Grade 8 educational tour of Cape Town

4 or 5 day tour in the Mother City

DAY 1: Early morning flight to Cape Town. Arrive in Cape Town mid morning and visit The Castle of Good Hope, built by 1679 to house the Dutch at the Cape. A guided tour explains the voyages of discovery and need for a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope. Lunch at Food Lover’s Market as part of a brief historical walking tour of the city. Afternoon head to the Lower Cable Station of  Table Mountain to ascend with the cable car to 1067m above sea level. Great bird’s eye view of Cape Town and the Peninsula. Attention to the indigenous ‘fynbos’ plants that are a World Heritage Site and the fauna on top of the mountain. Book into accommodation before a visit to the V&A Waterfront to soak up the atmosphere of Cape Town. Experience the Cape Wheel for a bird’s eye view of the city. Evening supper at a V & A Waterfront restaurant.

DAY 2: After breakfast, we tour Robben Island to learn about the impact of Nelson Mandela, how one person can make a difference. The tour involves a 30- minute ferry ride to and from the island, a bus tour around the island and a walking tour through the prison guided by an ex-prisoner. On the ferry ride back, enjoy the spectacular views from CT seen from the sea.  Look out for Southern Right Whales that frequent the ocean at this time of year. On return to Nelson Mandela Gateway we head to The Heart Museum, attached to Groote Schuur hospital where the first heart transplant took place in 1967.  Enjoy video footage of this phenomenal surgery and visit the original operating theatre where it took place. End the day with a visit to the Bokaap, CT’s colourful suburb and a national heritage site. Supper traditional Cape Malay cuisine to taste the blend of Dutch and Indonesian cooking.

DAY 3: Today our tour of the peninsula starts along the Atlantic Seaboard following CT’s famous blue flag beaches, Clifton, Camp’s Bay and then onto Hout Bay. Get to know the Cape Fur Seal with a boat ride to Duiker Island. Continue along the world’s most scenic coastal drive –  Chapman’s Peak drive through surf spots of Long Beach, Kommetjie, Misty Cliffs and Scarborough.  Hopefully we see baboons en route  as we pass the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Learn about the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest but richest of the 6 floral kingdoms in the world. Lunch at Black Marlin Restaurant before a visit to Boulders Beach to view the endangered African penguin colony. Spend the rest of the afternoon at Boulders Beach, swimming in the sea among the penguins and discovering other sea life in the rock pools. Continue along the peninsula passing through Simon’s Town, a naval town. Hear the story of ‘Just Nuisance’ the only dog to be enlisted into the Royal Navy. Supper at a Waterfront restaurant.

DAY 4: After breakfast and packing our bus, we head to Sea Point Pavilion to hire bicycles to cycle along the promenade to the V&A Waterfront. We then visit the Two Oceans Aquarium for an educational lesson- either Biodiversity or Marine Sustainability. In the display tanks meet giant sea turtles, adorable clownfish, sleek and streamlined predators, waddling penguins and crabs as big as toddlers – it’s easy to lose yourself in the aquarium’s stunning displays. Lunch at Cape Town Fish Market and time for last minute shopping before our transfer to CT International Airport for your flight home.

Optional Extra Day: Visit to Hermanus in the Overberg for whale watching boat cruise, visit an abalone farm and the Cheetah Outreach Project in Somerset West