Super stuff to do in Cape Town

Muizenberg

A laidback seaside suburb in the South Peninsula of Cape Town, Muizenberg has an interesting cultural history, myriad mouth-watering restaurants and plenty of activities to keep even the most energetic traveller occupied.

The main attraction is without doubt the beach though. It stretches for miles around the False Bay coastline and the kind swells and forgiving waves of Surfer’s Corner make it the ideal place for beginners to make their first splash.

With surf schools aplenty and tonnes of room to manoeuvre, you’ll be crushing it in no time. Diving, stand-up paddleboarding, caneoing, kitesurfing and sailing are also popular with water enthusiasts who flock to the Zandvlei Nature Reserve to get their aquatic kicks.

If “crushing” stuff isn’t your bag, the Muizenberg to St James walk is a slightly more relaxing way to enjoy the coastline, there are lots of art galleries to explore on the Main Road and the Bluebird Garage Food & Goods Market.

Simon’s Town

A tiny settlement on the False Bay side of the Cape Town peninsula, Simon’s Town has an abundant maritime history, lots of quaint, Instagrammable buildings, a rather lovely beach and a quite sumptuous mountainous backdrop.

And lots of penguins.

Yes, Simon’s Town is one of the few remaining homes to the rather lovely and extremely rare African penguin. A colony of around 3,000 live on the charming sandy coves of Boulder’s Beach – grown from just two breeding pairs back in 1982 – and they are delightfully diverting with their funny walks and comical interplay.

Foxy beach, where most of them dwell, is out of bounds for obvious reasons. But you can traverse the walkways and get up close and pretty personal with these wacky waddlers and even swim with them at the southern end should you purchase a ticket and promise not to feed or touch them.

Fish Hoek

One of the best family locations in the whole of Cape Town, Fish Hoek has a tremendous beach with friendly, warm waters and an equally warm and friendly community.

Locals and tourists spend hours on boogie boards, SUPs, surfskis, kayaks and canoes, the local trek fisherman feed its minutae eateries and there’s enough idyllic spots to sunbathe the day away when its activities are over.

It’s strongly recommended to scale Elsie Peak, too. It looms high with abundant flora and fauna giving way to incredible views of Seal Island, the Hottentots Holland Mountains and Hangklip to the east, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay to the north and Glencairn and Simon’s Town to the south.

(*For those not in the know, a surfski is a long, narrow craft that’s similar to a kayak but with an open “sit-on-top” cockpit that’s fast, light weight and tonnes of fun to conquer.)

Cape Winelands

Wine lovers rejoice!

About 40km to the east of Cape Town, in the bountiful valleys and lavish farmsteads overlooked by the Cape fold mountains, lies a region obsessed with the suppy stuff.

Geologically, the soil here is perfect for the growth of vines and for hundreds of years it’s been the largest winemaking region in the country.

You can hike the valleys on foot, ride them on the myriad mountain bike routes or take the easy option with a vineyard tour sampling some truly world-class food and wine pairings.

Franschboek is known as the gourmet capital of the country for a reason and it’s a really luxurious, memorable experience finding out why.

Another little glass, anyone?