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This is a pic college about myself and what I do.

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This is a chart that shows a percentage of water that is stored

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This is an infographic  about the population difference in Cape Town

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This is a graph on how the water decreased during the years

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This is an infographic  about the population of Cape Town

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This photo shows the average heat wave temperatures in Cape Town

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This photo shows how many deaths there was from 1994-2015 due to natural disasters

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We went to Cape Town on the beach with a beautiful view.
We had an amazing time we had so much fun and it was a great experience for us.

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This is a map of Cape Town

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This is how Cape Town looked during a drought

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This is my own video on natural disasters

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This is my individual iMovie about the population in Cape Town

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Here is an article on the fire that happened in Cape Town.

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EWN - South African news: access breaking news alerts, sport, business, entertainment, opinion, multimedia and cartoons. Eyewitness News - INSIDE THE TRUTH

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These are some interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Cape Town.

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Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Cape Town to experience the eclectic mix of cultures, it's history and breathtaking scenery. The city has so much to offer - and the best way to experience it all is to hire a car in Cape Town.

If you'd like to know more about the 'Mother City', here are 10 facts you need to know about Cape Town.

Cape Town was founded in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company based in The Netherlands arrived to set up a halfway point for ships travelling to the East.

Cape Town's climate is on par with California and the Mediterranean. The winter season starts in May and ends in September and is generally a wet and windy season. Summer starts from November to March.

Cape Town's Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in South Africa. It was built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India company.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town is the most-visited destination in South Africa - ahead of Table Mountain

The Cape Floral Kingdom is home to 7000 plants found nowhere else in the world.

Lion's Head may have a big cat in it's name, but it has not seen a lion for over 200 years. After once thriving in the area, the last lion was shot in 1802.

Simon's Town is home to a thriving colony of Africa's only penguin species, the Jackass Penguin.

Cape Town was the first city outside Europe to get Blue Flag status due to its high water quality, fantastic facilities, safety and cleanliness.

Cape Town was appointed the best place in the world to visit by the New York Times in 2014

Approximately 3.5-million people live in Cape Town, South Africa's second most-populated city.

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Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Cape Town to experience the eclectic mix of cultures, it's history and breathtaking scenery. The city has so much to offer - and the best way to experience it all is to hire a car in Cape...

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Here is an article on the things to do and the sites to see in Cape Town.

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Cape Town Tourism | The official guide on things to do, sites to see, where to eat and the best places to stay in Cape Town.

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The official guide on things to do, sites to see, where to eat and the best places to stay in Cape Town.

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This is an article on the different types of fashion in Cape Town and travel essentials

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Need tips on what to wear somewhere else? For a full listing of all our destinations, please visit our packing list page!
This Local's Approved Packing List is brought to you by TFG's own fashion blogger Cailyn Cox who is originally from South Africa. Read on as she gives you her Cape Town fashion tips to help you plan what to wear in South Africa.

by Cailyn Cox

Cape Town is a city that has it all, glorious beaches, beautiful winelands and a vibrant nightlife. Known as the mother city of South Africa, Cape Town is a warm, energetic place that consists of trendy artistic and model types. There is no better city for fashion, culture, beauty and maybe even weather as the city enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with clearly defined wet winters and dry summers.

The quandary for every woman is what to wear in South Africa? If you want to blend in with the beautiful people, follow these Cape Town fashion tips when you choose your essential holiday items.
Cape Town Travel Essentials

Sunglasses - it is important that you bring eyewear protection as you don't want the African sun to burn to leave you squinting and unable to enjoy the sunshine.

A pair of black skinny jeans- these will ensure you are both comfortable and stylish. Read about choosing the best jeans for travel.

A crossbody bag - to keep your basics on you at all times, the design gives you more security from possibly prying eyes or hands, you don't want to lose your stuff whilst on holiday and this bag allows you to only bring your essentials out with you, and gives you added security. Check out TFG's top cross body purse picks.

Walking shoes - whether it be in the markets, the wine route, hiking up lions head- you need appropriate shoes. There will never be a time when there isn't something to do, and you don't want to miss out because a poor choice in footwear are holding you back. Here are some tips on how to choose travel shoes.

Lip balm - you don't want your lips to be chaffed and the hot dry climate can cause that if your skin is not used to the climate change

Cape Town Shopping
Cape Town is filled with many upmarket shopping malls that include the V&A Waterfront which stocks high-end fashion labels, however if that's not what you're after there are also plenty of markets where you can purchase items from young local designers.

These markets include Cape Quarter market or Greenpoint Market on a Sunday. Furthermore there are trendy streets such as Long Street and Kloof Street that stock young and hip apparel.

What to Wear in Cape Town in Spring
Cape Town Weather in Spring:
In Cape Town Spring is famous for its flower season, as everything is in bloom, creating an enchanted look within the city. The average maximum temperature is around 21°C / 70 F and has an average minimum temperature of 11°C / 52 F.
Cape Town Spring Packing List:
1. Tees and vests / tank tops: similar to the summer season in temperature, trendy vests and t-shirts are essentials. These can be of your favourite bands or seasonal prints to ensure you remain cool and comfortable at all times. Try to include a minimum of two neutral colour vests to easily mix and match your outfits.

2. A good jacket or jersey: for the cooler days. It does not have to be very bulky, just a precaution to keep you warm on the cooler days or during the evenings.

3. A Maxi dress: the design is flattering, long and feminine, and because spring is not quite as hot as the summer months a maxi is the perfect item.

4. Boots: nearly everyone should have a pair of boots, flat combat style boots for walking. Spring is the perfect season for hiking, so if you are interested in hiking be sure to bring your hiking boots with you.

5. A pair of pumps or sandals: that are bright, comfortable and allow for breathability.

6. A short dress: in a floral print as spring is the known as the flower season and this seems fitting. Try to opt for light materials like cotton so that you are kept cool in the heat.

7. The same beach wear: that applies to the summer applies to spring. So include your bikini, sunglasses and sunscreen, as you'll still have days that are warm enough to enjoy the beach.

8. Skirts: again the same applies to the summer seasons.

9. Denim shorts: these are cute for during the day or over a costume, there is such a large range to choose from that you can bring your favorites.

Learn how to make your own with this DIY Denim Shorts tutorial.

10. Trousers or jeans: for the cooler evenings, as the temperature will drop and you want to ensure you are warm. For trousers and jeans dark colours are always best for stylishness and dirt.

What to Wear in Cape Town in Summer
Cape Town Weather In Summer
The Summer season lasts from early December until the end of February and consist of months that are warm and dry, with an average maximum temperature of around 26°C / 79 F and an average minimum temperature of 16°C / 60 F, and virtually no rainfall.

Cape Towns' summers attract many tourists creating a wonderful lively atmosphere and guarantees that there is always something to do.
Cape Town Summer Packing List:
1. A stunning swimsuit: there are so many amazing beaches; Camps Bay and Clifton are amongst the best! Although during summer you may have to fight for a spot on the sandy shores during as locals and tourists alike cover every inch of the 'beautiful' beaches.

2. Denim shorts: every local owns a pair of great denim shorts. There is such a 'vast selection' on offer you can pick a pair that reflects your personality and individuality. They are also great for the heat, allowing you to stay cool and catch a tan. (Even if it's a short tan)

3. A hat: not the peak cap type though, opt for a floppy straw hat or a bowler hat, this way you can remain stylish and still have protection from the sun.

4. A cross body bag: to keep your essentials close at hand. The design gives you more security from any prying eyes or fingers.

5. Sunblock: if you aren't used to the heat, you don't want to find your skin turning to a blistering hot red, there is nothing worse than sunburn, and you want to be able to enjoy the magnificent beaches and sidewalk cafes without pain.

6. A great pair of summery sandals or gladiator sandals: choose something durable and comfortable. Try to stay away from the plastic ones as these will get too hot in the sunshine.

Check out these stylish dress sandals.

7. A cool summer dress: in a pastel print to bring in the summer months. Opt for light materials like linen or cotton so that you have added breathability and the material won't stick to you in the summer heat.

8. Vests / Tank Tops: you want to remain cool and comfortable at all times, and vests are a great option. Sleeveless so they allow for added comfort and freshness. You can purchase vests with all the latest print trends, you'll be able to bring multiple vests as they are small and light-weight, they are also easily interchangeable with your shorts or jeans.

9. High-waisted jeans: these jeans are comfortable and trendy for the cooler days (which won't be often) and they give you the option for something different in the evenings.

10. Sunglasses: it is important that you bring eyewear protection so you can enjoy the African sun without having to squinting.

11. Skirts: you can add one or two skirts to your wardrobe;try to pick skirts that are flowing and light. These can be prints of the seasonal trends or you can stick to the neutral colours. (Stay away from black though as this will attract the sun)

What to Wear in Cape Town in Autumn
Cape Town Weather In Autumn
Autumn in Cape Town is during the March and April months, with an average temperature of 20°C / 68 F in March and 18°C / 64 F in April.
Cape Town Autumn Packing List:
1. Hoodies: are casual and warm and if you get caught in a rain shower you will have a little protection.

2. Jeans: are both comfortable and trendy, and perfect for the cooler weather and the evenings. Again, try to opt for the darker colors, burgundy is in this season and black is always a trusted favorite.

3. A good jacket or parka: this item can be a black biker jacket or a khaki colored parka- both are waterproof, durable and trendy for the autumn season.

4. Boots: as mentioned before, it is beneficial to never go anywhere without boots and they are an essential wardrobe piece for autumn as they will protect you from all elements.

5. A Jumper: casual to wear for the cooler days and you can find an amazing selection which means you can purchase a chic one that is in your own color preference.

6. Shorts: my favorite are from the selection of distressed denims, however black shorts always work well, and compliment any outfit

7. Leggings: are a great alternative to jeans as they add extra comfort and allow for greater movement. You will need at least two pairs, one a dark color so you can dress it up or down with accessories and tops with prints of your choice- my favorite are the floral, galaxy or metallic leggings.

Here are some great ideas for travel leggings!

8. Long sleeve tops: because autumn is cooler, it is a good idea to layer. Long sleeve tops are great to wear underneath jackets or on their own depending on the weather.

9. An umbrella: to protect you from the rain, ensure that it is a sturdy one though as the wind can be quite strong.

10. Vests / Tank Tops: simple casual designs, for the warmer days to or use as layers underneath jackets.

What to Wear in Cape Town in Winter
Cape Town Weather In Winter
The winter season, lasts from the end of May to the end of August, with strong winds and is really rather wet weather, with an average maximum temperature around 18°C / 64 Fand an average minimum of 8°C / 46 F. Winter is occasionally referred to as the 'secret season' due to the drastic change in weather from day to day.
Cape Town Autumn Packing List:
1. An umbrella: the wind is even worse during winter than in autumn and includes increased rainfall, so it is very important to pack a well-made umbrella.

2. A good waterproof rain coat: even more important than an umbrella is a waterproof rain coat, this doesn't mean that it needs to look like a child's coat, but the most important factor is that you are kept dry.

3. A good jacket: the winds can be strong and you don't want to be cold, I'd opt for leather as it can transition easily between day and night and is also waterproof and durable.

4. Jeans: oxblood or black are great colors for winter and jeans will keep you warm and comfortable, as well as stylish if you get the right fit in the darker shades.

5. Leggings: perfect for multipurpose use they are relaxed and come in a range of different styles, colors and prints which allows you to dress up your leggings accordingly.

6. Leather or pleather shorts: Winter is the best season to wear leather, and the material is much warmer than regular shorts. If you find it too cold, then you can always team your shorts with stockings.

7. Boots: As stated before, they are sturdy and practical protecting you from all elements and more specifically the rain. Try to opt for flat boots for walking that are lined as they produce more warmth than regular shoes.

8. Distressed denim long sleeve shirt: these shirts are both fashionable and denim is a relatively warm material, you can use the shirt for layering or on its own during the warmer days.

9. Stockings: stockings are wonderful to wear with shorts or dresses, ensuring you are able to wear your favorite pieces yet still protected from the wind and cold nights.

10. A warm scarf: to keep your neck and chest protected from the cold winds, you can also use the scarf as an accessory and "pop of color".

Travel Tips

Try to avoid skirts and dresses during the autumn and winter months, as the wind will leave you uncomfortable and exposed. However if you still feel the need to pack them you can team them with stockings.

If you bring a piece of your favorite jewelry with it can be used to accessorize and individualize any outfit- and the locals love, and know exactly how to, accessorize perfectly.

A single pair of heels could come in handy. There are endless clubs, and fancy restaurants that you may want to dress up when attending and heels may be appropriate for this.

And don't forget your camera, as there will be plenty of amazing photo opportunities!

Stellenbosch, South Africa

If you are looking for a wine interlude on an Africa adventure, add Stellenbosch to your Cape Town travel itinerary. I had a phenomenal time in wine tasting here with a few girls I met on my RTW trip. We rented a car and drove out to Stellenbosch for the day for delicious wine and yummy cheese nibbles. The countryside is gorgeous!

The most famous producer of wine in South Africa, Stellenbosch is found in the coastal region of Western Cape and is home to the Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape variety is found with the Bordeaux Blend along with Merlot, which wine enthusiasts will surely love. Housed in the wide vineyard is the warmly tempered climate with a charming view of the Simonsberg Mountain slopes.
Planning a safari adventure in South Africa not city trip? Check out this Safari Packing List and these tips on What to Pack for African Safari To urs. For more South Africa packing list, please read: Suggested Travel Resource: LIKE THIS POST? PIN IT TO SAVE IT!
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What to Wear in South Africa: Cape Town Fashion

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Need tips on what to wear somewhere else? For a full listing of all our destinations, please visit our packing list page! This Local's Approved Packing List is brought to you by TFG's own fashion blogger Cailyn Cox who is originally from South Africa.

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This is an article on the different foods in Cape Town

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South Africans love their food and Cape Town its variety of restaurants - but where does such an eclectic mix of tastes come from? Last Updated: 23 February 2017
We love mixing and mashing - one only has to take a stroll down Long Street to see the variety of foods that South Africans enjoy. From Italian to Mexican to Chinese, there's nary a country that isn't being represented gastronomically.

The same goes for home-cooking; we'll try pretty much anything, and we'll try especially hard to master other countries specialities.
Meat, meat and more meat
Beef for preference, but as long as it once ran away from spears and arrows, we aren't too picky. You'll be pushed to find any South African family who DON'T have meat as the main portion of any meal. This is a large part of why braai's (barbecues for the uneducated) are so popular, really an every weekend activity. And of course dried meat, or biltong (beef jerky as the Americans know it).

South Africa was colonised by several countries over the course of history, which resulted in a plethora of different cooking techniques, methods and spices. As for indigenous or especially loved foods, here are some examples of more popular choices:

Biltong
A salty dried meat - most popularly beef or kudu, but you can get ostrich or even rhino. Biltong originated in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and has since spread out to other parts of Africa. The word biltong is from the Dutch 'bil' (meaning rump) and 'tong' (meaning strip or tongue). This South African staple food is often enjoyed during that big rugby stand-off that everyone has been waiting for.

Chutney
A sweet sauce made from fruit, usually poured on meat. Much like tomato sauce however, we put it on everything. Also known as Mrs Balls, chutney is also a sauce used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent that can vary from a tomato relish to a ground peanut garnish or a yoghurt, cucumber and mint dip.

Malva Pudding
Malva pudding is a sweet spongy apricot pudding of Dutch origin. This wintertime treat contains apricot jam and has a spongy caramelised texture. A cream sauce is then poured over the dish while it is hot. It is best served hot with custard and/or ice-cream.

Bokkoms
Bokkoms are harders (mullet) that are salted and strung into bunches before being hung up to dry. The dish is a whole, salted and dried mullet, it is also a well-known delicacy from the West Coast region of South Africa. This salted fish is dried in the sun and wind and is eaten after peeling off the skin, in some cases it is also smoked. Almost like fish biltong.

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Interested in making your own food? Check out our recipe's section for step-by-step instructions to making your own gourmet feast!

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Check out our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter and if you have a smartphone, add m.capetownmagazine.com to your home screen for quick access on the go!

Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle, connect with us on LinkedIn, check out our photos on Instagram and follow our Pinterest boards for updates on what's happening in and around the Mother City!

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Rainbow cuisine for a rainbow nation. We love mixing and mashing - one only has to take a stroll down Long Street to see the variety of foods that South Africans enjoy. From Italian to Mexican to Chinese, there's nary a country that isn't being repr

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This picture is about the population increase from 1996 to 2016 was extremely good.

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This is a nice sunset

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This is when the drought hit Cape Town

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This video is from CNN and this video talks about the drought that happened in Cape Town

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this major city is running out of water - cnn video

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This major city is running out of water - CNN Video

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Cape Town is just a few weeks away from "Day Zero," when the taps will officially run dry.

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This article is about the climate change in Cape Town

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The mother of all storms. The worst drought in a century. More intense fires than any in living memory. The hottest years on record. This is the new normal.

South Africa's climate is changing and with that comes extreme weather. Events such as crippling storms and droughts, which used to happen once a century, will happen every decade, or more frequently. We know this. There are plans to tackle this. But these are not being implemented, and the cost of cleaning up is climbing.

In Cape Town, the worst storm in two decades saw 8m waves thundering into the coastline. In Knysna, that storm drove fires, which spread for 100km and destroyed 600 homes. Seven people died. Initial estimates by disaster management officials are that the overall damage will amount to more than R4-billion.

The principal plan for dealing with a future in which this happens more often is the National Adaptation Strategy. The draft, released last year, predicted the calamities that unfolded across the coastal Cape regions this month: "Communities may experience increased exposure to raging fires, exacerbated by changes in climatic conditions like extended, dry, hot spells and fanned by strong, unseasonal winds."

And: "Communities located in a different province may experience extensive floods caused by excessive downpours, sea level rise, ageing stormwater infrastructure or inadequate designs to deal with the rate of urban growth and development in recent years."

Knysna's incident commander, Richard Geldenhuys, told media this week: "The scale and intensity [of the fire], mixed with the drought and intense weather conditions, made it impossible to deal with."

A thousand firefighters were drafted in from the rest of the country to help.

Once a narrative of the future, of 2030 and 2050, the increase in extreme events are realities that countries are having to deal with now. The reason for this requires no debate: human emissions of greenhouse gases - from cars to smokestacks - are warming the planet. The concentration of the most plentiful of those gases, carbon dioxide, is at a higher level than at any time in human history.

People and nature have adapted to climate change in the past. But, as the National Adaptation Strategy states, the "unprecedented pace of current changes" makes doing this harder.

Cognisant of this, South Africa joined nearly 200 other countries in signing the Paris Agreement in 2015 to lower greenhouse gas emissions. But, even if all emissions were stopped now, the gases already in the atmosphere will continue to warm the world for the coming century.

Therefore, South Africa has to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Either way, the roughly predictable 18-year weather cycle of droughts and floods is coming to an end. The extremes of that cycle have led to damage. According to the latest summary the government sent to the United Nation's climate agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, damaging events cost R2-billion a year throughout the noughties. But, in the seven years since, that figure has jumped to R6-billion a year.

Record hot years in 2014, 2015 and 2016 have exacerbated South Africa's three main natural disasters: drought, flood and veld fires. That has meant more than three years of constantly dealing with disaster declarations and crisis response throughout the country.

Although temperatures cannot be controlled, the ability of society and the economy to handle the related disasters, known as resilience, can be strengthened. Hence the adaptation strategy. Its targets are enshrined in the 2014 to 2019 medium-term strategic framework. This requires the government to do things such as sustaining ecosystems, so they can act as a buffer when disaster strikes - such as wetlands, which catch and slow down flash floods so the water does not wash away homes - and ensuring there's a disaster response system in place.

Some work on this is being done. A local green fund, with R800-million in funds, is backing projects that increase people's resilience. It is supporting initiatives such as a R232-million aquaculture project in the Camdeboo municipality of the Eastern Cape.

In Cape Town, a rapid decrease in the cost of desalination technology means the city could get a third of its water from the ocean. The various Working For programmes are creating tens of thousands of jobs in rural areas, while looking after wetlands and getting rid of thirsty invasive plant species. Eight hundred of their firefighters are fighting the Knysna fires.

But it is not enough. Adapting to climate change is something that the country's 226 local municipalities, 19 government departments and parastatals must focus on and work together on. Many aren't. The adaptation strategy warns: "Institutional fragmentation poses enormous challenges to co-ordination, which is compounded by the fact that few departments, apart from environmental affairs, view climate change as a priority in their sector."

Put more bluntly by an official in the co-operative governance department: "Our climate crisis is here but, at best, the different departments have an office that they dedicate to the problem - because they have to."

Officials and researchers in other departments, parastatals and groups such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research have all expressed similar frustrations.

Each government entity has to create a climate change plan, and most have. But that's as far as they get.

The National Development Plan, which should be pulling these plans together to do things such as bolster resilience to storms and droughts, is not being implemented.

Mines continue to get permission to dig up wetlands and cities still allow shopping centres to be built on endangered grassland.

Climate change, an issue that should be at the heart of all planning, is left on the periphery, treated as a luxury. The result will be death and destruction. Research by Stanford University last year warned that this country's gross domestic product could shrink by 66% by 2100 as a result of climate change destroying the ecosystems that life relies on.

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​Climate change evident in Cape storm and Knysna fires

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The mother of all storms. The worst drought in a century. More intense fires than any in living memory. The hottest years on record. This is the new normal. South Africa's climate is changing and with that comes extreme weather.

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This article is about how the population in Cape Town increased alot

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Cape Town Population 2018 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)

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The most recent census in South Africa was completed in 2011. At this point, the population of Cape Town was counted as 3,740,026, with a growth rate of 2.57% over 10 years. If this growth rate has sustained, it would put the 2018 population of Cape Town at somewhere around 3.81 million, which is a bit higher than the UN estimates.

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This article is about how women in Cape Town is getting HIV because of the violence that is going on

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This video is 56 minutes long but it is about Cape Town in March 2017

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After five years away I returned to Cape Town, South Africa in March 2017. I had the pleasure to explore Cape Town, the mountains, and the various gorgeous beaches just outside the city. Venturing outside of the city I drove east along the coast visiting Hermanus, Arniston, and Cape Agulhas before travelling inland to visit the Garden Route Game Lodge.

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Landscape and Beach of Cape Town

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This article is about Cape Town, South Africas brand

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Brand South Africa
Perched between the ocean and the mountain, with a national park as its heart, there is nowhere like Cape Town. Cape Town, the "Mother City", is the oldest city in South Africa and has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years.

The unique topography of the region makes it easy to orientate oneself as long as you remember that with Table Mountain behind you and Robben Island before you, you are facing north, looking across Table Bay and up the west coast of Africa.

It is in Cape Town that the Rainbow Nation really covers the spectrum. Between beautiful Cape Dutch homesteads, traditional dancers with painted faces performing in the streets, the smell of spicy Malay cooking and the taste of a well-made wine, this city will fill your senses.

The bells of St George's Cathedral alternate with the plaintive tones of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Visitors give a startled jump, and Capetonians calmly glance at their watches, when the noon gun booms above the city - a relic from the days of sail when sea captains had to check their chronometers.

It has the top five national attractions in South Africa, all of which should appear on every visitor's itinerary all year round. These include a visit up Table Mountain, either by cable car or manually climbing up routes of varying degrees of difficulty; and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, internationally acclaimed as one of the great botanical gardens of the world.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, one of the city's main tourist attractions, offers the visitor a unique shopping and holiday experience on a scenic working harbour. Currently undergoing expansion, the complex features shops, restaurants, launch areas for short cruises and a variety of entertainment for those who flock through it by day and night.

Looking further offshore, visitors can take a boat ride to Robben Island, the former home of Nelson Mandela and several other political prisoners who fought against the apartheid government. Visitors to the island are taken on a tour of the old prison complex, as well as to a museum on the island.

You will never be bored in Cape Town. Table Mountain offers some of the best climbing in the world, and it's right here in the city. The surfing is fantastic; the diving is cold but good. You could go mountain biking, or go sea kayaking - you may see whales or penguins.

A great thing to do on a full moon summer's night is to walk up Lion's Head before dark, watch the sun set on one hand and the full moon rise on the other and then walk down in the silvery light.

If the wind is right, you could fly off Lion's Head with a qualified tandem paraglider pilot, and land on the beach in time for sundowners. You'll never be bored.

If all this sounds too gung ho for you, don't worry. You can shop till you drop at Cavendish, Canal Walk or the Waterfront. There is lots of live music, art exhibitions, museums, plays and even opera, ballet or symphony concerts on all year round.

The city has also recently developed tourism routes such as the Cape care route, which showcases sustainable development by taking tourists to destinations including a community-based bicycle workshop and a community weaving centre, and the Southern Line tourist train route between Cape Town and Simon's Town.

Cape Town is also probably the most popular backpackers destination anywhere, with more hostels than any other city worldwide. It's also the home of the backpackers special, the Baz Bus.
Sources: City of Cape Town, South African Tourism, Tourism Cape Town and Baz Bus. Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See Using Brand South Africa material.

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Brand South Africa Perched between the ocean and the mountain, with a national park as its heart, there is nowhere like Cape Town. Cape Town, the "Mother City", is the oldest city in South Africa and has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years.

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These are several places in Cape Town

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This is an article on how happy they were to get water after a drought.

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cape town rejoices as rain falls on drought-stricken city  - cnn

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Cape Town rejoices as rain falls on drought-stricken city

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Rain falls on Cape Town -- but unlikely to significantly boost dam levels.

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This is a big manshion in Cape Town

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This article is about flowers that are very hard to find

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In that slim window in August and September, otherwise arid landscapes are briefly saturated in Technicolor before ebbing back to beige.

But even so, the best-laid itinerary is at the mercy of the weather. "At least it stopped raining," said my husband, Rashaad, peering out the window last August at the post-dawn skies lit by a glimmer of sun. Moments later, while we were pulling out of our sodden Cape Town driveway, showers began anew. They graduated to driving sheets that pummeled the windshield as we took the N7 out of town. Angry clouds smoldered around Table Mountain.

The drive north along the Cape-Namibia Route traverses emerald hills and thick forests, industrial plants and orange orchards. The skies cleared, then regained their gray pallor. Rains came and went, sometimes persisting through sunshine.

We pulled into Clanwilliam, a dusty town in the Cederberg Mountains with a small main drag featuring a neo-Gothic church. The Cederbergs are the world's sole producer of Rooibos tea, so we stopped to defrost with Rooibos cappuccinos at Nancy's Tearoom. Across the street was a tourist office set in an early-19th-century theater. I popped in and emerged with maps and leaflets - and to some brilliant sunshine.

But the sunshowers resumed as we drove up to Bushmans Kloof, an elegant, colonial-style spread of white thatched-roof cottages. A patch of saffron-colored Namaqua daisies greeted us at the gates, an improbably vivid bouquet against an endless expanse of green and gray. After a lavish afternoon tea, we went on a flower safari through the 18,500-acre reserve. "The flowers are everywhere, but that doesn't mean they'll open for you to see them," said David Smith, a ranger. The raindrops abated but the weather remained crisp, keeping blossoms in hibernation. Still, Mr. Smith did the best he could, pointing out lachenelias, pelargonium magenta and sugarbush. We rubbed spiny Rooibos leaves between our fingers. Looking closely I noticed the veldt was dotted with thousands of tiny yellow and purple buds, giving me a taste of what might be - weather willing.

Over a dinner of rack of lamb sourced from South Africa's Karoo region, we hatched a plan for the next day: The forecasts promised sun and clear skies, so we would head northeast to the Biedouw Valley. That evening I thawed out, warmed by both an electric blanket and my optimism.

CEDERBERG

MTS.

"There are 137 rock-art sites in Bushmans Kloof alone, making this the largest open-air gallery in the world," Mr. Smith told us the next morning. The sun was not yet high enough for the flowers to wake up - peak time is after noon since, Mr. Smith reminded me, they need photosynthesis, a word I thought I would never hear again post-grade school. So we drove instead to see prehistoric rock art drawn by the San and Khoi people 2,000 to 11,000 years ago. Fascinating indeed, if I were on a quest for ancient finger painting. But I wasn't.

The sun continued its ascent as we left Bushmans Kloof; the road we had driven the afternoon before was now flecked with gold and violet. The blooms had been there all along, shriveled, mocking me - but now the sun was out, and so were they. We turned right at the gates and soon asphalt gave way to dirt and gravel. An endless brown ribbon was carved into the mountains ahead. Rashaad proceeded gingerly, our Audi sedan out of place amid sturdy Range Rovers and the pickup trucks called bakkies splashing through the mud.

Afrikaans folk tunes played on Radio Sonder Grense from Johannesburg (nothing else worked here). A family was having a picnic on the hood of their truck on the side of the road, and we stopped to say hello. "We heard the valley is spectacular this year," a woman told us.

After we cleared one more hill, I noticed a splotch of orange. Then another. Then another. The valley was shrouded in fireworks. I waded knee deep through the patchwork quilt of yellow, orange, pink and red blanketing the peaks and curves. The sun was at its zenith and the blooms unfurled their petals in full salute.

Our next stop was back in Clanwilliam, at the tiny Ramskop Nature Reserve. Dirt paths meander through 350 labeled species of flora, from botterblom to hyacinths. If you lack the will (or the vehicle suspension) to venture farther north, this is a pleasant, albeit manicured, alternative.

Leaving the Cederberg Mountains, we continued our floral pursuit on the West Coast, arriving in the seaside hamlet of Paternoster just as the last vestiges of light gilded its whitewashed cottages. We checked in to the Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel, a stylish bed-and-breakfast on the beach. A popular summer getaway one and a half hours from Cape Town, Paternoster is a foodie haven.

Again, I found myself a victim of poor timing: Every place on my list was closed on Sundays. Our commendable last resort was the Voorstrandt restaurant, a 120-year-old fisherman's house with a fish motif in many-splendored forms: paintings, photographs, baskets, pillows and sculptures. We responded to the not-so-subliminal messages by ordering the catch of the day, a delectable, buttery cardinalfish.

On Monday morning, the sun beckoned, stirring the flowers, and us, out of our slumber. It was an easy half-hour on the R27 to Langebaan, where the West Coast National Park's Postberg Flower Reserve, a peninsula jutting into the bay, is open during August and September. It's a long, green drive through the park to Postberg, on a road where ostrich families have the right of way and a pair of tortoises locked in combat may instigate a traffic jam.

"Doesn't it look like snow?" Rashaad asked. The fields we were approaching seemed dusted in frost: gleaming white flowers cascaded for miles, seeping into the ocean on the horizon. It was just as Wordsworth had promised:
Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Soon enough, we would be cruising toward Cape Town, Table Mountain looming in the distance. But for now, we faced the sun and basked, just like the daisies.

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In that slim window in August and September, otherwise arid landscapes are briefly saturated in Technicolor before ebbing back to beige. But even so, the best-laid itinerary is at the mercy of the weather. "At least it stopped raining," said my husband, Rashaad, peering out the window last August at the post-dawn skies lit by a glimmer of sun.

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This is the big city of Cape Town, South Africa

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Cape Town at night time

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Cape Town; what a nice view people can come to Cape Town and enjoy the beautiful sky and enjoy the views

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This is a overhead view of Cape Town during a sunrise.

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Map of South Africa, Cape Town

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This an article about the flooding in South Africa.

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Cape Town, South Africa - Floods - Natural Disasters - Earth Watching

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Cape Town is a city in South Africa. It ranks third among the most populous urban areas in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Durban, and has roughly the same population...