Our mountains are home to the famous, or sometimes infamous, Cape Baboon. His proper name is Chacma Baboon. They are less prevalent in the city centre but if you head out toward Cape Point, you should see them sitting on the sides of the roads or on rocks.
They hang out in troops and the cutest little babies hang onto their mother’s tummies. They look harmless and sweet. And visitors frequently get out their cars to take photos or worse, get up close and personal with these apes.
Human fascination with these creatures is actually harming them and their numbers are being carefully monitored. By giving food to baboons, people have taught them to become too lazy to scavenge for their own food. If they see food in a car, they will attempt to take it.
Warning sign
Residents on the south peninsula have big problems with these creatures. They come into their homes and steal food. They turn over garbage bins and they get highly aggressive. They bite!
A drive around the peninsula is a lovely day out but do exercise caution with these animals. Observe them from the safety of a car. They are not cute pets. Don’t try and touch them.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
A nice day trip out without having to hire a car is the trip to Blouberg. There is a dedicated cycle lane and all you need is a bicycle.
Cape Town Cycle Hire will deliver a bike to your front door. It’s a lovely ride out. The sea is on your left and you pass Milnerton Lagoon, Sunset beach and Blouberg beach.
Flamingo Vlei is on your right, which is a wetland area full of bird life. On Sundays you can pop into the car boot market in Milnerton or have lunch at one of the cafes next to the lighthouse at Milnerton Beach.
Blouberg Beach is a mecca for sea sport lovers. Kite surfing, windsurfing, stand up paddle surfing, regular surfing, if you can think of it, they are doing it. Maybe book a lesson before you head out? Use the words – Kite Surfing School – to find local teachers and equipment.
If you are after a bit more action, then keep the bike a day longer and do a spot of mountain biking. Downhill Adventures will show you the ropes.
And for those who prefer a more sedentary approach to sight seeing, don’t forget the My CiTi bus heads out to Blouberg. You can get on an off as you wish.
First lets deal with visas. Some nationals may require visas and others not. You will need to refer to either your local embassy. Another handy site is this SA Tourism.
You could also utilise an agent who deals with foreign visas and they do all the leg work for you. For a fee of course, but hey, they know the business.
Next vaccinations. Depending on how you enter South Africa, you may require a yellow fever vaccination. Do an Internet search for a list of possible entry countries. If you have travelled through them, then you need the jab.
The list includes most of Africa and a few South American countries.
Malaria does occur in South Africa but not in Cape Town. It’s possible to find maps showing high, medium and low risk areas as well as maleria free areas.
As a rule of thumb, the tropical bush camp areas on the east coast are where you need to be cautious. The recent high profile case of Cheryl Cole is proof that malaria does happen to visitors. That said, I will not take some of the new generation anti malarials.
I have seen too many people get very, very ill on them. The older generation anti-malarials are no longer effective against the new strains of malaria so you can’t rely on them. I prefer to practise extreme vigilance and take my chances. I do not recommend my approach. However I refuse to be struck down by medication and ruin a holiday.
Here’s how I do it.
Always cover your arms, neck and legs with light cotton clothing. Rub insect repellent gels and lotions all over exposed body parts regularly. I like Citronella oil. You won’t smell good to your travel mates but the mosquitos will be put off you as well.
Sleep under a net. Eat loads of garlic and drink gin and tonic. Apparently tonic water has quinine which is supposed to be an anti malarial. I also take a few drops of the herbal extract of Artemesia three times a day in water.
Lastly I take homeopathic China. You can use search terms such as Cinchona bark or China malaria to find out more.
You should have plenty ideas to keep safe from malaria.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
For the more adventurous amongst us, there is so much to do in Cape Town. Our perfect summer weather means action junkies can easily get their fix. In a previous post I discussed our blue skies. Find that post here – Cape Town blue skies. I mentioned our clean air in an older post, read that article here – Cape Town cleanest air.
Think activities like surfing, sky diving, rock climbing, quad biking, sandboarding, abseiling, jet skis, bungi jumping and of course the ever popular shark cage diving. Try these two links for more on packages, tours and outings. Outdoor action Cape Town and Adventure tours Cape Town.
The shark cage diving usually includes a bit of a tour of the bay. You get to see little islands and sea life. Then you are kitted out in diving gear and jump into a cage. They throw meat into the water to attract the sharks and before long you are nose to nose with a man eating shark. Except you have the big bars of your cage keeping you safe. Phew! A bit scary for me.
And if that is still not enough then head to Ratanga Junction where you can have a couple of white knuckle roller coaster rides to release more adrenalin. Have a look at what they have to offer here – roller coaster rides Cape Town. Right next door to Ratanga Junction is Canal Walk shopping mall. Those who prefer more docile pursuits can exercise their credit cards.
Photo courtesy Ed Scott
After a long hard day of sightseeing, sometimes all you want to do is rest up your feet. One of my favorite services to use is Mr Delivery. They have the local restaurant menus on-line so you can see what is out there without moving too much.
Another place who deliver if you enjoy pizza is Butlers. Their drivers arrive dressed up in suits and bow ties.
You should tip the driver. That’s how they make their money. Most waitrons rely on tips for their income. They don’t get paid much per shift and certainly don’t get health insurance or any extras. Ten percent is the accepted standard in South Africa.
There are also loads of yummy delis, bakeries, fruit and farm stalls and more all over the place. A handy guide to find those nearest to you is the Eat In guide. You can buy the latest copy at the nearest newsagent or find them on-line.
Think cooking classes to on-line maps and why Conde Nast named Cape Town the 8th best city in the world.
And to round off this post, I thought I would share this with you. Cape Town has the fifth best blue skies in the world. Yip! That’s according to the UK National Physical Laboratory.
For more travel and safety tips scroll back up to the top of this page.
