Cape Town
Travel Advice for Seniors: Cape Town
Cape Town is a port city on South Africa’s southwest coast and is capital of South Africa. The main city rests on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain. It is a lovely view when flying in and fascinating to drive around.
Our full day city tour included a tour of the important historical and governmental buildings, the colorful Bo Kap area and the District 6 area and museum. South Africa and Cape Town were ground zero for apartheid and that is reflected and elaborated upon during any tour and is a big part of the City’s history.
The District 6 area is an area where a township was demolished to make way for a white neighborhood. When we visited, nothing had been developed for this area and the issue was still very sensitive.
It was illuminating driving through the townships. The townships are various types of slums for lack of a better word, with some being immigrant lean-tos and some owning small homes and electing to stay in the township. Townships came into being after South Africa’s 1923 Urban Areas Act, which was designed to force Africans to move from their homes into segregated locations. It was very eye-opening and might indeed be more eye-opening than wanted unless you are researching Apartheid.
We also took the ferry out to Robben Island, which is where Nelson Mandela and others were imprisoned for many years. It was a very enlightening tour given by a former prisoner and we were able to see the inside of the facilities and learn how the prisoners communicated.
After the anxiety of the Apartheid-oriented tours, it was very soothing to next go to Kirstenbosch Gardens and have a relaxed tour through their excellent botanical gardens. The garden is a 1300 acres and has some pretty steep hills, so wear comfortable shoes and prepare for a hike. The garden is composed of plants native to South Africa with the star attraction being the Cycads, believed to be one of the oldest plants in the world and one of the most endangered. In fact, in 2014 apparently thieves poached several cycads from the gardens to sell to collectors.
Mom and I love to visit Botanical gardens all over the world. I always like visiting a peaceful oasis away from the busting cities and our tour guide for this tour made it even more interesting. Do make time to stop by the Gardens gift shop. We like to buy practical gifts for our friends back home and they had a nice selection of inexpensive but quality gifts.
Don’t skip the city drive tour up to Table Rock for the expansive view and then take a drive through the various neighborhoods as well. Cape Town is a beautiful city with plenty to do. We spent two full days and only skimmed the surface.
Where we stayed: Sun Square Cape Town Gardens. Breakfast included. Nice accommodation.
How we got there: Flight from Nairobi to Cape Town.This was part of a three-week private tour through Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
General Accessibility Information: South Africa is a mixed bag of accessible and non-accessible facilities. Some tour operators offer accessible tours, and some high-end hotels are accessible. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
