Happy Weekend!
Houston has been filled with rain, tornadoes, and frogs lately. I cannot see anything outside as I sit by my window and write this post. I’m often used to hearing the train drive by around this hour of the morning but that is not the case today. It’s so foggy outside that the trains and cars stopped running. Pray for Houston.
One of my favorite places in the world is Cape Town, South Africa. I first started traveling there in 2016 and I fell in love madly with SA. It has been my place of escape whenever I need to get away from the hustle bustle culture of America.
I find peace and comfort each time I’m in Cape Town and it’s no surprise that when the time came for us to choose a destination for our Wedding, Cape Town became the number one option. I will share more about our wedding festivities in another post, but today, I want to share with you a travel guide to Cape Town. First up, let’s start with travel and visa requirements.
Travel/Flight/Visa/Vaccinations Requirements
One thing I missed the most about living in the DMV area is affordable and shorter flights. However, Houston always has my heart so enough reminiscing about the east coast.
Flying from Houston to Cape Town is a hike. Prepare to fly for more than 34 hrs. So, my recommendation would be to fly from the East coast if you are in the DMV area, which is what I did for my most recent trip to Cape Town.
The cost of flights from DC (Dulles Airport) to CPT (Cape Town International Airport) can range from $800 and up depending on when you buy your tickets for economy. For a Business class ticket, I have seen flights around $3200 round trip from DC to CPT. These prices are all dependent on when you buy your ticket and what day of the week you are traveling.
Flying from Houston directly to CPT, prices can range from $1500 and upwards. The flights are also extremely long, and the layovers are also longer, so pick your poison. If you planned to fly from DC and you live in Houston, flights to and from Houston to DC are around $250 and you can stay at the airport.
For other parts of the country, I am not sure how much it cost or how long the journey is, I am just familiar with the Houston and DMV area. American citizens do not need a visa for South Africa. Other nationals, please check the South African embassy website.
As for vaccination, have your Covid vaccine card handy and your yellow fever book available just in case they ask for it at immigration. Also, check the South African embassy website for additional travel requirements.
Currency Exchange, Sim Card etc.
South African currency is called Rand. As of today, the exchange rate is $1 to R18.33 according to Google. I remember back in 2016 the exchange rate was $1 to R10, oh how inflations have taken over the entire world.
You can use your US bank cards everywhere in Cape Town and South Africa as a whole. I personally prefer to use my Chase Business account when I travel and the exchange rate with the Business account is 1R higher than the normal exchange rate. For example, Google says the rate is $1 to R18.33 but with Chase Business account its $1 to R19.33 in my experience.
All credit cards are accepted in Cape Town. You can also use cash, but it has to be exchanged into South African Rand. Recommendation is to speak with your bank before you leave the country to prevent them from blocking your card. With Chase, you don’t need to inform them about travel, but I know with most banks you must.
Accommodation Recommendations
If you are a city girl like myself, here are places I would recommend staying. These are within city limit, and easy to travel around Cape Town. These are all within or around the CBD area.
Sea Point, Camps Bay, Green Point, De Waterkant, City Center/ CBD, Gardens, and BooKap
I recommend staying at an Airbnb however, choose your preference. Airbnb is both affordable and flexible. I have never stayed at a hotel in Cape Town, it has always been Airbnb for me.
Airbnb in Cape Town can range from $300 and up depending on the length of time you are staying. My recent trip cost $1,123.92 for a week. It was a two bed and two bath Airbnb. The place was in the De Waterkant area with a view overlooking BooKap and CBD.
Transportation within Cape Town
Uber is your best friend in CPT. They range from $3 for a 10 mins trip and upwards. Uber is extremely affordable and safe. Warning they have a five mins wait time only. If you are not outside within 5 mins, they are going to leave without notice and you will get charged.
Please be standing outside and ready before you order an uber because they show up in less than 1 min of ordering them lol. I took a 30mins trip outside of CBD and it cost me $13 one way. Honestly, Uber is the best to use out there.
Another form of transportation would be the bus or Taxi however, I have not used these two so I cannot speak much of them. I also believe the train runs in CBD but not sure of this. Maybe do personal research on this. I am not sure if Lyft runs in CPT, but I did try to request it once in 2018 and it had issues. Not sure if those issues have been resolved but Uber as been consistent.
Things to do you Cape Town, South Africa.
There are so many restaurants in CPT. If you love seafood life me, then you are in for a treat. There are seafood restaurants everywhere. The food is always delicious and worth every penny.
There’s Nobu in CPT, Tashas (Waterfront) was wonderful, and Nikkei to name a few. Finding a decent restaurant to eat will not be a hassle for you. I experienced the 8-course dinning at Nikkei, and I loved it. It’s a Japanese mixed restaurant and the food was good.
Tashas (Waterfront) had the best seafood platter, and the drinks were wonderful. I would recommend starting your restaurant journey at Tashas and explore from there.
CPT has amazing sites and places to see. My last trip was all about planning my wedding so I did not get to do any site seeing; however, you can visit places like:
Table Mountain, safari tour, penguin beach (Boulders beach), take a sunset boat cruise, wine tasting in the winelands, V&A Waterfront, and Cape of Good Hope etc.
It has been ages since I have been clubbing in Cape Town. I am longer a club girlie however if you fancy a good night at a club in CPT, here are some recommendations:
Coco, Soho, Club 169 and Club 7 or Loop etc.
High Tea at the Mount Nelson is a must. You want to experience this. If you do nothing in CPT, visit the Mount Nelson for an afternoon tea or spa day. I highly recommend this. Please note you need to book a reservation ahead of time for this activity. Get ready to be wowed.
Total cost of my trip.
Cost breakdown for my last trip is below. I hope this helps you with your upcoming trip to CPT and send me a message if you have further questions.
- Flight from Houston to DC – Free (I used credit card points for this)
- Flight from DC to CPT (Ethiopian Airline) – $1000
- Airbnb – $561.96 (the $1,123.93 was split between me and another person)
- Transport to and from the airport.
- Hired transport – $40 (upon arrival)
- Return to the airport – $13.
- Uber for the week – $125
- Food – $300
- Sightseeing and shopping – $0.
Grand total: $2,039.90 (per person)
Summary
Cape Town will forever be my favorite place. This place brings peace and comfort. I hope everyone could and can experience Cape Town once in their lifetime.
I hope this post was helpful in planning your next trip to CPT. Until next time…..
