO GO UP TABLE MOUNTAIN ON THE CABLE CAR WE DRIVE UP SIGNAL HILL |
After our walk on Signal Hill we drive to the Malay Quarters. A colourful experience of homes and people. Mainly Muslim people live in this area. Walk around the area and then drive to the city where we spend an hour walking around Green Market Square and stop for a Coffee.
At 12.00 we meet the bus and drive to the Waterfront where we find the Robben Island Tour venue. We have already purchased tickets for 13.00 and the boat leaves fairly promptly. The sea is not flat with this strong Easterly blowing. We are able to safely stand on the bow of the boat. Inside the boat there are two levels; Toilet facilities and a bar. This is the Jester; a catamaran operated by Nauticat. The trip takes us 45minutes and we sail into the small harbour of Robben Island.
Once we have disembarked we get onto a bus and the Site Guide (llewellen) takes over. He explains each detail of the island; the church; the house of Robert Sobukwe who campaigned to eliminate the Dompas; we see the various quarries in which they laboured; the Huge Gun that was installed to shoot at invading Germans; the Lighthouse which is still operational and finally the prisons.
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| THE HOUSE WHERE ROBERT SOBUKWE WAS HELD IN DETENTION |
At the Prison Buildings we are handed over to Tando - an ex political prisoner himself. Tando was convicted of Terrorism when he was part of a group of students protesting against the Education system. He leads us through some of the history; the communal prison quarters and the single cells where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years from 1964 - 1982. He was transferred to Polsmoor in Cape Town before spending the last two years of his 27 years in Prison at the Victor Verster prison in Paarl.
Back at the harbour we wait for the Jester. The sea has now become quite rough and the trip back is bouncy and I have to control where I look out. Back at the Waterfront Yehiam and I have a beer at the Belgian Bar until the arranged meeting time of 6.45pm. Sam takes us back to the hotel where we have dinner.
Tuesday morning
This morning we decide to give Table Mountain a second attempt. We have pre purchased tickets. So the weather looks promising if a little chilly. We bus up to the Cable Car. We are there just after 8am and the cable car starts operating at 08.30. By the time we arrive there are already hundreds of people in the line. We receive preferential treatment as we have tickets. And are ushered forward ahead of those who were there earlier than us but who have not bought tickets on line.
Each car takes 65+ passengers -- there are two cars and the return trip takes around 10 minutes. We are in the fourth car of the day and are up on Table Mountain before 8.45. It all works well for us. We wander around the mountain taking pictures and loving the views of the city and coastlines below. There is a variety of flowers to be seen. And an information sign reminds us of all the creatures which make the life of flowers possible.
AFTER CHAPMANS PEAK WE DRIVE TO CAPE POINT WHERE WE SEE A VAST NUMBER OF COLOURFUL FLOWERS INCLUDING THESE PROTEA
We don't spend long on the mountain -- I return earlier and buy myself a coffee. Once we are all down we load up on the bus and take the road to Camps Bay; Clifton; Hout Bay; Chapmans Peak; Scarborough; and on to Cape Point. It seems that this city of Cape Town is Tourist Paradise. At each place we visit over the next few days we see hundreds of tourists enjoying all that is to offer. We go onto the Point Road where it is possible to spend the whole day visiting and walking the various coves. We drive to Cape Of Good Hope lookout. Take a few pics and return to the main road leading to the point.
We take the Flying Dutchman (funicular Rail) up to the light house. Here it would be possible to walk all the way to the end but we spend a brief time here and I walk down. Load up on the bus again; drive down to Simonstown where we stop for a lunch. And the back to Boulders Beach where there is a Penguin Colony.
We walk to the Colony area and see more tourists than Penguins.
THERE IS AN ONGOING DEBATE AS TO WHETHER THIS IS THE MEETING POINT OF THE TWO OCEANS (INDIAN AND ATLANTIC) OR IF THE CAPE AGULHUS IS WHERE THE OCEANS MEET.
From the Cape Point Nature reserve we drive back to the circular road and down Smitswinkel road to Simons Town which is named after Governor of the Cape Colony Simon van der Stel. It is a Naval Base and has been linked to naval operations since the first British Sailors landed here. Yehiam and I have lunch while the group has some free time.
After our lunch break we drive a short distance back towards the point and at Boulders Beach we walk to the Penguin Reserve. Here we see penguins everywhere -- under bushes in the streets, on rocks and boulders, on the beach and in the sea.
We also see huge crowds of Tourists as we have seen in the past two days.
After our Boulders beach visit we continue to Fish Hoek and then left to Sun Valley and up Ou Kaapse Weg. Down on the other side of the mountain we find Southern Cross drive and Rhodes Drive. We end up at the top entrance to Kirstenbosch Gardens. Here we take a slow walk through the gardens but are only able to catch a glimpse of the real beauty of these gardens.
Sam drives the bus to the main entrance below and we meet him there.
After a busy and exhausting day we have supper at the Hyde Hotel.
After Boulders Beach we take Old Kaapse Weg over to Constantia and up Southern Cross Drive to Rhodes Drive and enter Kirstenbosch at the top entrance. From here we walk down to the bottom while enjoying the amazing variety of flowers which are clearly identified for ease of reference.
Finally back to the Hotel for dinner. Reynard meets me there and joins us for supper. We are able to talk about the day and issues that needed to be resolved.
Wednesday Morning
Our day for a Winelands Tour. We change our original plan from visiting three wine farms to just two. And instead we start the day in Stellenbosch where we firstly drive through the town and then visit the Dorp Museum. Our next stop of the day is on the way to Franschoek where we visit the Victor Verster (now known as the Drakenstein Prison) Prison from which Mandela was released in 1990 after spending the past 27 years in prison.
Our next stop is Franschoek. During the time when Jan van Riebeek was Commander of the Cape Colony, French Huguenots were unwelcome in their own country due to their Protestant Christian beliefs and so many were encouraged to come to the Cape.
Here they soon were at work planting wine farms and Franschoek became an area where you were likely to hear French being spoken. Many South African Surnames date back to the days of the Huguenots.
The Huguenot Monument is a reminder of the French influence in this area.
IN FRANSHOEK WE STOP TO VISIT THE HUGEUNOT MONUMENT.
OUR NEXT STOP WITH BE AT BABYLONSTOREN WINE FARM
After our lunch break in Franschoek we drive to Babylonstoren wine Farm. I have been here before but it was Easter, we had children with us. Easter Egg Hunt was part of the day and we had plenty of time.
Today we were rushed for time. Could not spend time exploring the gardens and so lost a great deal of what Babylonstoren is all about. However our Guide, Steven, took us through the Cellars and explained the workings and history of the farm. After which we sat down to some wine tasting.
With a couple of glasses of wine we continue our day to Paarl where we find the Taal Monument. This is a monument dedicated to South African Languages. There are all kinds of symbolisms but mainly this is a place where South African Nationalism is fostered. There are many facets to the venue and time should be allowed to wander through the gardens to explore. There is also a coffee shop where you can purchase refreshments. Guides are on hand should you wish to make use of them.
Our final activity for the day is the Spice Route. Here we visit Fairview wine farms. We only just make it in time. But the time we spend there is well worthwhile.
Each of us receives a cheese tray and then the host takes us through a time of pairing. Cheese and Wine combinations which makes the activity that much more fun and interesting.
THE TAAL MONUMENT IN PAARL
Thursday Morning.
As always we are up and going by 8am.
Our first stop is at the top of Adderly Street next to St Georges Cathedral. This is the start of the Company Gardens. Set up by the Dutch East India Company (VOC - Vereenige Oost - Indierse Companie). The VOC was, in the 1600's the most powerful company in the world. They had a navy and army and were able to colonise lands.
After our walk through the Company Gardens we drove to Hermanus taking the road from Strand, Gordons bay, Betty's Bay and Hermanus.
Our first stop was the New Harbour. Here we were not able to see any whales from the harbour wall. But saw a number of Whale Watching tour operators.
We had not booked a trip .... An Israeli man who worked for one of these companies suggested that we should be taking a tour but unfortunately they were all fully booked. This caused a bit of unhappiness in the group but eventually we had to move on.
Our afternoon was spent walking the Whale Trail which moves from the New Harbour in an Easterly Direction towards the town.
It is necessary to have a hat and some water when taking this walk. Today was hot and some of the group were not coping well.
During the afternoon we attempted, on a couple of occasions, to spot whales. Yehiam and I saw Dolphins from where we sat for lunch but at no time were Whales Spotted.
Later we checked into the Baleens Hotel.
It was one of the guests birthday. Galit celebrated her birthday with a glass of wine on the beach. And then we again tried to find whales. After a totally unsuccessful afternoon we ended with supper at the Beintangs Cave Restaurant. A Restaurant situated just above the shore line in a cave overlooking the sea.
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| THE OLD HARBOUR IN HERMANUS IS SITUATED JUST BELOW THE "MIDDLE OF TOWN" WHERE ALL THE HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS ARE SITUATED. |
Early Departure sees us doing one more drive past the coastline to try and spot whales. Still no luck. From here we continue to Napier, Bredasdorp and Swellendam. On the N2 our first stop is Albertina and the Aloe Vera shop. Sam notices that we are leaking Diesel. He phones ahead for a Mechanic to meet us at the Cango Caves.
We turn right after Mossel Bay to the Robertsons Pass and across to Oudtshoorn. We are running late and with the vehicle issues, Sam is becoming quite stressed.
Once at Cango the group does the Heritage Tour while Sam and I try to get hold of Hylton Ross, The Mechanic and Tourism that Cares.
During this time, another Hylton Ross bus manages to get its self jammed in a tight corner at the entrance to the caves. This completely blocks the road and causes even more confusion.
Eventually after some time a mechanic arrives and finds the problem. He promptly leaves and we don't hear from him again.
Meanwhile Hylton Ross sends a Rescue Bus for both our own group as well as the Indian Group that was in the other bus.
This bus takes us to Oue Werf where we are booked in for the night. A delightful family (Spies) greets us and helps with settling the group in. Once everyone is in a room and able to shower; I sit down to a welcome drink. Finally, after dark, Sam meets me on the road and I guide him to where he can leave the bus for the night. Mrs Spies has offered to lend us her car for Sam and myself to go to the Oude Meul where we will be staying a little way down the road.
They provide us with a wonderful meal. And later Sam and I leave for a welcome bed and sleep.
AND AFTER A STRESSFUL DRIVE TO GET TO OUDTSHOORN IN TIME FOR OUR CANGO WALK. WE REALISE THAT WE HAVE A DIESEL LEAK. THE MECHANIC IS SUPPOSED TO MEET US BUT TAKES HOURS BEFORE COMING. HE THEN HAS TO GO BACK TO OUDTSHOORN TO FIX A PIPE. THIS TAKES ANOTHER COUPLE OF HOURS
Saturday Morning.
After a good nights rest, we have to leave early to be able to fit in the full days activity so we take breakfast in take away packs.
Breakfast is in the bus. We drive back to Oudtshoorn and then on to De Rust where we take the road that leads to Meiringspoort. We stop at the waterfall and everyone takes a walk to the falls. It is a bit chilly but still a special place to visit.
Monday 24th morning. We are now on our way to Port Elizabeth. We were up very early and on board the bus at Tsitsikamma / Storms River Mouth at 5am to be in time for airport check in at 7.30am.
A stop at the Storms River Bridge and then at Jeffreys Bay and then finally we are in PE where the group will catch a plane to JHB and the following day on to Victoria Falls before returning home to Israel.
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