Cape Town Sept 2023

[yorkshire270]

We are due to go on our honeymoon on the 18th Sept to Cape Town. The plan is to drive the garden route, with a hire car being dropped off at the hotel in Cape Town. Going to Franschoek, Wilderness, Plettenberg Bay and then safari.

I am having a meltdown reading the recent articles about increased violence in Cape Town.

Has anyone recently been to the area? If so, did you experience any problems?

We can't cancel the honeymoon as we will lose the total amount. The only other option is to postpone it for 12 months but will incur a £375 fee and any additional costs with hotels/airlines added on!

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Well obviously if you’re planning a hike you look at the weather forecast first 🙄 We did it in July with no issues. On the other hand, in October we took the cable car on the first day it was open after a big refit and saw fuck all because of very low cloud.

I think it may be helpful to point out a couple of things:

This recent spike in violence is related to a taxi strike. Taxis in this context refers to the 16-seater mini bus taxis that are the woeful substitute for what does not even pass as a public transportation system. They are NOT metered taxis like you would think of in London or the U.K. They follow set routes are are more like busses but I personally would not advise a tourist to use them.

To the PP who asked, be careful asking for directions to a taxi rank. A random local would probably direct you to a 16-seater bus hub which, and I mean this nicely, is not where someone who does not know the country very, very well should be.

Car-like metered taxis are few and far between. If I’ve needed a metered taxi I use Uber.

That said, during the recent strikes, I believe that Ubers have been scarce in some areas.

I what I’ve noticed around this latest strike was that violence was limited to small hot spots so it was key to know exactly which streets in which areas to avoid. For example, in Hout Bay, which you drive through to do the scenic chapmans peak drive, one of the routes through the village was problematic with kids throwing stones, the other route was fine. You just needed to know which was the safe route so don’t blindly follow sat navs. Make sure you understand where you are going.

If I was arriving early evening or any time after dark, and you’ve not driven in South Africa before, I’d consider calling the hotel and asking them to arrange a collection for you - you know the type, where someone meets you inside the airport with your name on a board kind of thing.

Leave the hire car collections for daylight hours once you’ve had a good nights rest - particularly Cape Town airport (which is what I know well) because it would be incredibly easy to miss a turn/exit. Trying to turn around at a junction on the N2 motorway between the airport and the city centre takes you through some pretty unsafe areas.

I agree with a lot of the advice. Aim to be inconspicuous - in both your appearance and behaviour. You’ll soon get the hang of the situations where it’s fine to behave like a tourist and others where you need to keep a low profile while keeping your head up.

on the N2 between Cape Town and the garden route (and beyond if you are going to Kariega) you’ll see the motorway services which are fine. Shell Ultra Cities and Engen 1-stops are huge and well frequented.

As an FYI, one bit of etiquette around Rhinos if you are lucky enough to see them is that it’s very bad form to post photos of them on social media and tag where you’ve seen them. Please don’t inadvertently tell poachers where they are!

That said, South Africa is beautiful place. It’s really special. The one and only is pretty spectacular. The thing I like about visiting there generally is that the food is usually very, very good. I’m jealous of all of you going soon!

But OP I’m curious about your £3500 driver quote - what exactly did that cover??

Sorry, that was an epic waffle! Just remember that there is an overwhelming number of people who work incredibly hard to keep tourists safe.

Thank you to everyone who has posted regarding safety and cabs etc. Will be asking the hotel to sort!

I think most flights from uk arrive in daylight hours. We picked up a car immediately at the airport but we stayed in guest houses. They are a wonder of South Africa! In a large hotel, arranging a collection would work depending on whether you want a car or not in Cape Town. We did for exploring further afield.

I stand corrected re the yacht. The hotel doesn't own it, it's privately owned. But they used to be linked to the hotel so the hotel guests got first preference for private charter.

Still, it's something different to consider doing, it's a real splurge activity.

But there are a lot of commercial boat trips going out every day which are massively cheaper. You will see the resident seals without a doubt.

Also, consider a trip to Boulders beach, where you will see all the penguins. And if you like hiking, head for Cape Point and walk up to the lighthouse. It's nothing like the Table Mountain hike, it's more a steep walk.

It is in a nature reserve so you need to pay to get in the reserve. Upthread pp mentioned taking your passports. Tbh I wouldn't haul them with with you each day, just take a copy or even your driver's licence. The reason for this is that at entrances they will ask for some form of identification. This is because there are two rates. The normal rate (tourist rate) and local rate. So if you can't produce a local form of ID, you will be charged the higher entrance fee.
The country depends a lot on tourism, so you will see this on a few entrance fees.

Have a look at Langebaan for a day trip. Such a beautiful place, and if you like seafood then The Strandloper restaurant is amazing. About 10 courses of food, mostly traditional seafood, and in the most amazing casual beach setting. You can even take along a coolbox with your own drinks.

Glad you feel better about posting now. There is something incredibly special about Cape Town, in fact the whole country. Once you have experienced it, I doubt you will ever regret your decision to not cancel.

Oh I just wanted to add on about jewelery etc. Just wear the basics, the more flashy you look, the more you may be a target. Places like V&A can get quite busy especially over weekends, so they may be pickpocketers like any busy place.

Take a bag for every day that has a full zip on top. Not one of the type thst close with a clip. Or even use a cross body type bag. If you're in the shops, don't put your bag in the child seat section (people still do it). And your DH shouldn't put his phone / wallet in his back pocket.

Cellphones are quite a big target. Especially iphones, so don't leave it easily accessible, like on the table during a meal etc.

At Kariega there is more chance a monkey will come along and try grab it though 😊

But OP I’m curious about your £3500 driver quote - what exactly did that cover??

I understood it as a shuttle from CT to Kenton. OP, this is really a stunning and easy route to drive in a hire car. And you will be on the route anyway if you are stopping at Wilderness (such a gorgeous place), Plett etc. You don't need to spend this amount on getting there if you can do self drive.

We are self driving, and it has honestly been really easy and no worries at all along the way. The hire car has an etag so we drive through the tolls without having to pay and the guys at the petrol stations are all lovely.

My tips would be:

No driving after sunset. Animals and people cross the roads and I’ve seen accidents.
If police stop you for an infringement then offer to drive to the station to sort it out, rather than handing over the ‘payment’ aka bribe.
As other have said, no jewellery. Cheap watch. Make sure your phone is backed up so if you lose it you have everything elsewhere. No designer bags. Keep your expensive cameras for the safari park.
I prefer an SUV hire car for the higher viewing, although I’ve used a Yaris and been fine. There are still dirt roads in places, so SUV does help with that.
The road infrastructure and petrol stations are excellent, as are the 5* hotels. And the sushi in Cape Town is outstanding.
Knysna is the gem of the garden route, do try and visit the East Head cafe.

Knysna is indeed lovely - we stayed in a fab waterside apartment. Currently in Hermanus which is very naice too. And loads of whales!

I’m green with envy!

We stayed at Kanonkop guest house. Fab hosts and amazing views.

Hermanus will still have whales next month. We saw a mother and calf right close to the shore outside our guest house. We watched for 2 hours plus as other whales popped into the cove to visit. Just magical.

@yorkshire270 i’m here in Cape Town. I went via jo’berg. I just wanted to let you know that I don’t feel any less safe than in London. Food is amazing, alcohol is super cheap and it may well be my most favourite place ever, weather is shite but not an issue. Sept - may is recommended for anti malarial tablets. All our other vaccinations are up to date. We’re off Up table mountain, whale watching, penguins, cape cod , Frranschoek, and then safari in Kapama. We’ve been to the v&A docks and the Silo hotel which is just awesome. It’s been tricky organising everything in 48 hrs but so far, so good. You’ll have a brilliant honeymoon so don’t stress!

@Onestopover, we are in Franschoek - lovely town, did the Wine Tram yesterday! Whale watching all along the Garden Route, but Hermanus was particularly fantastic (and a lovely town)
Driving to Cape Town today, via the penguins and planning to do Table Mountain, V&A etc.

Our holiday is nearly over and we haven’t felt unsafe anywhere.

We had an amazing honeymoon in Cape Town, and have returned a couple of times since. I would go back in a heartbeat.

As others have said, you are very unlikely to have any trouble, but you have to be sensible, as you would in any big city.

A couple of words of warning:

On one visit, we were some of those fools who took the wrong turn out of Cape Town airport and ended up lost in the cape flats...late at night....with our two year old. Don't be like us. To make it worse, the car behind us seemed to be following. My husband is fairly familiar with driving in SA, and knew not to stop the car for any reason in the area we found ourselves in (carefully rolled through red lights etc). When we eventually made our way out of the township the car behind turned off, and we realised that it was actually a police car. So, I am very thankful for our police escort that night!

Be careful with any jewellery you take. My husband had a watch stolen from his suitcase on an internal flight from Jo'burg to CT. I foolishly left a Tiffany bracelet on the dressing table of the hotel room while we went for breakfast. When we got back to the room, it had vanished 😕 Again, silly things to do and lessons learned.

None of these experiences would put me off going back. You will have an amazing time, enjoy!

i can confirm Hermanus was magical. Watching the whales was so peaceful. Highly recommend @yorkshire270 if you get a chance. Definitely take anti-nausea pills though. The swell was something else.

Hi there, new here, and I am also from Yorkshire.
We went to South Africa (before our child…well our child was conceived there technically), and I can just echo the majority of the posters who stated that you have to stick to your plan and visit.

We didn’t feel unsafe at any point, and drove from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, stopping off at Knysna, Swellendham, and Franchoek.

I remember staying in Franchoek, and a group of gap year students asked a gentleman from Newcastle (who spent half his time in Franchoek, and half the year around the world with work) if Franchoek was as safe as London. The gentleman laughed and said “please tell me you are joking, I wouldn’t walk round London at night with my kids, I would here”

I will also add, we stayed at Radisson Blu in Cape Town and ventured to V & A waterfront, and it was certainly more safe than anywhere in West Yorkshire on a Saturday night. As we were there, there were stories back home, as we just sipped beer, ,had great food and talked to locals. They even gave us a lift back to our hotel.

I could give you plenty of advice, but the main bit is make sure you do go, as I am very confident you will not regret it.

Following as going in February.

Millions walk around London at night! That’s frankly rubbish. Franschoek is a holiday town and I would think pretty safe. Was when we went anyway. It’s not difficult to see safety concerns in SA far outweigh those in London.

Just to add: as stated in lots of advice above, stay in obviously well populated areas.

Franschoek seemed very safe, as did all of the places we visited. Lots of South Africans that we spoke to said that they work very hard to ensure their towns are safe and welcoming to tourists as that’s their main income stream.

@bigTillyMint Exactly. Some areas are very different and you need antennae on where to avoid but South Africans will tell you!!

This is all great advice! The only thing left now is, what sort of bag do I take for the day?
Needless to say, the designer ones stay at home.
Rucksack? Cross body? Tote bag with zip?? Perhaps I am over thinking this.

I took a rucksack as the weather is so changeable - lots of locals kept laughing and saying four seasons in one day - so good for carrying a jumper/jacket, etc!