Although winter is the rainy season in the Cape, there is so much on offer in the Mother City that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to stay at home – especially with the launch of Cape Town Tourism’s new winter campaign.
Take advantage of our fantastic winter specials or enter our exciting competitions. Go on a tour of the winelands to see the changing colours of the leaves, visit the many art galleries in the city, indulge in some retail therapy, take a drive up Ou Kaapse Weg and spot some whales , or, if you’re feeling adventurous, pull on a wetsuit and visit the best surfing spots to take advantage of the impressive winter swell.
So don’t let the weather forecast put a damper on your sightseeing plans – get out there and explore the Mother City!
With the Cape schools’ winter holidays in full swing, kids’ indoor boredom thresholds may be rather low for parents’ liking. Why not consider some of these fun options to keep little minds alive and happy in the fresh air and inside?
Learn about wildlife at Giraffe House
Giraffe House is home to a beautiful one-year-old giraffe called Gerry. She was orphaned at a few days old and is still bottle-fed.
There are also many other African wild animals to see at Giraffe House, like crocodile, eland, buffalo, ostrich, zebra and camel. Giraffe House’s mission is to teach everyone about our wonderful African wildlife heritage.
Go on a marzipan safari at Asara Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
Asara offers kids a delightful three hour children’s cooking programme to keep little hands busy, while their moms and dads relax.
The Marzipan Safari sees pastry chef Bernd Strauss showing the little ones how to make the animals of Africa – in marzipan!
Guaranteed fun for all ages. R150.00 per person (beverages excluded).
Make way for Noddy at the Artscape Theatre
Noddy, Big Ears, Tessie Bear and friends will be back at Artscape during the winter holidays.
Make Way for Noddy 2009, presented by Stagecraft Drama Studio, is adapted from various Noddy stories written by Enid Blyton.
Performances take place daily at 10h30 from June 29 to July 11 (except Sunday) and at 14h30 on July 4 and 10.
Simon van der Stel, the first governor of the Cape, could hardly have known what incredible wine estates would emerge from the farm he envisioned when he occupied Constantia, today South Africa’s oldest winelands.
Constantia Vineyards is a wine route consisting of five vineyards, restaurants, hotels and a golf course.
Steenberg Estate includes a country hotel, restaurant and championship 18-hole golf course. Visit the Steenberg Estate for tasting, Monday to Friday, from 09h00 to 16h30 and Saturday from 09h00 to 13h00, when in season.
Cape Town and its surrounding areas are internationally renowned for their wine, and a tour of the winelands is highly recommended.
A number of famous vineyards now offer tours and tastings to the public. You can choose to spend an entire day at one vineyard, exploring extensively (and, if you’re lucky, meeting the winemaker), or you could join a tour group and visit a few vineyards in one day.
Wine enthusiasts will especially enjoy the food and wine pairing events that certain estates offer. For more information, call +27 (0)21 487 6800.
Diving with sharks is a huge thrill, but at least having something between you and the shark makes the experience less hazardous.
Cage diving in Simon’s Town, Cape Town, gives adrenaline junkies the opportunity to dive with the great white shark. The great white reaches lengths of 4.5m (15ft), making it the largest predatory fish. It is on the endangered species list, so seeing it in its natural environment is an experience not to be missed.
To experience cage diving you do not need to be a qualified diver. Many companies only provide snorkelling equipment as the bubbles of scuba equipment can sometimes scare off the sharks. Cages are situated alongside the boat and when you are ready to enter the water, the crew helps you. Cages should be shark-proof, meaning they are reinforced to withstand any butting from the shark.
Cape Town Tourism has a list of accredited operators if you are interested in taking the plunge. For more information call +27 21 487 6800 or email info@capetown.travel.
This year’s Ubuntu Festival will see St George’s Mall and Church Street, Cape Town, come alive with culture on July 18 and 19. Featuring live music, fashion shows and a range of food stalls, it has all the makings of a great celebration weekend. With the country celebrating Nelson Mandela’s birthday, Cape Town is set to rock.
The CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, says, “Cape Town Tourism is proud to be a partner of the inaugural Ubuntu Festival. We believe that it is a wonderful platform to celebrate Cape Town’s unique culture and lifestyle in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”
The South African Ubuntu Foundation is holding a series of workshops between July 14 and July 17. These workshops will provide insight into different traditions, religions and languages. They will take place at Mandela Rhodes Place in St George’s Mall, between 09h00 and 12h00 in the morning and 14h00 and 17h00 in the afternoon. The cost of each workshop is R750 per person with a discount rate for bookings of 10 people or more.
A dinner to honour Nelson Mandela and to celebrate his life will be held on July 18 at Mandela Rhodes Place. Mandela, as a role model for ubuntu (humanity), will be honoured because of his legacy in Cape Town, and his contributions to reconciliation, leadership, entrepreneurship and education.
In the evening guests will enjoy a gourmet menu designed by top chefs from Synergy Restaurant, FISH at Winesense, Doppio Zero and the new eatery Ikhamba. The event will start at 20h00 and the cost will be R500 per person.
Cape Town Tourism and its members have put together some fantastic specials to ensure that you won’t be left out in the cold this winter.
Sleep and Treat: The Oceana
Stay at The Oceana & Spa for three nights and only pay for two.
Book a full body or back, neck and shoulder massage and receive a free hot stones add-on to the massage, as well as a complimentary 30-minute steam-room session.
To see more of the great specials on offer, visit our specials page.
Win an iPod Nano with Cape Town Tourism’s winter Flickr competition
Anyone passionate about photography who has been lucky enough to visit the Mother City will tell you that Cape Town is a photographer’s dream – which should make Cape Town Tourism’s winter Flickr competition a fantastic one to enter!
To enter, submit your photograph(s) of Cape Town in winter to the Cape Town. Live it. Love it. Winter Competition group and tag them as “winter”.
For details about the rules of the competition, click here.
Another reason why Cape Town is cool in winter
Tell us why Cape Town is cool in winter – in no more than 140 characters – and stand a chance to win an Acer notebook worth R2 500!
You can enter this fabulous competition on Twitter (by twittering@capetowntourism followed by your message), Facebook (by writing on our wall), or by emailing us at media@flowsa.com.
The rules of the competition are as follows:
1. Your entry must be 140 characters or less. 2. Entries are open to South Africans and internationals. 3. Entries will be judged on originality. 4. The competition will run until the end of August.
So get your creative juices flowing and enter now!
It’s fynbos season in the Cape
One of the many reasons to love the Mother City in winter is that it’s fynbos season.
This means that, in a number of areas around Cape Town, you will find an abundance of strikingly beautiful indigenous plants and flowers.
