The Magic of South Africa: Cape Town & Durban on a Budget
- Angela Carlton
- Apr 13, 2020
- 10 min read
10 Days in South Africa
On December 16th, 2019, I arrived in South Africa at the start of their summer. My overnight flight from Munich meant that I flew over the south-western parts of Africa as the sun was coming up, and fortunately I had a window seat to capture some images of the Namibian desert.
I chose to divide my time between Cape Town and Durban over the course of 10 days. This list of itinerary will help you plan a trip to explore these two incredible South African cities on a budget.
Money
Luckily, the South African Rand is quite good value for the American dollar, and even better value for the Pound or Euro. 100 Rand is roughly about 10 US dollars.
Safety
A comment on safety as a solo female traveler in South Africa, I heard a lot about how unsafe South Africa is from South Africans. I also saw with my own eyes that many of the nicer houses are surrounded by electric fencing, have guards posted down the streets and even have additional security devices like a more aesthetic version of barbed wire topping fences and roofs, some houses have sensors. I was advised not to walk alone at night and not to take any unverified taxi or Uber. Despite all this, I didn't actually ever feel unsafe. I might have been lucky but I didn't take unnecessary risks and I generally listened to all the advice I was given.
Once, as I was walking in very short shorts through the Cape Town neighborhood of Bo Kaap, which is home to the a large proportion of the Cape Malay community, I did get some pretty discerning looks. Cape Town is home to the largest population of Malaysians outside of Malaysia. I put down the glares to the fact that I was in this largely Muslim community of Cape Town dressed indiscreetly. Just like anywhere else in the world, a bit of research and observance of culture is a good way to behave.
1 Day in Cape Town: Baggage Tip
I was able to leave my suitcase at the airport for my initial 12 hours in Cape Town. The airport has a baggage holding service that is inexpensive.
Getting Around in Cape Town
Ubers
Ubers are probably the most common way to get around in South Africa without renting a car. Avoid regular taxis as they are very overcrowded and hot. Also, I have heard some dodgy stories about taxi drivers shooting other taxi drivers and theft, so probably best to avoid. I can't verify what the vibe is like, but Ubers are relatively inexpensive and plentiful in both Cape Town and Durban so there isn't a need to get a regular taxi, unless you just really are looking to save dollar.
I initially got an Uber from the airport to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. It can be very difficult to get a real Uber from the airport because immediately people surround you claiming to be Uber drivers and showing you images of their Uber profile. But ignore these individuals and insist on waiting for your Uber. Also, even the real Uber drivers often ask you to take their phone details so that you can call them for a ride again outside of Uber and they will be your personal driver. I politely took their numbers but just used another Uber instead of calling them again.
Tour Busses
There is a red double decker bus called Cape Town Sightseeing that goes to all the best city stops in Cape Town and is about 20 US dollars for a day ticket. It's 100% worth it. From Kirstenbosch I got this bus to Hout Bay, the V&A waterfront, Camps Bay, the Table Mountain Cable Car and other great destinations around the city. Another bus comes every 5-10 minutes so it is super easy to hop off and hop on again. There is also a second version of this bus that is green that very affordably goes out to Cape Point. I unfortunately found this out too late ( I spent a small fortune in Ubers). I did actually meet a friend taking the tour bus and we went up Table Mountain's cable car together and met up again a week later to hike Lion's Head on Christmas day. So it is a good social way to meet other travelers as well.
Renting a Car
I think if I went back to South Africa again I would rent my own car. Like America, you really can't get around easily in South Africa without a car. So renting your own is the best way to ensure that you get to see exactly what you want. For instance, the Cape Peninsula is actually enormous and could take an entire day to explore. It's also about 30 USD to get into the national park and once you're out there there are countless hidden beaches, coves and trails to explore. Because of this, having your own car will allow you to see the most for your money. Imagine if you tried to go to the Grand Canyon without a car. It would be very limiting.
CAPE TOWN: Best Experiences
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
I arrived at Kirstenbosch around 10am and was entirely blown away. It looks like the garden of eden, smells like heaven and you get to hear these incredible bird noises that you're likely to have never heard in your life. It actually has more biodiversity than the whole of the Great Britain.
I could have spent hours there but I felt very eager to continue exploring. There is also a good trail from Kirstenbosch up to the top of Table Mountain called the Skelton Gorge trail that takes about 4 hours to summit and then you can get the cable car down. I didn't do this in the interest of time and also I heard conflicting reports about it being very dangerous to do alone because of muggings on the trail. However, I have a fellow traveller friend who has done it solo and claims it is very safe. I am inclined to think it is one of the safest hikes up Table Mountain simply because you have to pay an entrance fee to get into Kirstenbosch. You can also hire someone to hike with you on Airbnb. Kirstenbosch has a very nice restaurant, cafe and gift shop.
Camps Bay
I stayed in Camps Bay on a recommendation and it was truly incredible. Airbnb is the way to go in South Africa because many houses have little bungalows or separate apartments on their property that you can rent pretty affordably.
To play this video, view this post from your live site.
I got very lucky booking one such as these and had the view of a lifetime. From the beach of Camps Bay you can see the best view of the 12 apostles, which is actually the backside of Table Mountain, so you can see that from behind the mountain it's actually not all flat as it appears from the city view.
There is a Pipe Track trail that goes along these mountains and is high above Camps Bay. From the Pipe Track it is possible to take one of the side trails and also summit Table Mountain but as these trails aren't marked you should hire a guide to go along. On the other side of Camps Bay you have a view of Lion's Head, the second mountain that dominates Cape Town's skyline.
This is a much easier/shorter hike than summiting Table Mountain. The Lion's Head hike takes about 45 minutes to climb up but it is very steep and requires some scrabbling. Along the beach of Camps Bay are many restaurants and bars and it is one of the few streets in Cape Town where it is apparently safe to walk alone at night as a woman, so I heard. I didn't try this because the house I was staying at was way up the mountain. I did walk down in the day from my accommodation, but realized that no one else was walking so from then on I took an Uber up and down it.
V&A Waterfront
The V&A waterfront is spectacular. Don't get the wrong impression and assume it's just an outdoor mall. It is perfectly located along the harbor with lots of sailboats and bigger ships darting around as you have dinner at one of the many terraced restaurants. There are all the shops in the world you could want and live musicians playing in the courtyards.
The waterfront has a ferris wheel and beautifully preserved old buildings to explore. In the background is Table Mountain and the city skyscrapers, giving you a wonderful view. Here I was able to take myself out to dinner, buy more data for my phone and go grocery shopping all in the same afternoon.
Hout Bay
Hout Bay was only the second place I saw in the city as I took the sightseeing bus around. The beaches and surrounding mountains are otherworldly in their beauty.
I immediately felt like I was in a truer, less commercial or touristy part of Cape Town because there were so many people working at the docks servicing or loading their boats. Across the harbor is the famous Chapman's Peak drive, which winds around steep cliffs out towards the Cape Peninsula. The tour bus skips this iconic drive, which is another reason I would opt for renting your own car. At Hout Bay, I walked down the concrete pier and there was a live seal just sitting and sunning itself while people walked around it. Some people even stopped to get a picture with it, but the seal seemed used to people and didn't mind. There were many wooden buildings on the beach where you could buy a plate of inexpensive fish and chips. I actually had the best fish and chips I've ever had in my life (sorry, England) here in Hout Bay. In South Africa they like to eat Hake instead of Cod with their fish and chips. Maybe that's what made the difference.
The Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is amazing. There isn't another word for it.
From Simon's Town, which was one of the earliest settlements made by Westerners to the Cape of Good Hope to the Boulder's Beach Penguin Colony, it feels like another planet.
You can see wild ostriches, baboons, penguins on a beach, and the sweeping wolds of the Cape spanning out around you. I took an Uber for the cost of about 30 USD to Simon's Town, which is a beautiful community in itself and famous for having a beach filled with penguins that use it to mate.
To actually go onto the beach you have to pay about 18 USD, but for free you can walk along the boardwalk behind some the beach, with lots of brushy trees on either side and catch glimpses of the penguins from there. That's what I did and I even saw about 5 penguins up close. There are lots of little shops to buy nice coffee or ice cream and stroll. You can swim with the penguins as well, if you pay the fee to get into the beach but if you try to touch the penguins they will bite you and leave a pretty nasty gash that requires stitches. After the penguins I took another Uber up to the Cape of Good Hope, for about 40 dollars. I would recommend going early because there is a very long queue of cars waiting to go inside the national park. Do not take an Uber there. I had to pay for myself and my Uber driver to have an entry ticket.There is no way you can walk to the Cape of Good Hope.
To play this video, view this post from your live site.
It would take five hours from Simon's Town but the landscape is mountainous, exposed and filled with wild baboons and ostriches. The best way to get there, as I discovered is to get a tour bus for a fraction of the cost.
At Cape Point you can walk out to a lighthouse, but when I arrived it started down pouring with rain. I joined a tourbus who allowed me to only pay for a portion of the trip and we then drove to the actual Cape of Good Hope, which is the farthest point south on the African continent. It was immensely exciting. I can't recommend it enough.
DURBAN: Best Experiences
Durban is the third largest city in South Africa after Cape Town and Johannesburg. It is a beach town on the Indian Ocean with a tropical climate and lots of monkeys that will invade your house and literally steal your bananas (this happened to me twice in a week). There is a beautiful walkway along the ocean that has a lighthouse and snakes up to hotel bars like The Oyster Box, which is very cool and definitely worth a visit.
Surfing
I booked a private surfing lesson for an hour with a private instructor named Matt (there are quite a few Surf schools near the Golden Mile Beach that you can arrange lessons through. I had surfed many times before but never had any formal instruction and actually it really really helped. I would brag about how I caught every wave, but Matt did push my board each time.
Durban Botanical Gardens
We actually went to the botanical gardens at night because around Christmas time in Durban, all of the trees are streamed with lights and there are food stalls and stunning decorations put up all over the park to look at. If you go to SA during the holiday season, this is a cool thing to check out, especially if you have children with you as it's very family friendly.
Food & Drink
A Braai is what South Africans call a barbecue but it is so much better because it's always done on an open flame and you get to play cricket while the food is cooking. A Braai is a must have South African experience, not just unique to Durban, this is just where I did it.
What is unique to Durban is a "bunny and a beer" and bunny chow is a delicious, savory, loaf of bread that's been hollowed out and filled with curry. There are many different curries to try your bunny filled with but good luck eating the whole thing. If you order a castle light beer alongside your bunny chow while watching rugby then you're basically a South African.
Alongside The Oyster Box, which offers stellar views from the rooftop terrace of the uMhlanga lighthouse, we went to The Beverly Hills Hotel bar next door, as well as a Mauritian restaurant where I ordered barracuda--and it was incredible. While you're in South Africa you have to try local wine, which is some of the best in the world. The red pinotage is unique to South Africa and really really really good.
The Market
The Victoria Street Market in central Durban is an incredible experience where you can buy Zulu bracelets, handmade carvings of the big 5, Zulu masks, and many other artifacts or souvenirs. You'll definitely need cash and be prepared for parking to be a bit of a nightmare so taking an Uber might be a better idea.
Comments