31 Things to Know Before Visiting Cape Town South Africa

welcome to Cape Town South Africa hi I'm Megan a licensed New York City Tour Guide and a travel content creator and South Africa has been a bucket list item for me for several years so I've worked my tail off I've saved up my pennies and I finally made it here with my best friend cat we are doing a group tour that includes Cape Town a safari on a private game reserve and a trip to the winands and we're also exploring a little bit on our own so I thought that I would make a video that lets you know what we think we did right and what we think we did wrong so you too can have your very best South Africa experience but before we get started make sure that you click subscribe so you never miss a travel [Music] minute talk bringing healing one of the first things I learned about Cape Town I learned learned pretty much as soon as I got off of the airplane there were signs all over the airport saying welcome to the mother City and I didn't know why Cape Town was called the mother City so I asked it turns out it got this name because it was the first formally established modern city in South Africa it was established in 1652 as a Dutch trading City and it was so successful as a trading City that it inspired other cities in South Africa now in 1930 a local newspaper said that Cape Town is the only city that can officially call itself a metropolis now Metropolis comes from Greek and Metro means mother and polus means City hence mother City so that is why Cape Town today is known as the mother City it's worth noting that South Africa has 11 official languages and one of the languages that you're going to run into a lot is is called Africans Africans is a western Germanic language that has its roots in Dutch so something that I notice when I'm walking around I see a lot of words and a lot of names of different locations that sound German or Dutch to me but they're not German or Dutch that is because they are Africans but don't worry if you don't speak Africans almost everybody at least in the areas that we've been speak English to the best of my understanding English is the urban language of public life all of the newspapers television stations radio stations are in English however it is worth noting that only one in 10 South African families speak English at home having 11 Different official languages means that South Africa has 11 different linguistic stories constantly interacting with one another so as you can imagine it also has some unique words and lingo so before you come you'll want to learn some of this lingo so here are a few words a barbecue is called a BRI to roll that r a drink at Sunset is called a Sundowner and often a Sundowner is a gin and tonic now robots or what they call traffic lights and then when it comes to time there's some interesting Expressions so they'll say now now now if they say now now that means shortly and my understanding is that this originates from Africans they say now now which roughly translates to soon and then just now means later so if you say I'm going to go get the car just now that means that you will get the car later in terms of public transportation the only public transportation that we took was Uber which isn't really public transportation now the reason why we we did not take the public transportation system in Cape Town was because locals told us not to they told us that we would not find it safe so we didn't take it I can't report back on whether or not we found it safe but we did find Uber to be really fast effective and a lot cheaper than it is in New York City also speaking of Transportation if you're thinking about renting a car something that a lot of locals mention to us is that it's really hard to find parking in Cape Town so you'll spend most of your time just kind of wandering around trying to find parking so you might want to take that into consideration apparently a lot of locals instead of owning a car use Uber while we're talking about Transportation I know that in New York City I usually use my own two feet to walk around and off a lot and there are areas where you can walk in Cape Town but I personally have not found this to be an incredible walkable City there are areas that you can easily walk to depending on where you're staying but if you want to get to something such as boulders Beach where the penguins are that it took us like 45 minutes to drive there so I can only imagine how long it would take to walk so do do at least plan an Uber budget in South Africa they drive on the left hand side of the road so the same as England this is important to keep in mind a if you are considering to drive here in South Africa it's also important to keep in mind while you're walking because we were told that the polite thing to do is to walk on the left hand side of the sidewalk also if you get into any sort of car or an Uber you don't want to be shocked at the fact that the the driver is on the right hand side of the car and the passenger sits in the area that we would consider We As Americans would consider to be the driver's seat something that I've received a lot of mixed messages about before I came was whether or not the tap water in Cape Town was safe to drink or in South Africa in general is safe to drink and now that I'm here I'm still receiving mixed messages about it the general consensus whenever cat and I have asked people such as our hotel concierge or our host on the tour that we're doing is that for us traveling from America we should not drink the tap water and one of the reasons for this is because of load shedding um that is where they turn off all of the electrical supplies sometimes for up to 12 hours in one day and that also affects the water filtration systems and that means that there's going to be things in the water that you don't want to drink um a lot of the locals we talked to say that they usually boil their tap water before they drink it but it is fine for doing things like brushing your teeth and cleaning off your produce however some locals that we talked to said that they drink water right out of the tap but as for us we've been we've been using the purified water talking about water when you get to Cape Town something that you are going to learn is is that relatively recently there was a very long and traumatic drought it really only ended in 2018 and during this drought whether you were a millionaire or someone living on the streets you were limited to only something like 50 L of water a day now that was used for flushing your toilets taking your shower cooking your food brushing your teeth that's really not a lot of water for someone daily use so they found all of these interesting water conservation efforts such as taking very short showers and the very first hotel that I stayed in here there was a bucket for collecting excess water so not a drop went to waste so when you come know that some of the hotels might be set up in a way that has memories of that drought we were told that some of the bathtubs you have to ask for the plug for the bathtub just so the hotels can uh keep track of the water usage and sometimes they're set up for you to take a five minute shower fortunately the hotels that we've stayed in I got to luxury in my shower but do know that that drought is still very alive in locals Minds one of the coolest things to do in Cape Town is to visit a place called Boulders beach now what makes Boulders Beach so special is that there are penguins there now these are penguins that migrated in the 1980s to this area and my understanding is it was to escape disease in their Hometown and it's one of the only places in the world where you can get really close to the specific species of African penguin now it's so cute you can take lots of photos but do remember that you are in their home and they are endangered so do not touch the Penguins and we were told to stay about 6 feet away from the Penguins um now if you do touch them they will bite you and I have been told that if they bite you you will need stitches so that's good motivation to not touch the Penguins but do take all the photos that you want now something that's very important if you are visiting Boulders Beach is it is a beach so you have to pay attention to the tides at high tide there's almost no beach and even as it was we were there I think 2 or three hours after low tide and we had to walk through a decent amount of water from the way that we entered to get to the penguins which should also give you a little bit of advice uh don't wear clothes that you don't mind getting wet come prepare to get wet we wore flip-flops and it was awesome it's a Once In A Life Time experience and I would say that it is a must do when you visit Cape Town if you plan on swimming in the ocean in Cape Town do know that there are sharks now after one particularly brutal shark attack they decided to to set up a system to warn the public about sharks and help keep everybody safe so they have shark spotters now these shark spotters they sit on a Hut on a mountain and they have binoculars and they look down at the water and try to spot sharks and they have a whole flag system to help the public know whether or not a shark has been spotted now if you see no flag on the beach that means that there is no shark spotter if you see a green flag that means feel free to swim there are no sharks in that water if you see a red flag that means that there was a shark spotted earlier but he's not there now so kind of proceed with caution if you see a white flag that means that there is a shark in the water do not swim get out of the water and if you see a brown flag or a black flag that means that conditions are such that you can't really spot the Sharks if you are the shark spotter so again swim at your own risk so they're trying to keep everybody safe and I do just want to not scare anybody I do think that you can go swimming in the water there are more I think more people die from hippo attacks than shark attacks every year and there are more human bites in New York City reported just in New York City every year than there are shark bites in the whole world so maybe you should feel less safe in a crowed elevator in New York City than you do in the ocean this area used to be known as the Cape of storms it got that name when this was established by the Dutch as a trading City and it was very very difficult for ships to get around the corner so there were lots of shipwrecks now the Cape of storms makes an amazing name for a fantasy novel but it's terrible marketing if you're trying to get people to come and visit a city so the Dutch decided to change the name to the Cape of Good Hope as in we hope that our ships can get around this area without sinking now the Cape of Good Hope has had over 650 shipwrecks off of the coast which makes it really fabulous for scuba diving but if you do come to scuba dive these shipwrecks just make sure that you bring your warmest wet suit because the waters can get really cold like 45° F cold behind me is a mountain range called the 12 apostles it is gorgeous it is stunning you are going to want to take so many photos of this mountain range but here's something that's really interesting now the name 12 Apostles would make you think that there are 12 mountains there are not 12 mountains however I can't tell you how many mountains there are because no one seems to agree on this fact I have heard everything from 13 mountains 17 mountains 18 mountains I looked online I get different answers our tour guides have given us different answers I can't tell you but the one thing everyone agrees on is that there are more than 12 keep town has a very unique ecosystem and one of the most prominent and important features of this ecosystem is fine boss you're going to encounter fine boss a lot fine boss includes a huge variety of plant species most most of which are small he-like trees or shrubs it's used in food in soap in decorations fine boss makes up 80% of the cape floral Kingdom which is more diverse than the Amazon rainforest and it has several unique features including the fact that fine boss dates back 400 million years so dinosaurs would have known it and fine boss is not only able to tolerate fire but it needs fire for the seeds to germinate a great place place to learn more about fine boss is the Kiren Bosch National botanical garden which is well worth a visit during your time in Cape Town South Africa has a Mediterranean climate which means that it's perfect for growing grapes and if it's perfect for growing grapes that means that it's perfect for making wine this means that there's going to be Vineyards all over South Africa now in Cape Town there's one called castangia Glenn that does wine tastings we went there it was absolutely fabulous there's Silver Mist organic Winery that is where a restaurant called La colom is located and then if you take just about a 45 minute to an hour drive away you're in the winelands so when you come prepare to sip lots of wine something that I did not know before coming to South Africa is that they are really well known for their gin I knew that they were known for their wines but I didn't know that they were known for their gin so there there's lots of great South African Jin that we have been experiencing also a fun story that we were told is that the sailors used to drink a lot of gin and tonics because I believe it was their tonic water didn't taste good the Jin made it taste better but the tonic water protected them from scurvy so Jin it's medicinal whenever you travel tipping is always a question so what is the deal with tipping in South Africa well our tour guide told us that similar to the United States many professions including weight staff and car drivers do depend on tips to make a living wage and the appropriate amount to tip is between 10 to 20% so make sure that you leave your tip and we have also been tipping our tour guides something that I never thought that I would do is take a tourist helicopter ride I am so scared of helicopter but our tour group did a helicopter ride it lasted for 12 minutes with a company called Cape Town helicopters and it was actually so much fun we got stunning views Fabulous video footage our pilot was so nice he made me feel much more calm and he was able to do a little bit of tour guiding we went over Robin Island which is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned I believe for 18 years and we got to look down at the water and apparently sometimes you can see whales there I believe the helicopter rides are about $130 per person and I believe that they are definitely worth the Splurge another super fun thing that I never thought I would do is tandem biking that's biking on a bicycle built 42 it was actually a lot easier than I expected and we went for about an hourong tandem bike ride along the shoreline and it was such a beautiful way to experience the shoreline and if you are traveling alone just a normal bike would totally suffice so I I've never biked on a vacation before and I really liked it so I would say bike in Cape Town something you will learn when you come to South Africa is that they love their rugby team their rugby team is called the Spring box if you want to cheer for them you go go boka they have won the Rugby World Cup more times than any other another team in Rugby World Cup history I know because I was there when it happened watching in a sports bar in Cape Town so I have this lovely springbox shirt and their colors are green and yellow so if you want to cheer for rugby get some gear I talk about these bags in my Italy video as well I'm obsessed with them I use them in New York and I really love them when I travel these are Travelon anti- theft bags so the way that they work is the zippers actually kind of clip on here so it makes it harder for somebody to steal something and there's like a wire in the strap so someone can't cut it off of you but they actually hold a lot they have lots of little pockets so you could put like your passport in one keep it nice and safe and this one has a little water bottle pack so these Travelon uh bags I have them in my Amazon storefront so I'll put the link in the comments below something that's worth noting in South Africa which you probably already know if you're traveling here but if you don't the seasons are reversed that means December January they are experiencing their summer weather October November they're experiencing spring and then what we would consider spring in the United States they are experiencing fall and what we would consider to be summer they are experiencing winter so just pack accordingly wind is a major factor in Cape Town so when you come to Cape Town there are some activities such as kaying or riding a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain that might get cancelled due to wind we've had a lot of very windy days the wind usually picks up at least in our experience in the afternoon but we've had three days where some of these activities have been cancelled and we've just had to change our plans fortunately Cape Town has a ton of awesome things to do so if the cable car up to Table Mountain gets cancelled go sit in a winery and drink a nice glass of wine as you can tell it is quite windy today in Cape Town something that our tour guide told us was that it's very common later in the day in the afternoons for the winds to pick up so be prepared for some beautiful hair photos something you will notice when you come to South Africa is how much a partide still affects almost every aspect of life here pretty much any question that you ask why does this neighborhood look like this why is their load shedding why is this road closed the answer can almost always be traced back to apartheid now before you come I would strongly recommend that you do some research on apartheid and Nelson Mandela who is very much regarded as a hero here in Cape Town And as you do your research it could be really interesting to compare and contrast apartheid and how it ended to America's Jim Crow laws and how that ended now I'm going to be honest and say that it's not my area of expertise but it is fascinating to study and is very present here in the culture of South Africa buop is an area of Cape Town that's known for these beautiful brightly colored houses that are perfect for taking photos and while it is one of the most instagrammable places in all of Cape Town it also has a really rich and at times even tragic history that I strongly recommend that you learn about by taking a tour with a local guide essentially in the 18th century this is where Malay slaves lived now in 1834 there was an emancipation Act and the legend is that the houses they lived in were painted white and after emancipation they wanted to express their Joy with freedom so that's why they're painted all of those bright colors now while you're there I also recommend that you get uh Taste of local culture quite literally there is a spice shop called Atlas Spice Shop you can get these amazing spices at ridiculously inexpensive prices and also try some local treat we tried some sweets and they were amazing South Africa has an energy crisis and chances are when you come to visit you will be very aware of this mainly because there is something called load shedding load shedding is nationally scheduled blackouts where the electricity goes out sometimes for 12 hours and when these blackouts happen that means that you can't turn the lights on you can't charge your electronics if you have a refrigerator it might not keep food cool anything that uses electricity you won't be able to use and this has caused a huge economic crisis in South Africa especially for small businesses for example a small restaurant that has food in a refrigerator and if the power goes out for 12 hours and they can't afford a backup generator what's going to happen to that food now chances are if you're staying in a fancy hotel then that hotel will have a backup generator so your electricity will keep going and you'll be totally fine but if you're staying in a smaller hotel or perhaps an Airbnb you will definitely be aware of it and you'll be aware of it as you walk around town now there are apps that you can download I'll put one in the link in the comments below I believe it's called load shedding Notifier that will tell you when the load shedding will happen you sometimes don't find out until the the night before but that will at least help you plan around load shedding Cape Town has amazing food it is so delicious and one restaurant that really stood out was called La colom now La colom was actually rated one of the 50 best restaurants in the world not in South Africa in the world and if the Michelin guide decided to come to South Africa and give me Michelin stars I believe it would easily have three Michelin stars the food was incredible we dined for 5 hours the service was Exquisite just make sure that you make reservations far in advance because the Secret's out and everybody loves it also our entire tasting menu before we added alcohol was $60 I think per say equivalent is $350 per person but here it's only $60 so it is the a foody's dream one of the best ways to eat like a local when you travel is to find the local farmers markets Cape Town has amazing farmers markets we went to one I can't pronounce the full name it's something like orang uh and the initials are o zcf and when I went oh my goodness the produce was the most beautiful fresh looking produce that I had ever seen and they had had food ranging from baked goods to breads to teas to Asian buns to avocado toast I got the avocado toast it was amazing so find these farmers markets and have a true local experience if you're looking to truly treat yourself whether it's a beautiful luxurious hotel or a spa treatment check out Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town um I just got a massage there I don't know if you can tell but I'm basically drunk on relaxation and we're now having dinner the restaurant's called The Veranda and you get free sparkling Rosé with dinner cheers it's so good let's talk about shopping in South Africa I love shopping it's one of my favorite things to do when I travel so let me tell you some things that I have observed about shopping in South Africa based at least on my state in Cape Town so this is a wonderful place to come if you are looking for local boutiques things that you can't buy anywhere else there's a lot of local sellers it will be a paradise for you however if you are looking for those high-end luxury Brands like Burberry or Louis Vuitton this is not where you want to buy it it's going to be even more expensive because to the best of my understanding they have to pay a very high import tax to get it here here and they're going to be behind a season because it's turning summer here right now it's turning winter in New York and Europe so all the the newest designs coming out are winter and now Cape Town to the best of my understanding is getting last Summer's designs here so it's not the best place to go shopping for the super high-end products also as of 2023 there's no Amazon here I did read that they were planning on opening in Amazon in 2024 but right now Amazon does not deliver to Cape Town there's also not an Apple Store there is a verified Apple reseller called I store where you can get your Apple products but there's not actually an Apple Store there is also a store called clicks there's a bunch of them they are all around they're kind of in my opinion sort of like a Target you can buy anything there you can buy a curling iron you can buy memory cards for your camera you could buy beef jerky if you want so that's a good thing to know about and they are all over if you're looking for really unique one-of-a-kind local shopping you want to go to the Watershed at the VNA Waterfront this has over 365 different vendors all selling these unique locally made items so if you're looking for a unique Cape Town gift that is the place to go it was so cool I bought these amazing belts and this little toy giraffe from my brother so cannot recommend it enough for those who love shopping also in terms of shopping in 2023 the exchange rate was massively in favor of the American dollar so we got fabulous deals on food beverage and locally made products some people in our group even brought extra suitcases to bring all of their Fabulous Finds home if you're looking for a safari experience near Cape Town about a 5H hour drive away is gondwana private game reserve it is a luxury private game reserve so I'm out here drinking a hot chocolate right now there are guides who will drive you around in very comfortable jeeps and you can search for the big five we had a close encounter with three giraffe it was a dream come true we saw Lions fresh from a w Beast lunch we saw zebra it's a wonderful chance to come out and take photos and see animals in a natural environment the whole Resort is really nice the rooms are gorgeous there's a pool and there is a restaurant so if you want a safari experience I recommend gandana private game reserve something that surprised me to learn is that we were told that all the Safari experiences in South Africa occur in enclosed private game reserves or national parks of course these Reserves and parks are giant but they are fenced off areas that protect the animals from poachers and the surrounding communities from the animals no one likes an elephant going through their trash in the morning your Safari company should be able to advise you on what to pack for your experience depending on the time of year we went in late October and actually found it quite chilly so I was glad that I had my rechargeable hand warmers to keep me warm selfish plug visit my Amazon storefront linked in the comments to purchase them they are true game changers something I discovered about Cape Town is the people here are so nice every single person that I've encountered whether it be a tour guide weight staff someone working in a shop someone in a hotel a cab driver they have just been the most friendly people so when you come to Cape Town just be prepared for a lot of smiles and a lot of really nice people I hope that this has given you an idea of how you can have your very best South African experience if you've been to South Africa let me know what you think let me know if you have any suggestions feel free to write it in the comments and if you enjoyed this video make sure that you click subscribe it helps me bring you more videos like this so thank you so much for watching and for More Travel follow me behind every great video is an even more fabulous co-creator slam person and in this case it was my friend cat so thank you so much cat for your patience and dedication to helping me make this video on your vacation happy traveling everyone

Channel: The Megan Daily

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Keywords: cape town, cape town south africa, things to know before visiting cape town, south africa, cape town blog, cape town travel, cape town travel guide, cape town travel blog, cape town guide, cape town tips, cape town tourist, cape town tourism, first trip to cape town, first trip to south africa, the megan daily, travel blog, things to do in cape town, cape town highlights, must see cape town, gondwana, gondwana private game reserve, cape town safari, south africa safari

Id: GV5gCKBttxY

Length: 30min 32sec (1832 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 28 2023