Cape Town and Winelands

Introduction

History

Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid – the separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule.

Today

Out on a limb, at the tip of Africa, Cape Town is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. With Table Mountain as a backdrop, and the Cape of Good Hope along the peninsula, few fail to be captivated. Relaxed and picturesque, much of its splendour comes from that backdrop: the 1,000m Table Mountain. Above, its flat top is often covered by a ‘tablecloth’ of cloud. The ocean is always blue, the sky always crystal clear. Or at least that’s how it seems – for Cape Town is naturally enchanting!

The Western Cape lies on the southern tip of Africa. The most-southern point is Cape Agulhas, about 200km east of Cape Town.  The rocky Cape Peninsula juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Table Mountain lies to the north of the promontory where Cape Town nestles on its lower slopes.  The Western Cape is topographically and climatically varied. It has a temperate southern coastline fringed with mountains; here the typical vegetation, especially in the western section, is the famed fynbos. To the north it stretches deep into the Karoo plateau, while the west coast is extremely dry.

The climate of the Peninsula and the mountainous region beyond it is ideal for grape cultivation, with a number of vineyards producing excellent wines. The Western Cape’s unmatched natural beauty, famous hospitality, cultural diversity, excellent wine and rich cuisine make it one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions.

Cape Town is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with a demographic profile quite unlike the national pattern. Centuries of trade and immigration have created a population with genetic and linguistic links to different parts of Europe, southeast Asia, India and Africa. Afrikaans is spoken by the majority, with isiXhosa and English being the other main languages.

When To Visit

You can visit Cape Town pretty much any time of year. Summer is the most popular, with peak season falling between mid-December and early January.

Another surge of visitors descends during the hot months of February and March. In April, the temperatures are balmy, the light is softer, the Cape Doctor (the South-easterly wind that howls through the city) is dormant and the sunsets are spectacular.

The temperate winter sometimes starts in May, more often June/July. Sunny days alternate with downpours that bring verdant relief, the mountain streams gushing into rocky gullies and watering the winter-flowering fynbos, including proteas, lilies and aloes. This is the most exhilarating time of year to explore the slopes of Table Mountain on foot.

July to November is the time when the southern right whales migrate to calve and nurse, providing the best land-based whale-watching in the world – but be warned, July and August can be wet. October to November is when the Cape floral kingdom again wows with a new cycle of flowering species, while the beaches, still relatively empty, sparkle in the temperate sun. This is when some of the best deals of the summer season are to be had – especially if you book early.

Temperature & Rainfall

Climate Chart – Cape Town