Constantia Winelands

The Cape - Constantia Winelands

Cape Town’s metropolis huddles in the ‘bowl’ that is formed by majestic Table Mountain, its flanking peaks and the broad sweep of Table Bay. Suburbs and satellite towns sprawl across the low-lying Cape Flats and southwards over much of the scenically beautiful Cape Peninsula and the Table Mountain National Park. South Africa’s oldest city, Cape Town was founded by the first Dutch settlers who, led by Jan van Riebeeck, landed on the tip of Africa in April 1652. Set beneath the grandeur of Table Mountain, the area was described by English circumnavigator Sir Francis Drake as ‘the fairest cape in all the circumference of the earth’. The harbour is quieter than it was in the heyday of the great Union- Castle passenger liners, but a part of the waterfront has been imaginatively redeveloped for tourism, plenty of ships still call, and marine and mercantile industries contribute much to the local economy. Among the top attractions are the wide choice of eating and drinking places, excellent hotels, craft markets and speciality shops, a lively calendar of arts, superb beaches, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Table Mountain and the cableway and the Peninsula’s unique mountain and coastal scenery.

Cape Town

TABLE MOUNTAIN
This is Cape Town’s premier attraction. The mountain rises 1086m (3564ft) above sea level and there are magnificent views from its distinctively flat-topped summit. Often, though, the heights are mantled by clouds and in summer, driven by the strong ‘southeaster’ wind, they tumble over its precipitous northern face to form a spectacular ‘tablecloth’. At the top there are short walks, a licensed restaurant and a souvenir shop. You can reach the summit on foot along one of several charted paths; some are easy, others difficult – and the mountain, despite warnings, regularly takes its toll of human life. Arm yourself with a good map or climb with someone who knows the way. Take warm clothing with you: what starts as a warm, sunny day can, and often does, change to mist and bitter chill within minutes. Most visitors ride up in the shiny new gondolas which recently replaced the old 27-seater cable cars when the Table Mountain Aerial Cable Car Company upgraded its facilities in 1997. The new cars, boasting revolving floors and a magnificent 360° view over the city, carry up to 65 individuals at a time. The six-minute trip may be taken at virtually any time of the year – from 08:00–22:00 December–April, 08:30–18:00 May–November. Because of the larger carrying capacity of the cars, queues are short and bookings are no longer taken. Please note: there’s still a lot of poverty and unemployment in the city and surrounds, and muggings are a risk. Be sure to take the basic precautions. Strolling along well-used roads is quite safe in daylight hours, but you’ll feel even safer in company.

THE VICTORIA AND ALFRED WATERFRONT
City and harbour have been reunited by the ambitious Victoria & Alfred Waterfront redevelopment scheme, a multibillion-dollar private venture that has borrowed ideas from San Francisco’s harbour project, Boston’s Quincy Market and others, but retains a lively character of its own. Among its various attractions are the Two Oceans – a world-class oceanarium complex housing both Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean species. Features include a functioning riverine ecosystem, a touch pool, and an ‘underwater’ tunnel – a walkway partially enclosed by glass. Restaurants, bistros and bars, speciality shops, bookshops, craft markets, fish and produce markets, cinemas, hotels and a maritime museum are all under the roof of the Waterfront complex, and exciting new structures continue to be erected along the banks of the yacht basin and marina. This is a lived-in, workaday area as well as a fun place: fishing boats still use it (some also acting as tourist craft); and office and residential complexes edge the border. It’s highly recommended, though it does become crowded (and the service rushed) over weekends and holidays – get there early in the day to find parking and avoid the crush.

BO-KAAP
This inner suburb, on the lower slopes of Signal Hill west of the central area, is a splash of exotic culture in an otherwise standard city setting: a picturesque place of mosques and quaint flat-roofed 18th-century houses, and home to part of Cape Town’s Islamic community, many of whom are descended from Indonesian slaves and political exiles brought in by the Dutch colonists. The name in translation means ‘above Cape’, though it is also known as the Malay Quarter. There is a small museum – a period house affiliated to Iziko Museums – at 71 Wale Street, which covers the history of the Bo- Kaap. Contact the museum at tel: (021) 481-3939.

SHOPPING
Cape Town’s many craft markets are the place to shop for contemporary African art and artefacts, curios, ethnic jewellery, leatherware and clothing (although South Africa has a sophisticated clothing industry and boasts a number of top designers). There are also plenty of antiques shops but beware of tourist traps; try Long Street and the Church Street open-air antique fair (open on Fridays). Openair markets are held at Greenmarket Square, St George’s Mall, the Grand Parade and the railway station, and offer fun shopping. You are likely to find a lot of junk, but, occasionally, a real bargain. For sophisticated shoppers there’s the V&A Waterfront, Claremont’s stylish Cavendish Square and the grand new Century City and Canal Walk complex in Milnerton. Gold and diamond jewellery are available tax free for overseas visitors.

CAPE PENINSULA
A leisurely day’s drive around the Peninsula’s coastline, a visit to the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch, and wine tasting at Constantia’s wine estates are some of the choice options available to the visitor to the Cape Peninsula. To visit Cape Point, drive southwards along the coastal road from Sea Point to picturesque Llandudno, passing Bantry Bay, Clifton and Camps Bay (the imposing Twelve Apostles, an extension of the Table Mountain range, line the route on your left), and down to the fishing harbour of Hout Bay. Either continue inland through lovely Constantia and the scenic Ou Kaapse Weg (‘Old Cape Road’) or, now that they have finished repairing the cliffside route, over spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive to Kommetjie and Scarborough and on to the Table Mountain National Park and Cape Point. An alternative route back to town would be along the east coast, past Boulders and Seaforth, through Simon’s Town (steeped in naval history), Glencairn, Fish Hoek and Muizenberg, and on to Ladies Mile past Tokai and Constantia.

CAPE POINT
Often mistaken as the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, Cape Point is Africa’s second most southerly point after Cape Agulhas, the geographical meeting place of the two oceans. The headland is part of the extensive Table Mountain National Park – a place of marvellous floral diversity (at its best in spring) and a sanctuary for grey rhebok, Cape mountain zebra, duiker, Cape fox, caracal, dassies and baboons (do not feed or tease the baboons). Facilities include fishing and boating, picnic spots, a restaurant and a gift shop. There is also a selection of hiking paths (maps available at the entrance); of note is a short trail from Olifantsbos, skirting rock pools and leading to the wreck of the Thomas T. Tucker. A new funicular takes visitors up the hill to within walking distance of the Cape Point lighthouse.

KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN
On the eastern slopes of the Table Mountain range, above the affluent southern suburbs, lies Kirstenbosch, one the world’s most celebrated botanic gardens. An astonishing array of flowering plants (around one quarter of southern Africa’s 24,000 species) are cultivated here: proteas, pelargoniums, ericas, mesembryanthemums, ferns, cycads of ancient origin and much else. There are delightful walks through herb and fragrance gardens, a pelargonium koppie, a cycad amphitheatre; trails lead through the forests of stinkwood, yellowwood and silver trees; the birdlife – particularly the sugarbirds, drawn to the vast protaceae in the Garden – is enchanting. An impressive new Visitors' Centre and gift shop is located at the entrance. A Garden Shop at the entrance sells plants, gifts and books, and the restaurants are a popular venue for lunches, teas and dinners, and during the summer months, for outdoor champagne breakfasts (bring your own bubbly). Summer concerts are held on Sunday evenings, and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon is to take a stroll through the Garden followed by a lazy picnic before the concert begins. Check the newspapers for up-to-date details.

CONSTANTIA WINE ESTATES
There are currently four wine estates in the beautiful Constantia valley, and together they form the local ‘wine route’. Groot Constantia, the oldest and stateliest of the homesteads, dates from the late 17th century and is notable for its architecture, period furniture, two-storeyed wine cellar, museum and lovely grounds (the oak-lined avenue leads to an ornamental pool). For visitors there are daily wine sales, with some superlative vintages on offer, cellar tours, a horse and carriage for hire, picnic lunches on the pretty, shaded lawns and three restaurants. Klein Constantia is smaller and more private, and Constantia Uitsig has an excellent wine shop. The Buitenverwachting homestead houses one of the country’s best restaurants. Ticket prices to the summer concerts (jazz and classical music) on Buitenverwachting’s sprawling lawn, girded by giant oaks and vineyards, include a bottle of the estate’s excellent wine. Bring a picnic basket and a blanket. Check the newspaper for concert details. Visit the nearby Old Cape Farm Stall for high-quality South African fruits, preserves and a tantalizing range of gourmet delicacies.