Visiting Cape Town: a travel guide, part II

The second part of our Cape Town guide...

Let's go straight to the list!

South African Museum and Planetarium

The South African Museum and Planetarium ranks as South Africa’s oldest, founded back in 1825. The museum boasts an interesting collection of artifacts documenting South Africa’s colourful history. Included are the Lydenburg Head sculptures which date back to around 500 A.D. The hollow terracotta sculptures are amongst some of the earliest examples of African art, likewise the collection of San Rock paintings. On the natural history side of the museum, expect to see some truly fascinating exhibits including the fossil gallery, which prove life existed in Africa over 300 million years ago. Two huge whale skeletons hung from the roof are simply astounding, likewise the stuffed example of now extinct animals such as the Kwagga – a relative of the zebra.

South African National Gallery

Although rather small compared to some countries’ national galleries, the South African National Gallery is considered by many to be the best in the country, due to the amount of fantastic works which perfectly encapsulate South Africa’s often troubled and painful history. Expect to see items such as Ndebele beads and Knobkierries (wooden weapons) belonging to warriors as well as an exhibition which demonstrates the influence African art had on Picasso through several pieces of his work. One of the more intriguing exhibitions is that which tells of the ongoing problems and history South Africa has had to endure through the HIV and AIDS virus’s through an eye-opening photographic retrospective.



Table Mountain

This enormous flat topped mountain of sandstone, granite and shale rose from the ocean over 250 million years ago and is without question Cape Town’s most distinctive, if not defining landmark. The 14,820 acre mountain was recently incorporated into the Cape Peninsula Mountain Park and can be ascended via cable car or by foot. Maclear’s Beacon is Table Mountain’s highest point, with the cable car leaving you to the western edge of the peak where you will also find a restaurant. Here you are able to view the ‘Twelve Apostles’ mountain peaks in the distance, the ‘back table’ of the mountain and the reservoirs that supply water to Cape Town.

Table Mountain is a 50 minutes drive from Cape Town city centre. Why not drive yourself?

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Table Mountain. Photo @FromJoanne on Flickr