Cape Town Travel Answers

You can look for hotels/lodges/guesthouses/B&B's in the Waterfront, Greenpoint and Sea Point areas. There is a reasonable public bus service (Golden Arrow) from the Waterfront to near the President Hotel in Bantry Bay. If you stay along this strip, you can reach your conference at one end of the route, and connect to all tours from the Waterfront at the other end of the route. What price range are you looking for?

Thank you, Gerald :-) That's useful infor - I was wondering about public transport to the conference hotel, if I were to stay at Waterfront, instead of Seapoint! Am looking for 2-3 star accommodation (US50-$75 per night or cheaper but safe) But I do notice from that its high season for the conference dates.. BTW any off the beaten track organised trips? Can I fit in a safari for the 3-4 pre/post conference days? Is that ALWAYS expensive? Cheers

For the accommodation look at the Breakwater Lodge hotel, or look at VT member Cleocat's pages. October is not yet really high season. Cape Town is more like Europe than like Africa. "True" safaris are not done near Cape Town. But, tour companies will offer "safaris" from Cape Town - in my opinion they are fake, because the big animals are supported by humans. If you are happy with seeing smaller antelope, baboons, zebra, ostriches, penguins, etc. then that is possible - but the elephants, lions, rhino are quite far from here if they are truly free and wild. (We spent an hour yesterday watching whales at our village - they should still be here in October)

TQ, Gerald! :-) Will check it out. Do you have herr homepage, pls? Btw I' ve seen whales (humpback in Hawaii).. Thanks

I see that Annette (Cleocat) stayed in a time-share apartment - I thought it was an hotel. Search Google, or VT, for accommodation in Greenpoint and Sea Point (notice the different spellings).

TQ Gerald. Will be away from tomorrow to Sunday (much needed break - been really stressed out). Meantime, pls let me know if it would be a better idea to stay one week post conference? Will then allow a little real safari to be fitted in? Cheers

This is tricky.... The most popular tourist destination is Cape Town. But it is not truly "African". Cape Town is very much like Europe (Mediterranean) and the tourists love it because it is so comfortable and familiar for them. But, if you want the true sense of the "romantic" AFRICA then you have to go far north, to the borders with Botswana, Zimbabwe or Mozambique. Only there will you start getting "true" safaris. You have to decide if you want to base yourself in Cape Town, or outside Johannesburg. Maybe decide to stay in the south this time and come back for a real "African" safari next time? Many people will argue against my view on this - so don't believe everything I tell you. ;-)

It is the 'real' Africa I want to experience - not a copy of Europe or the Mediterranean. Si I suppose we share similar views. Unfortunately, my 6 day conference is in Cape Town and I am not sure the flight I am taking will allow a stop-over in J'burg. I suppose, then that you wouldn't recommend the famous Kruger National Park?

I am going against popular advice by saying "get out of Cape Town!" - I think your conference days here will be enough to make you want to come back some time later. If your flight schedule allows, strongly consider time in (or near) Kruger Park as more important than Cape Town. If the flights don't allow it, then try the Garden Route area near Cape Town. These tour companies seem to have a high profile (and a good track record): http://www.springbokatlas.co.za http://hyltonross.com/

TQ Gerald! I think you and I speak the same language ;-) Perhaps we should meet up when I am in Cape Town, to discuss African travel further? I certainly consider time out of Cape Town as more important! In fact, I am rescheduling my travel, so that I can stay a week after the conference to do that and am checking out possible stop over in J'burg on the return flight! Thank you for recommending the tour companies :-)