South Africa

Southern Tip of South Africa An Escape & Haven

by Olivia Balsinger

Whenever I get that oh-so relatable feeling that I need to escape, I think the southern tip of South Africa. It is here, on the tip of the African continent, where I can count on experiencing something completely different, no matter how many times I’ve traveled there. Whether it’s a brand new attraction, a hidden gem I have yet to discover, or even somewhere familiar and nostalgic, the Cape Peninsula is a personal haven, bustling with life, tranquility and adventure.

Perhaps the most recognizable name on the Cape Peninsula is the major city of Cape Town. If you have never traveled to The Mother City, I would suggest starting with the veritable “must-do” attractions. My first suggestion would be a visit to Robben Island; you can catch a tour departing from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront — where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 27 years, now a living history museum. Of course, don’t miss this chance to snap a quintessential selfie in front of gorgeous views that feature prominently the iconic Table Mountain landmark. Want to explore the beautiful flattop mountain more intimately? Take a rotating cable car to the its top for breathtaking vistas of the surrounding area during a leisurely day in the natural landscape. For the more active types like myself, I highly suggest rising before dawn and trekking up Lion’s Head to watch the sunrise. Cape Town is also home to some of the world’s most fantastic beaches which are phenomenal for people watching, soaking up the strong Cape Town sun, or testing your balance on a surf board on sandy Clifton Beach.

The weekends are reserved for trying the many delicious local food and drink stands in the city. I tend to favor the Old Biscuit Mill Market in the colorful Woodstock neighborhood. There you will find a feast for all the senses: Jam bands play tunes to sway to as you taste test favorites such as biltong and olives from a nearby farm. For a less touristic market experience, Oranjezicht City Market is the place to mingle with locals and sample foods from around the country. For more food and drink splendor, the first Thursday of every month in Cape Town is a time the city reserves for locals and tourists alike to explore galleries, restaurants, bars and shops until late in the evening—all for free and open to the public.

There is also the famed Long Street—packed with restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, shops and entirely interesting hotels. Speaking of hotels, on this visit I stayed at The Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel on Long Street, an ideal location brilliant for absorbing the Mother City’s vibrant energy day and night. Housed in a heritage building that has been operating as a boutique hotel for more than 120 years, The Grand Daddy has some serious history to go along with the bustling vibe. I love the use of local design and bright colors throughout the rooms, suites and public spaces in this landmark property. The restaurant of the hotel, Thirty Ate Eatery, sits on the corner and serves a unique mix of international dishes—from schnitzels to the oh-so-Instagrammable avocado toast. A bar on the roof is the best place to lounge and sip a local beer while watching the craze of Cape Town downtown wiz by below. It is also on the roof that you will also find the hotel’s most unique sleeping experience: a rooftop trailer park. No joke: take the elevator to the roof, looking out on Long Street with Table Mountain beyond, and you will see seven authentic Airstream trailers, each slightly different in their decor but designed to collectively reflect a South African road-trip experience. I stayed in the Winelands trailer and was so content to wake up feeling like I was camping—in central Cape Town!

Speaking of getting back to nature, if you are in town long enough for a day trip, my first recommendation would be the easy and scenic two-hour drive to The Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, down the southern tip. This luxurious eco-reserve sandwiched between the mountains and the sea is recognized as a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World. The accommodation at Grootbos is beautiful, consisting of modern suites with picture worthy views across all of Walker Bay.

Set on 2,500 hectares of wilderness, it is home to 100 endangered plant species and is one of the top spots on the planet to see the “Marine Big Five,” which is made up of sharks, whales, dolphins, seals and penguins (a unique perspective after a game drive at Cheetah Plains in northern South Africa, spotting the land equivalent “Big Five.”) I was fortunate enough to have an unforgettable spotting of humpback whales, as I flew above the neighboring Atlantic Ocean in a chartered 1969 four-person airplane. We saw about six mother whales, lazily floating with their curious calves nearby. The accommodation at Grootbos is beautiful, consisting of modern suites with picture worthy views across all of Walker Bay. There is much to do, but I especially recommend a sunset walk along the beach where you’ll get to explore rock caves, which the Bushmen of the area once called home. You can also take a romantic horseback ride along the mountainous overlooks of the beautiful waterscape. Perhaps my favorite activity was the adrenaline-pumping fat bike tour— a fat bike is an off-road bicycle with oversized tires that are perfect for the pristine, untouched dunes of the reserve.

The lodge is entirely tuned into preserving conservation, culture and local community and thus every decision made is reflective of these principles. The Grootbos Foundation, established by the lodge in 2003, conserves the Cape Floral Kingdom and uplifts the communities within through ecotourism, enterprise development, sports development and education. I purchased a tree through the Foundation’s Future Trees Project (profits given back to sustaining the community) and planted it in amongst the other milkwoods, the forest from which Grootbos itself is named—the “Groot bos” means the big thicket in Afrikaans. Milkwood trees can live for hundreds of years and thus I know my physical contribution will live to see how this reserve and area continues to flourish.

A mélange of culture, colors, nature and music, there really is nowhere quite like Cape Town and its surrounding nature on the planet. And this is precisely why I return time after time, to briefly but fully escape.

www.capetown.travel