It is a statement, but is not my creation, or my final conclusion. Cape Town is really regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world to visit, and being there for more than one week helped in drawing my own opinions. It is not easy to choose such a destination, especially when you’re from Romania and nobody can offer you reliable and meaningful information about this. The good part, same time zone, so no jet lag. Especially if you are flying during daytime. But before, you read, make your plans, and see that the criminality in South Africa is at peak. That in general there is a lot of danger, and you should be careful. Extra network should be made, and I am prepared for this. I like doing that, preparing my own trip, without the help of any tourism agency, because in Romania, in the end, for me, none is reliable and, for sure, they can’t know more than I do, or I can learn, so paying for something doubtful is not my cup of tea.
Loloho Lodge, accommodation found via booking.com
It is easier to plan something in Europe, but then, again, everything has a logic, if you follow a plan, and if you know what you are doing and where you are going. The accommodation, of course, via booking.com. The only reliable partner I am using for so many years now, and which offers the comfort and security I need. It is a simple, but very effective method, especially that usually you don’t need to pay in advance. Initially, we were looking for a hotel, from an international chain, in order to not neglect the threats circulating about South Africa. You never know. In the end, we chose Loloho Lodge, a very good guest house, four star classified, in Sea Point, the best place to stay in Cape Town. You’ll understand why once I’m telling this story. We needed to pay one month in advance, but the booking was done much more early and that was not a real problem. We where good to go and it was the best option in the end.
No more e-visa, no more problems!
Great room service, delicious breakfast, a swimming pool, and very close to main attractions. Also equipped with electric fence. But that is not something unusual in Cape Town, because all facilities, or almost all are equipped like this. In the city, the crime is translated in theft. But it is not something unheard of even in big European cities, so to me it looked more like a safety trend that doesn’t attract unnecessary attention, than a real threat. But is it Cape Town safe? In principle, yes! Because when I am stating this, I have already followed some common sense principles, shaped on the logic of visiting a place which has a lot to offer, but nothing in the locations that can, allegedly, be dangerous, at some level. After Loloho booking, the main concern was the visa application. Romania, being a doubtful country, had visa requirements for South Africa. Still. And they were known to be very complicated.
Why Cape Town in November? Because of RMB UTCT
Then, with some hope in my mind, I’ve started shaping an application, which could convince in an instant. But I wasn’t expected to get any answer quicker than one month. The interesting part was that the whole vacation was matched in November to a very special event, RMB UTCT, the most important trail running festival in South Africa. Which, in the end, I’ve missed, because my 35 kilometer race got cancelled after the start because of high winds. This story is a separate topic, because it has other meaning. Now I can invoke the wind more, since I wasn’t prepared for such a strong phenomenon in the summer, but you can’t believe it, until you feel it. Getting back to the visa, it came out in nine days, after I’ve told our story and motivation in an interesting way. Or so I thought. The truth, I believe, was that the outcome was so quick, because in September, so less than one month apart, the visa for Romania was lifted. So there was no more need for it at all, in the end.
Qatar Airways, our choice for Cape Town and the 5 days city pass
Of course, getting it motivated us to go ahead to one of the most important steps: plane tickets. The options are not that many from Romania, and can include Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. Fly Emirates is also an tempting option, but since they are not operating flights from Bucharest, unless from their subsidiary, Fly Dubai, we decided to go ahead with a company that works back to back from Bucharest to Cape Town. So, in the end, the lucky pick remained Qatar Airways. Not only because they are believed, I think in truth, to be the best airline in the world, but especially because we had a very good experience earlier in 2025 while flying with them in Seychelles. This being done, we are almost set, so what next? Learn more about Cape Town! What to do there, and how to stay out of trouble. In my research, by accident, I’ve found this five-days pass, which I absolutely recommend, because for 120 euro you have a lot of benefits. I’ll try and mark them all under “city pass” to better visualize the benefit.
Get Your Guide, as always
As I am a quite organized person, or at least I want to be as much as possible, I start shaping a schedule, on paper. Because having a plan makes everything easier, always. I knew some days will be dedicated to the trail running event, but I also knew we have a lot of things to do and see. Get Your Guide, another reliable travel partner helped me in booking to core activities for the first two full days:
- Aquila Private Game Reserve – 170 kilometers away from Cape Town, on Monday.
- A Cape Peninsula tour to Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point and Boulders Beach, as main attractions on Tuesday.
Actually, I’ve even used these two booked activities in my pledge for getting the visa, because they were booked long back. I’ve tried to check the companies, because from the past I’ve learned how important it is to go with local for this kind of tours, and I think I’ve chosen good. Even if the “Aquila” was a topic which concerned me a bit, after reading a lot of reviews, and some compared it with a bigger zoo. After the visit, fast forward, I can state that this is a lot of bullshit. Aquila Game Reserve is not Kruger or Serengeti, but it is a perfect mini-safari for somebody wanting that, in a day, just outside Cape Town. Because the 170 kilometers really is a small distance for South Africa.
Aquila Game Reserve, a perfect choice for a one day safari!
From the big five, we didn’t see the buffalo, and, of course, the leopard – but you never see this animal! Very easy to miss it also at a zoo, so not too much regret, because I knew what to expect. We did, though, see rhinos, hypos, giraffes, zebras, impalas, springboks, ostriches and so on, were in decent numbers. Of course, one of the brilliant moments was the one when four giant elephants were approaching the car from the front, and passed half a meter away from the sides, without even paying attention to us. But we could admire them so close… After that, the proximity of the lions was surreal. They are held separate, it is truth, a detail which diminishes the true idea of safari, but, again, when I’ve came here, I didn’t have expectations to feel like in Kruger. On top of this wild experience, the park had a generous private restaurant, with great food, and also a swimming pool. Because there is also an accommodation facility there, for those who want to spend more time.
Second day, meeting the Cape of Good Hope and the penguins!
On top of this, Leon, our driver, offers a lot of useful information, on the go, so we consolidate the South African knowledge from the first day in Western Cape. He also shown us the baboons on the side of the road, like you see bears in Romania. It was a good view, as it was the only time we managed to see them in Cape Town or close. They do like to steal food, but don’t like wind too much. 🙂 We are tired, but happy. The trip begun as planned, and we don’t have too much time to spare, as the next morning another nine day trip awaits. At 07:35 sharp we are picked up and go to see Camps Beach, Haupt Bay, Bo Kaap, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Boulders Beach, Muizenberg, along with many stories from Patrick, our guide, which added another solid layer of information in our minds.
Of course, I’m not developing too much here, because you can find all the details on internet, in many places, already. One tip I’ll give you is regarding the penguins, because we all know they are one of the biggest attraction in South Africa. Once you arrive at the park, go on the wood walk to the beach, pass thru the boulders, and you will stand a few centimeters close to them. You are not allow to touch them or to make any gestures towards them, but you can literally look them in the eye and enjoy a selfie pretty close to them, and it is perfectly “legal”. You’ll have around one hour for this activity, so be wise!
Cape Town, home of the first heart transplant in the world!
Our driver, this time is even more talkative and, at the end of our tour, we are reminded of the place where, in 1967, Christiaan Barnard, did the first ever heart transplant recorded in history. Because we arrive early this time we have some time for a run on the Promenade, a beautiful point from Sea Point, that is worth enjoying. But the wind… Because, indeed, the wind in Cape Town can be brutal, can blow with speeds up to 80, 90 kilometers / hour. And that can create problems. It is a specificity to the summer, mainly November and December, but it seemed it picked up more and more as time passes. I guess climate change is not a joke at all… This affects the circulation of the famous rotating Table Mountain cable car, which is more close than opened during our stay, and we are giving up the idea of climbing the 1,000 meter mountain.
You don’t have anything to do outside after dark
It is not a tall one, but very famous, because of it’s unique shape, and because of the permanent layer of clouds that covers it, and which stops the cable car ascent, if the wind doesn’t. Meanwhile, we are struggling a bit with the wind on the promenade. But we are good, the sun is shining so bright, the UV is maximum, then some wind, even as strong as this one, helps in maintaining some coolness. We are just careful to go inside before dark. It is a principle we are following everywhere, because, truth being said, you don’t have too much to do when is night outside, and it is obvious when visibility is low, trouble can come. You are not safe, in these regards, nowhere in the world. Another tip we got was to use Uber, because it is both the safest and fairly cheap. Indeed, cheaper than Bucharest, even, so a good bargain.
Cheetah Outreach, driven to by a guy from Zimbabwe!
On our third day here, we “budgeted” only one main activity: a visit to the Cheetah Outreach, a sanctuary about which I found out by accident. For this activity I got a trip arranged with Loloho, for a round ride and 2 hours wait. This is because I have arranged prior the airport pick-up as well. The price was a bit costly, comparing to Uber, but I think is effective since close to the airport are some townships, the kind of ghettos you naturally want to stay away from, and you need to have a reliable connection. And Timo was exactly what we needed, a wonderful guy. The most interesting part, he was from Mutare, Zimbabwe, three days away, by car from Cape Town. It is fascinating to meet somebody, and to talk to, from Robert Mugabe’s country, especially after you buy a 200,000 billion bill with only two EUR. Hew as our driver the Cheetah Outreach also, and I highly recommend this at the beginning of your trip, before you familiarize with everything.
Uber, most recommended means of transportation in Cape Town: I fully approve!
Speaking about Uber, I heard before, even at our consulate, that it is the most reliable means of transportation in Cape Town, and it really is. Cheap, and the drivers were all wonderful. They also have Bolt there, a service I usually use more often in Bucharest, but in Cape Town it is usually a “grey zone”. But why? Of course, I tried to find out on the spot, and one early morning, when I took an Uber to the start of my race, before 5 AM, I had a discussion with the Uber driver, and he told me: “We don’t label the cars with Uber here, because he may become targets. Bolt is no good, it is cheaper, but all criminals go with Bolt!” I am not sure if it is true or not, but I kept it safe, and decided to stick to Uber, and that was good. This is why I highly recommend Uber. Your choice! The drivers are punctual, don’t cancel races and they are very polite, also they drive very well. This is precisely way, for the departure to airport I have took an Uber, because it cost almost 30% from the initial spent. But, again, when you arrive, better arrange it with someone, like the accommodation, to keep it safe.
V&A Waterfront, one of the most visited places in Africa!
Now, going back to the chronology, to make a bit of sense on my storied guide, I will jump directly to the entering into effect of our five days pass, and in the first day it was blended to a very important activity: picking up our race bibs. Before that we went to the Diamond Museum (city pass), in the V&A Waterfront – one of the most visited places in the whole Africa with 24 million tourists per year (!!!) As a comparison, Romania alone has… 2 million year round – with a spectacular tour and information sharing by Nadya, our guide, with a visualization of diamond rings worth half a million USD! After this, we met the seals on the harbor. You can get very close to them, so it is again a very interesting sensation. After this, we went to pick up our city buss passes, included in the subscription and headed to Gardens RFC, the location of the start and finish of our UTCT.
Hard Rock Cafe Cape Town, a place to eat
After picking up our goodies, we took an Uber to Hard Rock Cafe. Because, between 12 and 16 we are entitled of a free classic burger and fries (city pass), and we went for it. Of course, we added some local beer and then went for the final flavor of the day: sunset cruise (city pass) where we enjoyed at full the Cape Town seashore, with some sparkling wine, good music and a lot of joy. Of course, the wind was, again omnipresent, but it didn’t diminish the wonderfulness of the sun going down into the Atlantic Ocean. Another great day in Cape Town! On Friday, the first race went quickly, so then we choose a 6 kilometers walk, again, for another meal at Hard Rock, and some souvenir purchase – 10% discount as well with the city pass. After a “layover” at the accommodation we head for a long walk, but mainly for a visit at the Two Oceans Aquarium and the Cape Town Wheel, both included in the city pass.
Kirstenbosch botanical garden
We tick another important milestones in Cape Town and plan for further. Saturday is kayak day in the morning, for after, taking the city buss to the famous botanical garden, from Kirstenbosch. The ticket here is not included, but it is worth it, as the bus drops you at its gate, and consider it is one of the biggest in the world! You see, this location is at the rainiest part of Table Mountain, so a lot of precipitations helped here in maintaining a huge and beautiful diversity. After this, we wanted to visit the world of birds, but we realize there isn’t too much time, so we prefer to enjoy the botanical gardens as much as we can. After, we take the last bus and head back to Loloho. At some point: traffic jam, but the conclusion was that a bus stopped not that properly blocked a line behind it. Our bus driver stopped, and pointed out to the guy very politely that he is not behaving properly. Actually, the drivers in Cape Town are so polite. Almost surreal comparing to what I am accustomed in Romania. It is a huge positive topic.
No Table Mountain for today
Since my race is supposed to start at 6 AM in the morning, for the remainder of the day we choose rest. It is very nice to enjoy the evening breeze in the facility’s yard. Actually, we also enjoyed the swimming pool, but only once. Because of lack of time. A quick sun bath, and that helped me thick another “milestone”. I can confirm, the swimming pool is great, even some claimed is small. It is not huge, but you don’t need more, though. As already mentioned, I’ve waked up before 5 AM to start my 35 kilometer race which, at kilometer six, before climbing on Table Mountain, was called off because of severe 95 km / h wind gusts. Having nothing better to do, returned to have breakfast, the classic three-egg omelet with mushrooms, cheese, onion and tomato and the delicious muesli with fat yogurt. Taking advantage of five hours extra, from my cancelled race, we decided to head to a short walk in Bo Kaap – a historic neighborhood near the city center, and then to the Groot Constantia to test some wine (city pass).
Bo Kaap, only by guide
Regarding the Bo Kaap, what I can tell you for sure is that you should take a guided tour, not because you can’t observe it yourself, but because of the many beggars who’ll come to ask for money or food. I mean, for me, it is not something unusual, because in Romania this is very “high class” so I am accustomed with beggars all over the place, and as a bonus all major cities in Europe have Romanian beggars, so that is not a direct problem. But trying to relax and having them in your back, it is not a pleasant landscape, so this might be one of the main problems in Cape Town, especially during night. I think this also happens in the train, we didn’t took to Simon’s Town. Some recommended to try and take the train – which looks very good by the way – from these, our second day guide, Patrick, but my assumption is that the begging uncomfortable scenes can repeat in the train, so we pass this one. Maybe, if you go as male travelers only, you can try. I don’t see a real danger in that, to be honest, but maybe a stressful experience.
Groot Constantia, great wines!
In any case, after a short stop in Bo Kaap, we get back to the buss and went for the wine testing. Always remember it is Groot Constantia included, so try and shape the schedule better than we did, because it is a lengthy activity, and it include a museum visit and a 20-25 minute introduction, and then five type of wine testing, at the oldest wine domain from Africa. It is worth it! After this, we leave to World of Birds, finally, and we manage to visit it for the final hour. After enjoying the beautiful creatures here, we head, with the las bus, to Mariner’s Wharf, one of the most famous fish and chips locations in the region, and with a portion included in the city pass, we enjoy it – myself along a Namibian Windhoek beer, of I am dreaming for so long of Namibia, and I am closer than ever to it… – but I am not necessary recommending the feast. It is delicious, but of course not the most healthy. Of course, being in Cape Town and not trying it at least once, like us, it would be a shame.
A last day at Boulders Beach and finally on Table Mountain!
Anyway, we take a Uber back home. There is no other option left, but for 20 kilometers, we pay a decent price, and make some shopping at Checkers, one of the two supermarket chains we used, alongside Spar. They are reliable, clean, and with a vast offer. Unfortunately, the sweets especially are in huge portions, and you need to be careful. 🙂 Without even knowing it, our last full day is at the corner. We enjoy it with a final tour, by Uber, to the Boulders Beach, where we spend 1.5 hours among the penguins. To make a better idea, for around 90 kilometers round trip, we paid around 1,200 rand, which converted to USD, for example, means 70 USD or so. It is well worth it. This was the final significant activity scheduled, but as you may remembered, because of extended closure, we couldn’t, by any means, travel to Table Mountain peak. But in this day, the cable car is open! So the next stop is at the base. We made it! We climb the top, enjoy a coffee, some cookies, and needles to say, the entry fee was covered by the city pass.
Karibu, a very good traditional Cape Town restaurant
After this, we noticed adidas Runners Cape Town has also an activity scheduled, so we hurry to catch it. We do, everything is perfect. Once the beautiful run is ended, we go straight to Karibu in Waterfront. We are not dressed properly, but we are welcomed. Traditional African dances accompany our dinner composed of impala, kudu, springbok and ostrich meat. We needed to try it, of course, and it is delicious. One more Uber ride, and hop we go for the last night sleep in Cape Town. We prepare our luggage, and after a good night sleep, and another good breakfast we head to the airport, as already said, by Uber. Here, everything is very well arranged, and the only unpleasant thing is that I know 24 hours trip awaits us. But it was worth it! So now, again… is it Cape Town a safe city? Yes, it is! If you follow the plan I am recommended, and use the likes of booking.com, Get Your Guide, Uber and the city pass, limit yourself to the Sea Point and Waterfront, because, honestly, in the city center, apart from Bo Kaap, you don’t have nothing to do, you can see from the city bus.
Basic advice
Cape Town is a big city, with large boulevards and modern buildings. You don’t have really anything to see in that region, so not worth it to go by day even, let alone by night. It is better to take a walk from Gardens RFC to Hard Rock Cafe, for example. It is a much quiet and beautiful road. One thing we did miss, and it was included in the city pass, was the sunset bus, on Signal Hill. But we’ve seen a lot of sunsets from the promenade, so it was not justified to be forced into our schedule. But you can try. Apart from this, you won’t need cash at all – Cape Town is almost cashless, if you wish, so no headache against pickpockets from this regard. But be aware of your phone! Myself, I have a 5 years old A71 Samsung Galaxy, not a big stake, but, however, avoid the Castle of Good Hope (it has also included entry in the city pass) and the train station, at least this was the advice from our hosts. You can force that, it is just something I didn’t do, and I don’t recommend.
Common sense
In general, Cape Town shows the most beautiful sides of Africa and you don’t see people you won’t see in Paris, Barcelona, London, Berlin or even Amsterdam. Is just how big cities are. In general, common sense precautions help you stay away from any trouble. The criminality is very spread in the townships, but it is, unfortunately, among the locals. The poverty and drugs play a part, there is a lot of misery, but I did see people looking for work, and many more actually working. I see also very well dressed children exiting a school and heading to the ghettos across the highway. The images are powerful, moving, but they show hope. South Africa can be dangerous, but if you are careful, nobody will harm you. I have a theory: the more stupid you are, the more trouble you can get.
Final thoughts for Cape Town
If you are a decent human being, which is not crossing lines that should not be crossed, who doesn’t show off or display expensive stuff, or an attitude incompatible with people that are at the bottom of society, nothing will happen. And I am telling you from the perspective of a guy who arranged by himself everything, no tourism agency, nothing. I am not sure Cape Town is the most beautiful city in the world, but I can for sure tell you it is one of the most beautiful! Apart from this, I have no more thing to tell you. The highlights of the city are on Google developed, so tried to add all relevant links, and mark the key things in red, and if you one serious tips you can follow this page, because this guy is a resident and has a lot of information to share. It was the main page which I’ve took some relevant info: James And Rob – YouTube.
As you might observe, as a final thought, is that I didn’t share a breakdown of the costs, because to me, they don’t mater too much. Round, for plane, accommodation (including one night in Doha), Uber, two five days city passes and other fees we should have paid around 5,000 USD or so. But, again, I don’t find it relevant, because for sure nobody comes to Cape Town on an absolute “budget”, and then I believe this amount is more than decent, and doesn’t need a detailed breakdown. 🙂 Also, let us not forget. A “heatmap” for safety level in Cape Town and surroundings, with the link for more details here.
