Hi Wei. I grew up in South Africa and visit frequently with my American family. There is plenty to do in Cape Town, the Cape peninsula and the surrounding wine country. I recommend that you rent our own car though. While in Cape Town we always try to: (1) go to the beach if the weather permits (e.g., Clifton's four beaches or Camps Bay)  -- this is my favorite area in Cape Town to stay in because of the spectacular views from here on the Atlantic Ocean, (2) make the trip up Table Mountain + there are hiking routes here with awesome views, (3) do a road trip along Atlantic Ocean side of the peninsula all the way to Cape Point with stops in Camps Bay (BTW, I celebrated a special birthday a couple of years ago here with our gang from the US at the 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa -- at least try to have cocktails here (or "sundowners" as they say in South Africa) at sunset -- we saw whales from their deck, even though it was outside whale season) and another stop in the fisher's village of Hout Bay and on the way back from Cape Point some wine tasting at Great Constantia (old Cape Dutch and traditional), (4) do a road trip along the Indian Ocean side of the peninsula with stops at the penguin colony at Boulders, Simon's Town and other small coastal villages on the way, (5) if shopping is your thing, try browsing at the Cape Quarter in Te Waterkant, and if you want African Art, try the Pan African Market next to Greenmarket Square in downtown Cape Town, (6) we always love our dining experiences in the Cape: the highlight on our last visit in December 2010 was a sunset seafood dinner right on the beach at the Grand Beach Cafe at Granger Bay, and of course there are more museums, cultural sights, nature related activities and nightlife clubs aplenty. In addition to the above, two full days could be spent on exploring the Cape wine country. My friends are always blown away by its scenic beauty --- i.e., majestic blue mountains surrounding valleys with vineyards and the traditional Cape Dutch homesteads. Try to hit both the Stellenbosch (old university town) and Franschhoek areas. I like Tokara (modern and feels like a modern California winery) close to Stellenbosch and I always load up on bubbly at Boschendal (old traditional) close to Franschhoek. Lunch at La Petite Ferme just outside Franschhoek offers great views on the valley. One of my favorite old Cape Dutch style wineries is Vergelegen. However, it is located a bit out of the way close to the town of Somerset-West. If you would like to do another day outing, I suggest a day drive on the winding coastal road along the Indian Ocean from the Strand (it is called Clarendon Drive) via Kleinmond and Betty's Bay to Hermanus (note that the coastal road takes much longer than the freeway). Bientang's Cave, located lower into the rocks on the beach in Hermanus is an average restaurant but offers fabulous views on the bay and possibly on a few whales. Happy Travels!

Posted Aug 19, 2011

We rented a car in Joburg and drove to Kruger we booked via Sans parks and stayed in several camps it was fabulous and not expensive to stay in the national park sites. They have great choices but you need to book early we stayed in safari tents. It was so exciting to drive ourselves in the park. We had no problems and would highly recommend it.

Posted Aug 19, 2011

I would skip the Waterkant - very, very tourisy.  It was the only area that we visited in Cape Town where you could tell it was built to captialize on tourists.  I was there for 3 weeks a year and a half ago, and I can tell Kobus is pretty much spot-on.  If you haven't visited wineries much and that is an interest, indeed spend at least an overnight in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek and use it as a base for seeing a few wineries.

Posted Aug 22, 2011

Rent a car and head to the winelands, just 45 minutes away. Babylonstoren is a fantastic property there - gorgeous gardens, spectacular food, and the most friendly staff you could ask for.

Posted Aug 24, 2011

Very good for hiking is also the Drakensberg - fly to Durban - rent a car there and go inland

Posted Aug 21, 2011

The Garden Route is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever seen.  Definitely do that.

Posted Aug 22, 2011

We jumped on a flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town and had an amazing safari experience at the private reserves around Addo Elephant Park.  We stayed at Woodall Country House ... they were great, five star and reasonably priced.

Posted Aug 26, 2011

There are a number of interesting animal places near to Johannesburg which make great day trips - my most interesting is the Elephant Sanctuary in the Magaliesburg. There are wonderful blog articles at www.southafrica.net which give excellent details.

Posted Jun 27, 2012