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CONTENTS
Routefinder 2-5
Map Section 6-21
Top Sites 22-23
Resources 24
Black River Parkway 7
Boulders Beach 19
Camps Bay 6
Cape of Good Hope 21
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 20/21
Cape Point 21
Cape Town 6
Cape Town Street Map 8
Castle of Good Hope 6
Century City 7
Chapman’s Peak Drive 10/16
Constantia / Constantia Nek Restaurant 11
Constantia Winelands 12
De Waal Drive 7
Fish Hoek / Fish Hoek Beach 17
Hout Bay 10
Kalk Bay 17
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden 11/14
Kommetjie 16
Signal Hill / Lion’s Head 6
Llandudno 10
Muizenberg 17
N1 / Table Bay Boulevard 7
Newlands 7/11
Noordhoek / Noordhoek Beach 16
Observatory 7
Ou Kaapseweg 16/17
Red Hill 18
Robben Island 9
Scarborough 18
Sea Point 6
Settlers Way 7
Silvermine Nature Reserve 17
Simon’s Town 18/19
Smitswinkel Bay 19/21
St James 17
Table Mountain 6
Table Mountain - walks & trails 15
Tokai 11
Twelve Apostles 10
Winelands 13
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront 6
Zonnebloem (District Six) 6

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CONSTANTIA WINELANDS CONSTANT

Constantia Winelands Constantia & The Winelands Constantia Winelands Constantia

CONSTANTIA
The official Constantia Wine Route is limit-
ed to five estates – but dynamite comes in
small packages! You will succumb to leafy
oaks, whitewashed gables, vine-terraces
and soaring mountains so close you could
touch them (well, almost).
Buitenverwachting, Groot Constantia, Klein
Constantia and Constantia Uitsig all formed
(at one time) part of a farm granted to
Simon van der Stel in 1685. Steenberg
Estate (visits by appointment!) is also pro-
ducing some memorable fermented juice
from the vine.

Klein Constantia Estate

12 ds Constantia Winelands Constantia & The Winelands Constantia Wineland

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CONSTANTIA THE WINELANDS

Constantia Winelands Constantia & The Winelands Constantia Winelands Constantia

CAPE WINELANDS
It’s this part of the Western Cape Province
that brings out the superlatives. How do you
compete with towering jagged mountains,
one range giving way to another, and many
carrying whimsical names like Hex (‘witch’),
Drakenstein (‘dragon stone’) and
Riviersonderend (‘river with no end’)? At
their foot lie tightly manicured vine terraces
Lanzerac historic homestead in Stellenbosch
70 co-ops and over 100 private cellars. The
wineland areas are accessed via two major
national routes, the N1 and N2, with multi-
ple connecting and well-signposted principal
roads. Crossing the mountains to the Over-
berg – and the ‘southern’ Cape region – the
seaside summer ‘play-zone’ of Hermanus is
king of whalewatching capitals.

– and to cap it all, the eternally graceful

curved and moulded gables of historical
manor houses, a heritage left behind by
early Dutch settlers. Passes forged through
this mountain barrier to the east made it a
gateway to the rest of the country. A region
that, early on, was baptised the ‘overberg’,
meaning ‘over (or across) the mountains’.
The Western Cape’s winelands are the main
reason for South Africa’s plum position as
seventh-largest wine producer in the world.
A constantly mushrooming number of
estates is now in the 90s, with around
View over Stellenbosch vineyards

Constantia Winelands Constantia & The Winelands Constantia Winelands Co 13

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TOP SITES
Boulders Beach Kirstenbosch Sandy Bay Silvermine Nature Reserve Cape Point
THE BIG SIX
ROBBEN ISLAND
WHAT A World Heritage Site with marvel-
lous views of Table Mountain.
WHERE A short boat trip from the harbour.
WHY Walk in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps as
you recall the prison years of some of South
Africa’s post-Apartheid leaders.
V&A WATERFRONT
WHAT A great shopping and entertainment
venue in the revamped Cape Town harbour.
WHERE Below Signal Hill and a stone’s
throw from the City Centre and the new
International Convention Centre.
WHY Hop, shop and bop to your heart’s
content.
TABLE MOUNTAIN
WHAT One of the world’s great icons, a
massive slab of age-old SANDSTONE.
WHERE It dominates the peninsula, so if
you can’t find this one …
WHY Get an eyeful of Cape Town from the
summit, or take time to enjoy the dozens of
walking and hiking trails.
KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL
BOTANICAL GARDEN
WHAT The custodian of South Africa’s
floral heritage.
WHERE Nestled under Table Mountain in
the affluent suburbs of Newlands and
Bishopscourt.
WHY Kick back and relax amidst the floral
fragrances and rolling lawns.
THE CAPE WINELANDS
WHAT One of the richest and most fruitful
wine regions in the world.
WHERE Spread out from Paarl to
Stellenbosch, Franschhoek to Constantia.
WHY A powerful magnet for most tourists,
offering a fun day of estate-hopping.
CAPE POINT
WHAT The very tip of the peninsula, the
point offers astounding views.
WHERE Head south and don’t stop till you
have to – it’s in the Cape of Good Hope
Nature reserve, part of the Table Mountain
National Park.
WHY Pristine beaches, fabulous fynbos and
a dramatic and treacherous coastline
washed by mighty waves.
Top to bottom: Robben Island prison; Victoria
& Alfred Waterfront; On top of Table
Mountain; Kirstenbosch National Botanical
Garden restaurant; Grapevine; Aerial view of
Cape Point.
22 front Two Oceans Aquarium Camps Bay Mouille Point Lighthouse Oudekra
TOP SITES TO V
HISTORY
THE CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE
WHAT One of South Africa’s oldest build-
ings (largely rebuilt over the centuries).
WHY A reminder of the very early days of
the Dutch settlement in the Cape.
GROOT CONSTANTIA WINE ESTATE
WHAT The hub around which the Constantia
wine route has grown.
WHY Once owned by Simon van der Stel,
aside from the wine and great eating spots,
visitors can enjoy the museum, amazing old
wine estate architecture, and some sumptu-
ous views of the Peninsula at its best.
KRAMATS
WHAT Holy shrines (aka Mazaars) of Islam
which mark the graves of deceased holy
men. Said to create a Circle of Islam around
the Cape.
WHERE All around the Peninsula, totaling
more than 20. The utmost respect is needed
when visiting these special places.
MUSEUMS
WHAT The Museum Meander will take you
through some of the city’s many museums.
WHERE The Castle (William Fehr
Collection), the Old Town House (the
Michaelis Collection), the Slave Lodge,
National Library, South African Museum
and Planetarium, Bertram House, the South
African Jewish Museum, the Cape Town
Holocaust Centre, Koopmans-De Wet
House, the Centre for the Book ... phew,
and those are just the big ones!
RHODES COTTAGE
WHAT Empire builder Cecil’s beach house
where he drew his final breath.
WHY A view into a different era and a very
different way of life.
SPECIAL SUBURBS
THE BO-KAAP
WHAT A Moslem suburb filled with
mosques and a rich smell of Malay food.
WHY Sitting just above the city centre (‘bo’
means ‘above) on the slopes of Signal Hill.
The Bo-Kaap is the hub of Malay culture.
Some homes date back to 1810, and many
feature ornate parapets and plasterwork.
HOUT BAY
WHAT A charming but relatively isolated vil-
lage set around a large bay and surrounded
by some towering cliffs, the suburb offers
fabulous views and scenery.
WHY Great harbour with fresh fish and
chips on offer, plus many other tasty restau-
rants. An arts and crafts haven.
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ITES TO VISIT
KALK BAY
WHERE Between St James and Fish Hoek.
WHY Fascinating collection of antique shops
as well as some highly-rated eating spots.
SIMON’S TOWN
WHAT A naval town that is a great stop en
route to Cape Point.
WHY Great sea food, lazy days, ice-cream,
unusual shops, museums and tours.
ICONS OF THE CAPE
THE CAPE’S LIGHTHOUSES
WHERE Mouille Point (near the Water-
front), Cape Point, and Slangkop
(Noordhoek).
WHY They literally stand out like a beacon,
and are a reminder of how treacherous the
Cape coastline used to be (not that it’s a
piece of cake now anyway!).
JUST NUISANCE
WHERE Jubilee Square, Simon’s Town.
WHY A famous great dane who befriended
and helped many a World War II sailor.
THE LEOPARD AT CHAPMAN’S PEAK
WHERE In Hout Bay, at the start of
Chapman’s Peak drive.
WHY Famous statue commemorating the
leopards that once roamed the village.
THE LONELY BRIDGE
WHERE On the M5 between Constantia
and Tokai.
WHY One of the Cape’s many odd, unfin-
ished bridges.
MOSTERT’S MILL
WHERE On the M3 between the hospital
and UCT.
WHY A giant, twirling icon, as well as a
chance to step back in time to when our
daily bread was made the hard way.
RHODES MEMORIAL
WHERE On the slopes of Table Mountain,
above UCT.
WHY sensational views, great tea garden,
marvellous photo opportunities on the
Romanesque building.
THE SPOTTY DOG
WHAT A big, cement dog … white with
black spots on the Main Road in Kirstenhof.
WHY A ‘memorial’ to a former roadhouse,
and now a navigational tool for locals.
VIEWS TO A THRILL
BOYES DRIVE
WHERE Way above the Main Road, stretch-
ing from Lakeside through to Kalk Bay.
WHY Sometimes it’s better to take the high
road than the Main Road.
Mountain Signal Hill Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Two Oceans Aquari
CHAPMAN’S PEAK DRIVE
WHERE Between Hout Bay and Noordhoek.
WHY Simply sensational views across a
magnificent bay. Recently refurbished, the
squeamish will be terrified that the rockface
will crumble over your car. Breathtaking!
OU KAAPSEWEG
WHERE Linking Noordhoek to Constantia,
Lakeside and Tokai.
WHY It’s a more scenic route to Cape Point
and offers unique views of the southern
suburbs, Table Mountain and False Bay.
SIGNAL HILL
WHERE Just past Lion’s Head, sitting pretty
overlooking the CBD and the ‘Cape Riviera’.
WHY Views, views, views. Also nice for
walking, and close to one of the Cape’s most
famous Kramats.
VERY NICE NATURE
BOULDERS BEACH
WHERE Just past Simon’s Town, a delightful
sheltered cove with iconic boulders.
WHY Lovely family environment, gentle
waters to swim around in … and the most
amazing colony of African penguins to meet
face-to-face.
NEWLANDS FOREST
WHERE Between Kirstenbosch and the
University of Cape Town.
WHY A thick, mystical forest on the slopes
of Table Mountain offering stunning views, a
wonderful ambience, braai facilities and
endless walking and hiking opportunities.
OUDEKRAAL
WHERE Between Camps Bay & Llandudno.
WHY Something for everyone: amazing
views, diving opportunities, countless braai
spots, grass banks and sandy coves for sun-
worshippers. A great, relaxed atmosphere.
SILVERMINE
WHERE At the top of Ou Kaapseweg.
WHY Great hikes up to Elephant’s Eye (for a
view down on Hout Bay), a super reservoir
for swimming, and all round a marvellous
escape from the rat race, all less than 10
minutes drive from five-star hotels.
THE TWO OCEANS AQUARIUM
WHERE In the Waterfront.
WHY 300 species of marine life, from
friendly faces in the touch pool to sharp-
toothed killers in the massive glass tanks.
WORLD OF BIRDS
WHERE In Hout Bay valley.
WHY A spectacular maze of huge bird
cages. Grit your teeth as you walk past giant
eagles, stare in awe at the pink flamingo
pool, and delight at the Samango Monkeys.
TOP SITES
Chapman’s Peak Drive Rhodes Cottage Hout Bay Harbour Newlands forest Table
BEACHES TO SIGH FOR
BOULDERS
WHY Warm, shallow waters. Mind the pen-
guins. Lovely place for novice snorkellers to
learn the ropes!
CAMPS BAY
WHY Tidal pool and rock pool, great for
walking back and forth across the beach.
Grass areas, a long line of palm trees and
the Twelve Apostles complete the picture.
CLIFTON
WHY Cold water, but hot bodies – a
favourite for the younger generation.
FISH HOEK
WHY Stunning beach with magnificent view
of the Hottentots Holland mountain range.
Great for sailing and surfing as well as
spotting southern right whales.
HOUT BAY
WHY Dramatic views, good bathing and
watersports. Mind the wind and the current.
A family favourite. A great walking beach.
LLANDUDNO
WHY A great big open plain of sand. Very
popular spot. Very little parking!
LONG BEACH
WHY Stretches 8km, making it a challenging
walk. Make sure someone is waiting for
you at the other end if you intend going all
the way.
MUIZENBERG
WHY You’ve seen the colourful bathing
boxes in the travel books – enjoy the
warmer water and long, long stretch of
sand to trample across.
NOORDHOEK
WHY A breathtaking stretch of beach below
Chapman’s Peak.
SANDY BAY
WHY A nudist’s beach … but extremely
beautiful and delightfully unspoilt.
SCARBOROUGH
WHY Fascinating rock pools and pristine
stretch of sand.
ST JAMES
WHY Close to the railway line, it boasts one
of the Cape’s safest tidal pools.
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