Cape Town Travel

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Sitting at the bottom of Africa where two oceans meet, Cape Town is one of the world's most captivating cities. Extraordinary natural beauty frames a city layered with history and alive with creative, cosmopolitan energy. It's a magnetism you feel upon arrival.

The must-dos are easy to list: Table Mountain, District Six, a day spent exploring the Cape Peninsula. We do them all extremely well, but the luxury Cape Town travel we love most has less to do with what’s seen, eaten, or bought. It’s the experiences made special because someone who calls Cape Town home shared a part of themselves and their city with you. Our guides open doors to artists' studios, kelp forests, the coffee scene, Apartheid history, township projects, and even their own kitchen tables. Telling stories, sharing their favorite things, and introducing you to their neighbors, your hosts bring you into Cape Town not as a checklist, but as a city still reckoning with its past while building something remarkable.  If that's the type of meaningful travel that moves you too, let us make radiant Cape Town an extraordinary part of your South Africa safari journey.

view of table mountain and camps bay beach in Cape Town

Why visit Cape Town?

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    The setting is genuinely incomparable: Table Mountain rises overhead, the city cradled within a bowl of foothills, the Peninsula narrows to a point where a warm ocean meets a cold one. 

    • Cape Town itineraries

    Use these itineraries as a starting point, or as inspiration to create your own journey.

    Carmine bee-eaters perch along a sandy riverbank nest wall, bright pink birds clustered above burrow holes.
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    South Africa and Zambia safari

    Wild adventures for families traveling with teenagers

    Lioness stands in short green grass, scanning a wide plain with low hills in the distance beneath a gray-blue sky.
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    Malaria-free safari in South Africa

    A fun family adventure made effortless

    Infinity pool overlooks forested hills at sunset, with loungers on the deck and soft light on the water.
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    Southern Africa luxury trip

    An ultra-luxe journey shared with friends 

    A small group walks across red sand dunes toward distant mountains, leaving a trail of footprints behind.
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    Family-friendly safari in South Africa

    This playful safari with kids moves at the pace of wonder

    Sunlit hotel pool lined with pink loungers and white umbrellas, with leafy gardens and tall mountains beyond.
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    Romantic bush and beach honeymoon

    A romantic safari in South Africa ending on the beaches of Madagascar

    A hiker stands on a rocky viewpoint overlooking layered blue mountains and valleys fading into morning haze.
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    Luxury South Africa trip

    A curated blend of city, vineyard and safari magic

    A forest lodge sits amid dense green vegetation, with rolling hills and a pale horizon under a soft sky overhead.
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    Luxury South Africa honeymoon

    A romantic Africa safari and coastal escape

    Two mokoro canoes glide over blue water dotted with lily pads, leaving soft ripples across the calm delta.
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    Southern Africa tour with friends

    Wine touring, Victoria Falls, and two iconic safari destinations

    Explore more itineraries

    What to expect on a luxury trip to Cape Town

    Every trip with Extraordinary Journeys is tailor-made, crafted in direct collaboration with one of our destination specialists.

    Memorable accommodations

    Cape Town is surprisingly compact and getting around is easy, making where you stay less about logistics and more about the type of experience you want to have. Once we’ve gotten to know you, we’ll align your style and amenities with budget and availability. Whether it's the quietly cool Cape Cadogan, the design-forward Silo Hotel, or the art-filled and ocean-facing Ellerman House, your hotel becomes both stage and sanctuary for an atmospheric stay.

    Extraordinary experiences

    We go beyond search engine recommendations. You might forage the coastline with a wild-food innovator; cook a traditional Cape Malay meal inside a Bo Kaap kitchen; spend a saltwater afternoon exploring kelp forests with a free diver; or arrive at Clifton 4th Beach for sunset and find a picnic spread laid out just for you. They’re experiences you perhaps didn’t expect, but will never forget. 

    Expert guides

    Cape Town is home to people with deep passions and love for their city, and our insider guides reflect that. Writer David Bristow elevates a city tour with rich storytelling and historical accounts. Christo Brand, Mandela's former prison ward and friend, shares emotional Apartheid history in a way textbooks can’t replicate. Active travelers can explore nature with outdoorsy guides, hiking Lion’s Head or kayaking to a rogue penguin colony. 

    Key travel information for Cape Town

    The best time to travel to Cape Town

    South Africa travel can be enjoyed year-round, but we consider November through March the best time to visit Cape Town.  

    During the summer months from December to February, the city is warm, vibrant, and at its liveliest, with long sunny days. 

    The shoulder seasons—March to May and September to November—bring mild weather, fewer crowds, and a more relaxed pace, making them an especially appealing time to visit.

    In winter, from June to August, temperatures are cooler, and the city feels quieter and more local, with a cozy, laid-back charm. 

    If you don’t have to travel to Cape Town between December 20 and ~January 5, we recommend you visit another time. Festive Season is extremely busy with expatriate and domestic travel. Room rates rise significantly, and some hotels institute mandatory minimum night stays.

    Best

    November - March

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    January - December

    Some of our favorite things to do in Cape Town

    • A private yacht cruise frames the full drama of Cape Town's coastline and mountains from the water. 

    • Set off with a guide to hike Lion’s Head or Table Mountain for well-earned views of the City Bowl, False Bay, and beyond. 

    • Helicopter to a private nature reserve for a gourmet picnic lunch in the fynbos with Table Mountain as your dining companion. 

    • Learn to cook Cape Malay cuisine in a Bo Kaap home, then sit to enjoy what you've made together.

    • Join First Thursdays, Cape Town's monthly after-hours gallery opening, with an art specialist by your side to interpret. 

    • Surf a Cape Peninsula break with a local legend, whether you're a first-timer at Muizenberg or chasing something bigger.

    • Get in the water: kayak alongside penguins near Simon's Town or snorkel with Cape fur seals off Duiker Island. 

    • Forage the fynbos with a wild-food expert, then savor lunch shaped entirely by what the landscape offered. 

    • Sit down with Christo Brand and hear one of South Africa's most extraordinary personal stories, told by the man who lived it. 

    • Spend a day with a sustainable fashion journalist, exploring the Cape Town designers building an ethical, distinctly South African aesthetic. 

    • A private Cape Town city tour through the eyes of David Bristow, storyteller, historian, and environmental writer.

    • Rent an electric scooter and cruise the Sea Point Promenade at golden hour framed by the Atlantic and backdropped by Lion's Head.

    • A vintage sidecar motorcycle along Chapman's Peak Drive, winding along all 114 curves, cliffs on one side, sea on the other. 

    • Follow your oenophile guide on a walking wine tour of Constantia, through pastoral trails and into the historic cellars where South Africa's wine story began. 

    • Pack your appetite for what appeals most: a curated ice cream tour, cocktails in hidden speakeasies, or a full-day, privately chauferred food tour of Cape Town’s best markets, eateries, and distilleries.

    view from marina with boats and mountains in background

    Cape Town travel FAQs

    Other areas to explore

    A visit to Cape Town puts you within easy reach of many other beautiful and fascinating parts of South Africa.  

    A young lion cub rests in sunlit grass, looking toward the camera while another lion lies softly out of focus behind.

    Kruger National Park

    Kruger National Park is South Africa’s flagship safari destination. A leopard stronghold, it’s one of the best places to spot these elegant cats. With healthy wildlife populations and so many mixed species, every game drive in Kruger has thrilling potential.

    A lone tree stands in golden grassland, its wide canopy silhouetted against a pale African sky, in warm evening light.

    Madikwe Game Reserve

    On a malaria-free Madikwe safari you’re assured all the hallmarks of a premier safari destination: a crowd-free wilderness, Big Five encounters, and arresting landscapes.

    Two guests relax under a thatched shelter, enjoying sundowners as the Kalahari turns gold at sunset, in warm evening light.

    Tswalu Kalahari Reserve

    A bold safari detour into South Africa’s remote Kalahari desert

    Why book with Extraordinary Journeys?

  • Sketch of a diver wearing a snorkel.

    We go deep

    We value depth over breadth. While we have broadened our map, our intimate expertise runs deep—from understanding each locale's hidden rhythms to cultivating relationships with exceptional guides.

  • Sketch of a flashlight held in a person's hand.

    We keep it honest

    Seasoned travelers know that places change, authentic experiences migrate. We'll listen to your hopes and passions, but push back when we know something will better resonate with you.

  • Sketch of an umbrella with decorative fringe.

    We’ve got it covered

    Traveling to wild places asks something of us— a quality of attention and presence. From behind-the-scenes logistics to bespoke culinary experiences, our team has thought of everything.

  • Sketch of a telescope pointed at the stars.

    We know it’s personal

    There will undoubtedly be extraordinary unscripted moments: hippos emerging at sunset, the impossible blue of Arctic ice. We know that meaningful memories often live in personalized details.

  • Sketch of a diver wearing a snorkel.

    We go deep

    We value depth over breadth. While we have broadened our map, our intimate expertise runs deep—from understanding each locale's hidden rhythms to cultivating relationships with exceptional guides.

  • Sketch of a flashlight held in a person's hand.

    We keep it honest

    Seasoned travelers know that places change, authentic experiences migrate. We'll listen to your hopes and passions, but push back when we know something will better resonate with you.

  • Sketch of an umbrella with decorative fringe.

    We’ve got it covered

    Traveling to wild places asks something of us— a quality of attention and presence. From behind-the-scenes logistics to bespoke culinary experiences, our team has thought of everything.

  • Sketch of a telescope pointed at the stars.

    We know it’s personal

    There will undoubtedly be extraordinary unscripted moments: hippos emerging at sunset, the impossible blue of Arctic ice. We know that meaningful memories often live in personalized details.

    • Learn more