A hop-on/hop-off sightseeing bus in Cape Town, South Africa, can't offer the slow travel experience of hiking or biking, but is a good way to get oriented. Photo courtesy of City Sightseeing Tours

One thing that visitors immediately notice about Cape Town is its laid-back attitude. Those who are used to the fast pace of other cities take a bit of time to adjust, but ultimately they settle in and love it. Still, it’s worth remembering in advance the best piece of advice you can get from a local: if you really want to get under the skin of Cape Town, you have to slow things down. If you speed through the city, you will miss out on the great subtleties that give Cape Town its character. It’ll melt together and become a blur, as if you are driving a car at 100 miles per hour and trying to look out the window.

There is, of course, a great list of must-do sights and activities in Cape Town. I too would like to offer some suggestions for visiting the city’s top destinations, but my angle is to do it the way we locals know and love – the slow way. Exploring Cape Town’s top attractions by slower means provides many more unique and exhilarating experiences.

Walk, Hike and Bike in the Table Mountain Range

Table Mountain, a recently appointed New Seven Wonders of the World, is one of the best places for panoramic vistas of Cape Town and the mountains surrounding it. Instead of taking a gondola or cable car that will whiz you to the top in five minutes, though, why not ascend the mountain the slow way?

Check out the views of Cape Town, South Africa, while mountain biking in nearby Tokai. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

If you are relatively fit and enjoy walking, there is no better way to see Cape Town unfold before your eyes than by walking. The hike up Platteklip Gorge – a series of stone-stepped switchbacks – takes about two hours. You can make the hike on your own or with friends, but I suggest taking a Table Mountain hike tour. For serious walkers and climbers, there are more difficult trails, but travel along these is not recommended without experienced Cape Town guides.

Mountain biking in Cape Town is another great mode of slow travel. Try cycling the lower slopes of Table Mountain or Tokai, the latter of which is further south in the Table Range.

Cape Town is laced with trails, walking paths and climbing routes; once you start looking, you see them everywhere! Running down the Cape and into the suburbs, these trails are some of the best ways to experience Cape Town slowly, taking the time to soak in local life. For a completely unique experience (and one of the city’s best-kept secrets), try walking to the top of Lions Head during a full moon. And if you are really looking for a local experience, try trail running, one of Cape Town’s fastest growing sports.

Buses and minivans will get you to the Cape of Good Hope, but to really feel the wind in your hair, head there via WWII motorcycle sidecar. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

Drive Along the Cape of Good Hope in Style

The southwestern tip of the African continent was described by Sir Francis Drake in 1580 as “The most stately thing and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.” Cape Peninsula National Park is one of the most popular tourist spots in South Africa, with historical maritime significance and breathtaking surroundings.

The common way for Cape Town tourists to reach the Cape of Good Hope is via a bus or minivan tour. Instead, why no let a chauffeur drive you there in a classic WWII sidecar or vintage car? The views along the way are astonishing, and you get an added sense of history when travelling in this classic mode of transport. There are also plenty of opportunities for unscheduled photo stops, which are great for meeting locals; people stop in their tracks to admire these classic cars.

If you want to get some exercise on your trip to the Cape, then rent a bicycle and get a shot of fresh air straight from the Cape Doctor; the prevailing wind is locally renowned for clearing chest infections and other respiratory ailments common to colder and wetter climates.

Visitors to Cape Town, South Africa, can experience the day-to-day life of the townships, where reminders of the country's recent segregated past meet its hopes for a more equitable future. Photo courtesy of AWOL Tours

Explore Cape Town by Foot

Most first-time visitors to Cape Town orient themselves to South Africa’s oldest and most beautiful city with a half-day minivan tour or by taking the hop-on/hop-off bus that winds its way through the city. But Cape Town is small and, in my opinion, the best way to really see it is on a Cape Town walking tour or cycling excursion.

Personalised walking or biking tours of Cape Town really wade into the city’s melting pot of cultures. Originally a Dutch settlement set up as a supply station for passing ships, the city’s essence and history are rooted in the competing interests of colonial powers and local indigenous groups. Walking around the city introduces visitors to this complex history. As the terrain is relatively flat, it’s a great option for families of all ages.

Bike the Winelands of Constantia

Fifteen kilometres from Cape Town lie the oldest and most beautiful wineries in South Africa. There are at least six world-class wineries in the Constantia Valley, most dating back to the 1600s. To drink it all in, take a South African wine tour (by bike), on which you can taste and purchase wine, as well as sample the outstanding cuisine at the local top-class restaurants.

The green valleys north of Cape Town are rife with family-run wineries and local culinary delights. Take a taste trough the region by car, bike or even horse. Photo courtesy of Mark Stodel

A tour of the Constantia Valley is just as easy by car or on an organised Cape Town tour. However, for slow travellers, the best option really is by bicycle. This low-impact form of travel is great for people of all ages and fitness levels. Just go easy on the wine tastings or you run the risk of falling of your bike!

Township Tours

As you approach Cape Town from the airport, you will see firsthand the material inequities that are a constant reality of life in South Africa. Along the highway are what many describe as ‘shantytowns’ – informal settlements on the outskirts of more affluent neighbourhoods. It might be easy to pass judgment as you drive by, but that only makes the situation seem hopeless and untenable. In reality, South Africa has come a long way from the times of mandatory segregation, since the Apartheid was officially abolished under Nelson Mandela in 1994. The best way to find out the real story is to visit these areas and meet the people who live there.

To do that, take a slow, interactive Township tour, walking through the area with a local guide who grew up there. Hearing his stories will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride, but the experience is guaranteed to leave you with a sense of hope for South Africa. The country is a living example of the positive outcomes people can achieve when they work together. There is still a long way to go, but the road has been mapped and its foundation has now been laid.

A meander in or around Cape Town - best done by bike - will help you get to know the city in the same slow way the locals do. Photo courtesy of AWOL Tours

Another option is a responsible cycling tour of the townships. Several community-based bicycle tours provide visitors with more opportunities to interact with the community than from an air-conditioned bus. It’s also recommended to take a tour of Robben Island to round out your knowledge of South Africa’s political history and Nelson Mandela’s incredible impact.

With so many Cape Town tours from which to choose, be sure to experience life from a local perspective…the slow way.

This African Gospel Church - a structure like many in the townships - is in the Langa Township in the Flats outside Cape Town

So what are you to do? Are there reasonably priced accommodation options anywhere in South Africa? How can one find exciting and responsible travel options beyond the pomp of a month of games? And, as we’ve written about already, is there any way of ensuring that some of the money spent will be fairly distributed, so that the inflated profits benefit as wide a cross-section of people as possible, not just the already rich and powerful?

Opportunism and Exploitation

We’ve seen a growing number of articles decrying the avarice of accommodation owners in South Africa as they set special room rates to laughably outrageous levels. “Research this week on Hotels.com UK website showed that the four-star, centrally located Cape Town Lodge Hotel, which from May 28 to June 5 charges £68 per room per night, is raising its rate on June 11, when the tournament gets under way, to £395,” reported Travelmole in mid-December 2009. “Hotel rates always rise during big sporting events: during the Olympic Games in Athens (2004) and Sydney (2000) they were three times the usual level. But the increases in South Africa almost match those made during the Beijing Olympics, when hoteliers were accused of exploitation.”

The lion is one of the Big Five found in Kruger National Park, the country’s largest game reserve and a superb place for a safari (photo courtesy of South African Tourism)

“The World Cup has brought out the worst in some sectors of the tourism industry both in South Africa and abroad, but it seems that this is a phenomenon that follows every big event of this sort,” added Martin Hatchuel, the South African travel writer who publishes www.thistourismweek.co.za. “I have had quite a bit of contact with people in Australia who tell me that Sydney suffered a decline in tourism in the three years following its Olympics – and the reason most people seemed to have for avoiding the city as a destination was ‘greed.’ So South Africa is not alone.”

Given the price gouging and apparent absence of reasonable oversight, one real fear is that not only will little of any profits actually reach the local level, but that any backlash suffered as a result of unfair market practices will hurt locals the most.

Finding a Fair Room

One way of helping to make a small difference – and help redress some of the possible imbalances – is to book accommodation and tours with locally run, small-scale lodges and tour operators, especially those committed to bringing opportunity to the townships. This is not only in keeping with FIFA’s social development policy of providing support to community-based organisations, it also provides alternative lodging options in World Cup host cities where exploitative pricing is now evident.

In fact, continued Hatchuel, “It seems to me that the people who are being most sensible about this World Cup are those who own the smaller accommodation establishments and other small tourism businesses.”

To help the price-daunted World Cup fan, below is a list of off-the-beaten-track lodging options on offer through whl.travel, in some cases the only online booking service available for these properties. While other hotels are charging outlandish rates, these B&Bs promise not to bamboozle their customers. Their rates will be higher than usual, but still most definitely a bargain, especially considering the unbeatable cultural experience of life in a South African township (especially during the World Cup) and the assurance that the money spent is actually reaching the people.

Cape Town

• Kopanong
• Liziwe’s Guest House
• Majoro’s B&B
• Malebo’s Bed and Breakfast
• Ma Neo’s
• Ndibovayo Bed and Breakfast
• Radebe’s B&B
• Vicky’s Bed and Breakfast

Mossel Bay (on the Garden Route, midway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth)

• Polani’s Xhosa Homestay
• Yonwaba Sesotho Homestay

Meeting the People

Whether or not alternative accommodation is key, meeting the people and experiencing the country should be. In a previous blog post, we’ve already proposed community or nature tours and activities in or near the World Cup host cities. What follows is a more targeted list to help zero in.

Traditional Xhosa dancers in South Africa perform for guests at a Mossel Bay township's first non-alcoholic shabeen and day-care centre

Cape Town
whl.travel offers access to a variety of community-based cultural and volunteer experiences, including:

• half-day, full-day and three-day township tours, and
• extended (28-day) volunteer adventures involving cheetahs, lions, monkeys, surfing and outreach to children.

Nelspruit
Nelspruit is quite close to Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route, as well as within several hour’s drive of the Mpumalanga Highlands.

All three are superb destinations with a broad offering of nature-oriented and outdoor activities, like river rafting, geckoiing, mountain biking, zip-line flying, rock abseiling, mountain boarding and following an aerial cable trail over a forest.

Animal enthusiasts will find satisfaction in visits to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for abandoned, injured and poisoned wildlife or to an elephant sanctuary.

Geckoiing is the use of a small raft steered using webbed gloves. It is one of the best ways to have fun with family and friends.

Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route
In Port Elizabeth, both a Shebeen Tour and a Real City Tour bring travellers to the heart of township life, while the Addo Tour spends a day at the famous Addo Elephant National Park.

Further west, along the Garden Route, a Meet the People Tour out of Mossel Bay is an absolute must, although a coastal cliff hike, game drive in Fynbos or horseback ride through a private game preserve are also a treat.

The Day After It’s Over

Not long after Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, declared “This World Cup belongs to Africa!” on the day of the World Cup 2010 draw, Nelson Mandela, appearing via video link, closed a short speech by saying that “The people of Africa have learned the lessons of patience and endurance in their long struggle for freedom. May the reward brought by the World Cup prove that the long wait for its arrival on African soil has been worth it.”

It’s time to wonder if the reward, so promising in principle, is still out of reach in practice because of misguided expectations about who is coming to the World Cup, how much they can afford and how widely they will travel after it’s all over.

“I think that the organisers of the World Cup and the tourism authorities in South Africa have missed – or failed to communicate – one important piece of intelligence: the demographics of the average soccer traveller,” said Hatchuel. “I have a suspicion that most of them will be males in the 24-32 year bracket, and if that’s the case, I expect they’ll be sticking to the host cities, and looking for the parties rather than travelling round the country.”

If that does turn out to be true, then it’s even more important that the mindful minority shows genuine interest in more than just sport and partying, both during the World Cup and after it’s over. South Africa can’t afford to suffer as Sydney did for its greed.

“This World Cup belongs to Africa!” declared Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, at the Cape Town Convention Centre on 5 December 2009, the long-awaited day of the World Cup 2010 draw. Needless to say, since then, Africa’s already considerable pride at hosting the world’s most popular sporting event grows by the day, in lock step with the excitement of soccer fanatics from all across the continent (and around the world) eagerly awaiting kickoff of the first game – South Africa versus Mexico in Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium at 4pm local time on 11 June 2010.

Supporters of Bafana Bafana, the South Africa national soccer team (photo courtesy of South African Tourism)

The success of the World Cup will however be measured by more than just the tenacity of the teams. Nearly 500,000 people are expected to visit South Africa from game 1 until the finals precisely one month later. Their presence comes as an important economic injection, especially in the tourism sector, as the hordes head out to experience the country.

So, as a primer for the independent traveller in South Africa during the games – the traveller passionate about soccer, but also about meeting and making a difference with the local communities hosting the games – here’s a quick overview of how between games you can connect with the people, just a small but important step in being a good guest.

On the World Cup Trail

Nine cities will be the stage for the 2010 World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Pretoria, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg.

The spread of destinations covers a great deal of the country, facilitating discovery of the diversity of regions and people.

Johannesburg

The opening match, nine other first-round matches, two second-round matches, two quarter finals and the finals will all be held in Johannesburg’s two venues: Ellis Park and Soccer City stadiums. Despite its bad reputation, Jo’burg is the financial hub of South Africa and a city full of life and interesting sights.

The busy city centre of Johannesburg

In between games is a perfect opportunity to take them in, not the least of which are the Museum of Apartheid, Soweto or other townships, the Mai-Mai market and the botanic gardens. Perhaps the best way to get to them and understand their significance is on any of several emotion-packed Johannesburg day tours possible through Urban Adventures.

Jo’burg is also within easy reach of two other game venues: Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, both sites of five first-round and one second-round matches.

Cape Town

Cape Town’s Cape Town Stadium will welcome 70,000 spectators to each of five first-round, one second-round, one quarter-final and one semi-final matches. More commonly known as the ‘Mother City’, Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most storied cities. Naming Cape Town’s top five attractions – Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, Robben Island, the Winelands and Cape Point – conveys some of its richness but only just scratches the surface, for there is a great deal more to see and do.

Wine tasting and cellar tours are favourite pastimes in the Cape Winelands. These Franschhoek vineyards are a 1.5-hour drive from downtown Cape Town.

As in Jo’burg, Cape Town tours are highly recommended, not only because they can help you get to places a little difficult to reach but because the accompanying guides put you in the right frame of mind to understand the important but sometimes intangible historical contexts, especially on Robben Island, where many political prisoners were incarcerated, including Nelson Mandela for over 20 years; the Cape Winelands, a perfect retreat for wine lovers; and any of several township and volunteer experiences that show you a different side of Cape life.

Cape Town is a good launch point for travel along South Africa’s famous Garden Route, an unspoiled and often inaccessible coastal corridor rich with wetlands, dunes, rivers, ancient forests, beaches, lakes, mountains and indigenous flora and fauna. Beyond its eastern reaches lies the seaside city of Port Elizabeth, whose Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be the site of five first-round and one second-round matches, as well as a quarter-final game and the third-place playoff.

Nelspruit

The city of Nelspruit is the smallest of the host locations, a community of approximately 200,000 people who will welcome four first-round matches to their Mbombela Stadium.

Giraffes are commonly sighted in Kruger National Park, also home to the Big 5, Little 5 and the Birding Big 6

Nelspruit brings two of South Africa’s most tantalising natural wonders into easy reach: Kruger National Park, which is the country’s largest game reserve and a superb place for a safari; and the dramatic Panorama Route, just a short drive from Nelspruit. Both destinations offer an array of adrenalin-pumping outdoor activities, most of which are conducted in a responsible and sustainable manner involving both briefings about local flora and fauna and proactive measures to minimise impact on the environment.

Nelspruit could also be a point of departure to reach Polokwane, 300 kilometres to its northwest, where the Peter Mokaba Stadium will see four first-round matches. To reach Polokwane from Nelspuit, one could detour west across the nature-rich rolling hills of the Mpumalanga Highlands, where outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of activities from which to choose.

Bloemfontein and Durban

Both Bloemfontein and Durban will host five first-round matches and one second-round match each in their Free State Stadium and Moses Mabhida Stadium, respectively. One semi-final game will also be played in Durban.

Bloemfontein, South Africa’s judicial capital, is popularly referred to as the ‘City of Roses’ due in part to its floral displays and annual Bloem Show (late April/early may), the largest agricultural and entertainment show in the country.

Coastal and cosmopolitan, Durban is the place to go for sun, sea and sand. Most city attraction are found along its Golden Mile of beach, including uShaka Marine World (one of the world’s largest aquariums) and Wilson’s Wharf (the trendy shopping and dining distrinct) on the Victoria Embankment, where there’s no shortage of restaurants and nightclubs.