Use Cape Town as your launching point to explore the base of South Africa. There is much for families to do and see both within the city and its surrounding areas.
When people think of visiting South Africa, safaris come to mind. However, the city of Cape Town is well worth being included on your itinerary. In addition to an exciting urban experience, there are numerous opportunities for day trips from the city.
Cape Town
Cape Town (also known as the Mother City) is the legislative capital of South Africa, located at the base of the country in the Western Cape. For an overview of the city, take a cable car to the top of Table Mountain. More adventurous folks can climb up for their panoramic view.
Once down from the mountain, your visit should include the Government Avenue area to see the Houses of Parliament, Company Gardens and the Great Synagogue. You could spend at least a day at Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (27 21 408-7600), which is full of shops, clubs, eateries and the five-star Table Bay Hotel (866/435-9277). A stroll on the streets of Cape Malay provides a site for sore eyes: the residents, whose ancestors hail from Malaysia, have painted their homes with every color of the rainbow.
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is also home to the Two Oceans Aquarium (27 21 418-3823), which claims to be “Fresher Than Sushi.” Its over 50 exhibits include a predator tank with sharks, a kelp forest, the typical touch pool, and an interactive microscope display.
The South African Maritime Museum (27/21-405-2880) on the waterfront provides nautical buffs with historical information and artifacts about whaling, shipwrecks, and other aspects of maritime life near the Cape of Good Hope. The more general South African Museum (27 21 481-3800) shows off the country’s natural and social history, with everything from a large collection of giant squid to ceramics, furniture, toys, and weapons. The Planetarium is housed there as well.
Cape Town’s Waterfront & Townships
From Cape Town’s waterfront, you take a ferry 12 kilometers offshore for a tour of Robben Island (27 21 409-5100). I feel that because of the subject matter, this tour is not suitable for younger children, so this is more of an adult and teen excursion. Robben Island was a place of banishment for over 400 years. Its most famous resident was Nelson Mandela, who was held there during the apartheid era. It is gut-wrenching to see the abysmal way in which this man lived for over two decades. The fact that Mandela was still sane at the time of his release made me scratch my head. The tour is conducted by former political prisoners and includes a viewing of the beloved former president’s cell.
Visitors to Cape Town are encouraged to take a trip to the Townships. This tour will be an eye-opener for North American families who by and large have so much more. First, you might go to a visitor’s center to see the arts and crafts produced by the locals, and then you’ll step into the world of the poor and the very poor. Local residents will invite you into their homes; some, owned by the lucky educated ones who stayed in the community, are actually nice, but most homes are only shacks without electricity. So unreal–but unfortunately, it is very real. Amongst all this poverty are children, and believe it or not, they had smiles on their faces and just wanted to hold a foreigner’s hand.
Companies such as African Insight (27 21 426-5359) and Zikho Tours (27 82 687-0409) offer specialized cultural tours, including excursions to the Townships.
Details, Details
Other day trips from Cape Town include a visit to Hout Bay, once a fishing village, now a residential area in stark economic contrast to the Townships. Chapman’s Peak and sandy beaches make for stunning natural scenery in the area. From Hout Bay, you can take a cruise to Seal Island. Make sure to have plenty of film on hand–the seals are there in droves, and you might see a dolphin or two as well.
The 40-kilometer coastline of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve leads to Cape Point, where you can take The Flying Dutchman Funicular high to the top of the cliffs for the best view. Also at Cape Point, you can see old and new lighthouses, check the over 1,000 species species of indigenous plants and, from June to November, even do some land-based whale-watching.
On your way back to Cape Town, check out the adorable Jackass Penguins at Boulders Beach.
South African Airlines flies from New York to Johannesburg with frequent domestic connections to Cape Town.
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Have you ever actually traveled with kids? It doesn’t seem like it by the tone of this article.
Hello Dr Ramesh,
If both legal guardians or birth parents of the child are traveling with the child, you will not need any other documentation, except everyone’s visas and passports. Check with your employer about medical insurance. If they will not provide medical coverage overseas, you can inquire with your U.S. based insurance company about what they provide. Some travel insurance companies sell one-year policies to cover students studying overseas and that might be another option. Safe Travels!
Sir, we both are going Europe with work visa on base of permit. Taking our 3year old child with us. Any letter or medical form/ paper we need to carry with us?
A Great Family Activity and one that will bring the family back together in the future when they all grow up!!
Take a look at our adventures. https://www.youtube.com/user/00Shaddow00 . We just started doing this to bring the family together and stop wasting our time setting in front of the television. We are filming our trips to document our adventures to remember and to share with family and friends. Maybe to motivate others to get out there with there family.
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Dubai is such a nice place to stay and famous for its wonderful sightseeing’s attractions. The best trip is Dubai sightseeing’s tour and desert safari in Dubai. We had great time couple of years ago.
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Let me add http://www.babyquip.com to the list.
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Your blog helped me to plan my family trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Just made a video blog out if it, https://youtu.be/tok17yOR1W8 please watch ang give feedback.
Ranch Vacation with family is a real fun. Here we spent quality time with each other. Truly said, we eat a lot and on-time as well. Riding is also a fun in ranch vacation, Created a perfect picture.
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We have actually done the ATV tour in Cozumel Mexico, and had an amazing time. We booked with Cozumel Cruise Excursions. Net which is a family business and we had an amazing time. Theres nothing better than going to another country and getting great customer service and amazing people as guides. I would highly recommend checking them out next time your in Cozumel http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net
This sounds like so much fun! From the haunted houses to the different drinks offered. I didn’t know HHN was such a major part for Universal Orlando. Good to know! Thanks for the article!
Hello Annetta,
Yes, one Permission to Travel or Consent Letter can list more than one child on it, if the contact information for the legal guardians/birth parents is the same.
Safe travels!
Can I use one concept form to apply for two sibling from the same father
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table,but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of these suggestions.
Chicago is a wonderful place to visit.
Excellent very nice! No doubt Dubai is very famous for more activities but desert safari is very unique activity.i love this one…
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Thanks, recommendation cheap hotels is very useful for the preparation of our vacation that will not be soon. Really nice!
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Our family of 3 adults booked a tour with Kalka Travels in April 2018. Our tour included transportation and accommodation in Delhi, Pushkar, Udaipur, Bundi, Jaipur and Agra. We then caught an overnight train to Varanasi where we met up with a third party contracted by Kalka Travel. Overall we were very happy with the tour company as they delivered on what we had pre-arranged with them. We upgraded our vehicle to a SUV rather than just a sedan, and added an elephant ride to Agra Fort, tickets to traditional dance show in Udaipur, a movie at the Raj Mandir theatre in Jaipur as well as water was supplied each day to us. All breakfasts were included. Our driver Ravinder was exceptional in that he was always on time and patient with us sometimes being late; the vehicle was always cleaned that morning and comfortable. He was highly attentive to our needs, very reliable, polite, and humorous, and told us what to expect at each stop. We always felt very safe with him as he was an excellent driver. His English was good in that we were able to ask many questions of him. Kalka Travels was flexible with our itinerary and our driver stopped at a few places that were not on our list of stops, unlike the other company we had considered booking who told us the drivers could not be flexible.Our wonderful driver, Ravinder, made our trip very special. Kalka Travels also only asked for a $100 deposit in advance and the remainder when we arrived in India, which put us at ease. Bobby Thakur was very quick to respond to any concerns we had. All in all, a wonderful vacation and experience with Kalka Travels.
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Great article & very practical. Thanks for all the tips – I’ll be thinking about them for a while as we work on our website redesign.
Great vacation ideas and post too..!!!
There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.
We are completely in accord with these ‘not to miss 5 experiences in Dubai.’ We experienced them on a family trip last year. The one thing we missed out was the charter yacht. Now we have taken it as a priority for our next trip after reading your post.
Look like you had a great adventure trip. The ship looks awesome.
Dubai is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your article! 🙂
I just found a website that lists apple festivals all over the country! So you can find something in your area. They all seem a little bit different, which is fun. http://pickyourown.org/applefestivals.php
St john is more quite than other Caribbean islands. St John accessible only by ferry from the other U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is a true gem in the Caribbean with crystal clear waters, lush green mountains and gorgeous white sand beaches. Though it is the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John’s unspoiled beauty is perhaps the greatest found anywhere in the Caribbean.
Rajasthan is one of the most vibrant and colorful states in India with its rich culture and traditions since ancient times. It is known as the land of warriors and beautiful princess who even chose to die for saving their chastity and had a great affinity with their motherland. Whether it is the cuisine or the dress sense everything is unique about Rajasthan’s culture. There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. The famous sites are described in this blog which is good for the history lovers and for those people who want to explore more about the diversity of Rajasthan.
Being in the city of Royal Tents in Jaisalmer of moving sand ridges, you can’t get away from the seat travel. A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon. Absolutely, the additional time you give on your safari, the more remote spots you are probably going to see and the more you may acclimate to and appreciate the abandon serenity.
I am going to Dubai next month thanks for sharing this information will come in handy
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Thanks, for posting such and Informatic blog. I had been to Amer Fort in Jaipur and it was an amazing experience.
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A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon.
I think that is a wonderful experience at Dubai. I’ve been to Dubai and it’s pretty