Cape Town
Life in the city, its beaches, sights and neighbourhoods.
Why You Should Add Cape Town to Your RTW Itinerary
There's no doubt that Cape Town is a remarkably beautiful city. With Table Mountain as the quintessential icon, there's also the stunning beaches, vineyards, and rousing nightlife to talk about as…
Things to Do in Cape Town
Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa, as well as the legislative capital of the country. It is Africa’s southernmost city , located close to the famous Cape Winelands.
Slum Tourism in South Africa: Cultural Experience or Exploitation
In South Africa and many other developing nations around the world, the less fortunate populations lives in what are called slums or (as they are in South Africa) townships.
Gansbaai, South Africa's Shark Alley
From Cape Town to the Wild Coast , the Cape Coast is punctuated by idyllic towns and villages, each offering a variation on Cape hospitality, and each with a peculiar angle on marine sports or…
Cape Town Suburbs: Greenpoint
This series is especially for those coming to Cape Town , and planning on staying for longer than the average holiday, and would like to know in advance which area they wish to stay.
Wake up on Table Mountain at Overseers cottage.
A fantastic opportunity to spend a night on Table Mountain in comfort and wake up to jaw dropping views of the entire peninsula.
Blood Diamond: Leo's gem of an SA accent!
Finally Hollywood has brought through its ranks someone who can pull off a South African accent without getting laughed off stage.
Comet McNaught in South Africa: Aptly named ‘cause I ain’t seen nuthin.
Supposedly the brightest comet in 30 years is shining its way across the Southern Hemispheres skies this week, and there is me, telescope in hand looking at clouds!
Christmas in Cape Town: Welcome back and Season’s Greetings!
Although hardcore Christmas fans might be upset by the lack of snow, black ice and Yule time road accidents, South Africa is a lovely place to be at Christmas.
Welcome back SA Logue!
Greetings all, from Philip Bartholomew your new editor of SA-logue!. I have been handed the task of attempting to fill Mr. Ben Williams’ gargantuan boots (size, a zillion).
Summer Turneth into Winter, Turneth Back into Summer, for the pre-Weekend
Fantastic news! Cape Town's pre-weekend is looking up, after last Sunday's summer weather reverted back to icy hell (hell is icy - ask Dante), and everyone's pipes froze.
Table Mountain From the Top
On top of Table Mountain, just outside the cableway station , you'll find this interesting scuplture: .flickr-photo { } .flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px;…
Weekend Pick: The Beach at Last!
For the first time in many a moon, Cape Town's weather looks set to be of a beachy vintage this weekend, with highs in the mid-20s, and winds in the low northwesters.
Cape Town Landmark: Jan Smuts Statue
Spotted! Jan Smuts! In bronze! .flickr-photo { } .flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Jan…
Hout Bay Leopard Keeps Quiet Watch Over Waves
If you're planning to zoom off to Chapman's Peak Drive on your visit to Cape Town (highly recommended), don't forget to slow down just as you reach the far cusp of Hout Bay , and look to the rocks…
Table Mountain Beefs Up
Following a series of muggings on the greater Table Mountain National Park - which were mostly concentrated on popular trails in the city bowl and Atlantic Seaboard - the park has enhanced its…
Cheery Snap on Brrrrr-y Day
So far, this week has been deepest, iciest winter in Cape Town, with highs in the low teens and gale-force blasts from Antarctica buffeting all and sundry.
When Heading to Cape Point, Take the Scenic Route
If ever there was a reason to take the long route, Boyes Drive is it. The road cuts a path on the mountainside above the towns of Muizenberg, St.
Welcome to the Republic of Hout Bay
Did you know? South Africa wholly surrounds two independent republics: the mountainous "Switzerland of Africa", Lesotho ; and the coastal "Swansea of the Western Cape", the Republic of Hout Bay.
Find Platteklip Gorge with this Photo
Thinking of taking a hike up the front face of Table Mountain this weekend? The route you'll most likely follow is the Platteklip Gorge path, which many people have difficulty finding.
Cape Town's Big Six: Kirstenbosch Gardens (6/6)
As a city, Cape Town’s known for its “Big Six” attractions - meet them all through SA Logue’s Cape Town Big Six tag!
Chapman's Peak Drive: Cape Town's Most Famous Road
Chapman's Peak Drive, which connects the Cape Peninsula villages of Hout Bay and Noordhoek via the cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean, is easily Cape Town's most famous road , because of its…
Cape Town (& Hout Bay) Landmark: The Sentinel
Spotted! The Sentinal, a majestic outjutting that marks Hout Bay 's western tip. Where is it?
An Afternoon Out on the Tigger 2
A calm, clear day in Cape Town - at any time of year - affords visitors a chance to get out on the water and see the city's majestic coastal mountains from a new perspective.
A Visit to Rhodes Memorial
Rhodes Memorial stands on the southeastern slope of Devil's Peak, a glinting white comemmoration of the life and work of a man who had much to do with how southern Africa is shaped today.
Car Guard Ban on the Cards?
Alert! The City of Cape Town, under new management (see: 2006 Local Government Elections ), is considering a ban on car guards , those mostly-friendly fellows who spot vacant parking bays and guide…
Cape Town's Big Six: Table Mountain and the Cableway (1/6)
As a city, Cape Town's known for its "Big Six" attractions - meet them all through SA Logue's Cape Town Big Six tag!
Hiking Up Table Mountain: Platteklip Gorge
The hiking bug bites at practically first sight of Table Mountain - and a trip up on foot can be quite a rewarding experience (especially for those partial to the Stairmaster at gym!).
Table Mountain Rescue Service
Stuck on Table Mountain ? It's been known to happen - especially to those who think they can "bundu bash" their way to the top, without using any of the trails.
Kalk Bay Fish Cleaning: Just R10
.flickr-photo { } .flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Cleaning Station They say a…
The Secret Cenotaph of Cape Town
Unbeknownst to most visitors, the Western Cape and its principal city have a few alternative geographies , which make for intruiging surprises to those who explore on foot.
Five of the Best for Cape Town Backpackers
You won't find these suggestions in any guide that I know of, but make sure to include them in your plans. Bo-Kaap Pakistani Chicken.
Glorious Cape Winter Weather
After a gloomy weekend of rain, snow, and - in some areas - power cuts, Capetonians have been treated to the kind of "Green Season" winter day that we live for - and the fine weather looks set to…
A Trip to Town from CPT International: Eastern Blvd. to the CBD (5/5)
Visiting Cape Town soon? Here's a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city - what you'll see en route from the airport to town ( click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).
A Trip to Town from CPT International: Hospital Bend (4/5)
Visiting Cape Town soon? Here's a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city - what you'll see en route from the airport to town ( click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).
A Trip to Town from CPT International: the Cooling Towers (3/5)
Visiting Cape Town soon? Here's a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city - what you'll see en route from the airport to town ( click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Fridays, in Cape Town, are known for their workaday frivolity, and in this spirit SA Logue presents "A View from the Office Window" for your entertainment and pleasure.
After Summer, the Deluge!
The smell of snow is lingering distinctly in the air of Cape Town this morning, after a night of icy, pummelling rains. What!? Snow! in Africa!? you ask.
Today's March Called Off - But Rally May Go Ahead
Alert! Following SATAWU's destructive march through Cape Town's CBD on Tuesday, today's COSATU march - which was to have included members of SATAWU - has been called off by the city.
A Trip to Town from CPT International: the Townships (1/5)
Visiting Cape Town soon? Here's a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city - what you'll see en route from the airport to town ( click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).
For the Dogs
Some signs just speak for themselves - come to think of it, that's what the're all supposed to do - like this one, seen recently in Newlands Forest , and posted by members of the Cape's Working on…
Free Parking in Cape Town?
As bare-knuckled politics in the city of Cape Town - where no single major party, the ANC , DA or ID gained a clear majority in the recent elections - moves into its umpteenth round, the perils of…
Cape Town Landmark: the Bellville Civic Center
Spotted! The Bellville Civic Center, in the heart of Cape Town's northern suburbs, and site of many traffic accidents, as people lose their concentration when driving by, gaping at its timeless…
Mutant Maggots Plague Cape Town!
Run for your lives! According to international reports, rat-tailed maggots , every bit as ugly as they sound, have been popping out of basins, toilets and taps across Cape Town, sparking a citywide…
Cape Town Landmark: The Civic Center Building
Spotted! The Cape Town Civic Center, on the city's foreshore. Impossible to miss, really. Cape Town Civic Center Where it is? 12 Herzog Boulevard, Cape Town | Map What is it?
Cape Town WiFi Hotspot: the Media24 Building
The Media24 building, on Cape Town's foreshore, is something of an anomaly, in that it's a busy, bustling, energetic place in the midst of a ghost neighborhood - a part of town that ran out of steam…
Dune Patrol in Hout Bay
Spotted! Hout Bay police on four-wheel ATV patrol at the beachfront. Hout Bay Beach Patrol In Hout Bay, it's bobbies on the beach wot keeps the peace.
24 Hour Help for Tourists in Cape Town CBD
Tourists in distress in the Cape Town CBD ( click here for map ) can get immediate help by phoning the Cape Town Partnership's Security Manager: Cape Town Partnership Security Manager, Mo Hendricks:…
Cape Town WiFi Hotspot: the Cape Sun Hotel
The Cape Sun hotel - with its exposed, glass-paned elevators, one of the city's major landmarks - just might be the poshest wifi hotspot in the Western Cape.
Cape Town Power Outage: City Rally Tonight
Alert! Capetonians, stand up for your city! Not withstanding the fact that Cape Town's electricity supply has more-or-less returned to normal - there are still rolling blackouts in areas like Paarl…
Cape Town Heat Wave: Stay Cool!
Cape Town is getting it from all sides this week: A fire in Muizenberg that threatened homes. Power failures ad nauseum . A post-election political morass . And... A mini-heat wave!
Cape Town Power Outage: the Week Ahead (6-10 March)
Capetonians can expect more blackouts this week. Today's city blackout schedule (open with MS Excel and grain of salt): click here .
Election Wrap: SouthAfricaBlog's Candidate Trounced
Mickey Munden had a cold shower this morning - and not just because the city turned off his geyser (a.k.a., hot water heater) in the wee hours.
Cape Town Power Outage: Thursday (3 Mar) Evening Prognosis
The latest word from Eskom - the company that supplies electricity to all of South Africa, including Cape Town (or perhaps that should be, "except Cape Town") - is that the city will only be able to…
Cape Town Power Outage: Wednesday's (1 Mar) Scheduled Blackouts
Cape Town's month of Sundays continues, with a double excuse to do nothing much today: (1) the rolling blackouts come early and often; and (2) it's a special public holiday ( voting day - for…
Cape Town Power Outage: Election Bluster Alert
In South Africa's media, the stories of the Cape Town power outage crisis and the 2006 local government elections have begun to read as one in the last few days - and achieved an especially tight…
Cape Town Power Outage: Tuesday's (28 Feb) Scheduled Blackouts
Find the link for today's blackout schedule below. As always, it's accompanied by this splendidly-put caution: "Deviation from the load shedding schedule can occur depending on the network…
Cape Town Power Outage: Blackouts Continue
Power cuts have hit Cape Town again - after an interruption-free Monday - and are set to continue throughout the week , precipitating yet more uncertainty among visitors, residents and the businesses…
Cape Town Power Outage: Weekend Prognosis
Good news! The short-term outlook for Cape Town's power supply looks positive, with no further rolling blackouts scheduled for the next two days.
Cape Town Power Outage: Friday's Scheduled Blackouts
Here is the city's proposed blackout schedule for Friday 24 February. Note that it's issued with the following caveat - "The proposed load shedding times are guidelines; due to network variables…
Kirstenbosch Unscathed by Fire
The mountainside above Cape Town's world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden was ablaze last night, but the fire was contained by firefighters and water-bombing helicopters before it…
Cape Town Power Outage: Thursday Evening Prognosis
The latest news on Cape Town's electricity crisis is that there's a glimmer of hope for an early, happy ending - "early" meaning tomorrow evening, rather than Saturday morning, and "happy" meaning…
Cape Town Power Outage: Thursday's Scheduled Blackouts
Alert! SA Blog has just received this blackout schedule, put in place to help the city cope with an electricity shortage, and is posting it in the hope that it bears some resemblance to reality, and…
Cape Town Power Outage: Wednesday Evening Prognosis
Wednesday, 6h30 p.m.: The prognosis for the continuing electricity crisis is grim, with rolling blackouts now forecast until Friday evening.
Where to Buy a Gas Stove in Cape Town
What with Cape Town's rolling blackouts likely to continue to disrupt its residents' and visitors' lives over the short term, SA Blog provides this handy guide to finding a gas stove in the city.
Cape Power Outage: Causes
Spare a thought for Capetonians this morning, who are enduring the city's fourth consecutive day of rolling blackouts .
SouthAfricaBlog Takes 7 1/2 Hour Tea Break
Cape Town experienced it's third consecutive power failure today, and because of Your Correspondent's foresight and prompt action, the SA Blog office was able to enjoy a 7 1/2 hour tea break as a…
Hiking in South Africa: Lion's Head
One of the most popular climbs in Cape Town, Lion's Head is a pillar-like structure set away from Table Mountain to the west.
Cape Point Cycle and Winelands Tasting: Tour Review
Cape Point Cycle and Winelands Tasting: Tour by Downhill Adventures Cape Point and Constantia Western Cape Will pick you up?
SAA Stole Someone's Luggage, Someone Alleges
South Africans hate injustice in all its forms. And they love calling attention to this hatred in small, creative ways. It's folk infotainment.
New Table Mountain Fire
31 Jan 06, 2h45 p.m. A new fire has started in an area close to where last Thursday's major blaze began, which threatened the Cape Town city bowl and suburbs on the Atlantic Seaboard.
Table Mountain Fire: Battle is Won, but the War?
Despite several flare-ups over the weekend, Cape Town's firefighters have mastered Table Mountain's worst blaze in decades, which started on Thursday, 26 Jan, and left large parts of Signal Hill,…
Best Acupuncture in Cape Town: Dr. Lin's
(An SA Blog feature post in honor of the Chinese New Year.) If the traveller's life has drained your reserves of energy, and you're in need of some R&R, why not venture into Cape Town's suburbs to…
Table Mountain Fire: Flames Re-ignite
1h30 p.m. A small fire has started on the slopes above the city bowl, in the general area of yesterday's massive conflagration.
Table Mountain Fire: Aftermath Story and Photo Links
Cape Town's firefighters, helicopter pilots and other emergency service men and women battled through the night to quell blazes in the mountains above several parts of the city.
Hiking in South Africa: Kalk Bay Caves
If you're looking for an adventurous hike close to Cape Town, check out the Kalk Bay Caves. A half-hour drive from the city-center, it's a perfect weekend challenge.
Table Mountain Fire: Update 4
A few isolated fires continue to wink on the apron of Lion's Head, Atlantic Seaboard side, and soot continues to sift through the air in Sea Point, but the blaze is under control at last.
Table Mountain Fire: Photos from Camps Bay
I was getting ready for bed a little bit ago and decided to go check out the fires from my garden. They are still burning strong.
Table Mountain Fire: Articles
The Internet is still a little slow - and South Africa media is even slower. However, I've unearthed a few internet articles on the blaze - will add more as they become available.
Table Mountain Fire: Update 3
The flames are blazing closer to the homes in Upper Fresnaye - last reports had them at 200 meters away, but they seem a bit nearer from my front balcony - and residents are on their roofs with…
Table Mountain Fire: Update 2
The fire raging on Table Mountain, fanned by a strong south-easter, has crested the upper half of Signal Hill, and can now be seen on Lion's Head's west-facing slope, burning in the direction of…
Table Mountain Fire: Update1
Table Mountain fire heads toward Camps Bay. Photo courtesy of Sean Keener. The fire on Table Mountain is still burning out of control, and has crossed over the crucial fire break constituted by Kloof…
Table Mountain Fire: Monitor On These Webcams
Table Mountain fire starts in the city bowl. Picture courtesy of Bruce Hetherington.
Cape Town Diary
Dr. Ryan James, who has, as he helpfully points out in his travel forum profile , been to 38 countries, bagged South Africa over the new year, and wrote at positively Pepysian length about his…
Huey Watch - All's Quiet on the Atlantic Seaboard
UPDATE 1, 4h30pm: Thar! Thar! Thar she blows! The olive-green Huey! 6 Jan 2005, 5th post, 8am. All's quiet on the Western Seaboard.
The Pick of Cape Town Fruit Picking
Please send in your own PYO tips, too! The phenomenon that is summer fruit in Cape Town - when truckloads of mangoes, berries, grapes and other seasonal fruits are carted to stores and outdoor…
Cape Town Welcomes Sean Keener, Again!
Sean Keener has touched down safe'n'sound, after his misadventure with the overfull passport. On behalf of all Capetonians, SA Blog extends a warm welcome back!
Huey Watch - Your Questions Answered
(An SA Blog Beta post from Your Correspondent) 5 Jan 2006, 4th post: eerie silence all morning has just been broken by the inimitable whup, whup . Thar she blows! The olive green Huey!
Welcome to Cape Town, Court!
(An SA Blog Beta post from Your Correspondent) BootsnAll's 's intrepid community manager, Court, has come to visit SA Blog in Cape Town. Welcome, Court!
Huey Watch - Eerie Silence
(An SA Blog Beta post from Your Correspondent) 4 Jan 2006, 10h35am, 3rd post: Thar she blows! But only once, and all's been eerily quiet since. When will the olive-green Huey resurface?
Huey Watch - Whup Whup!
An SA Blog Beta post from Your Correspondent) 3 Jan 2006, 2nd post: Thar she blows! Thar! Thar! The olive-green Huey! Thar! Saw her twice this morning, and several times this afternoon.
Exciting New SA Blog Feature: Huey Watch!
(An SA Blog Beta Post from Your Correspondent) SA Blog is introducing a new daily feature to track one of Cape Town's more important questions, namely: Is the Huey in the air?