Effective 1 October 2014, South African Authorities require that all children, under the age of 18, traveling with adults to / from South Africa, be in possession of their original unabridged birth certificate. Children traveling with only one parent or other person or where one parent or both parents are deceased, must be in possession of an affidavit from the remaining parent/s or guardian, permitting the child to travel.

Please consider this new regulation well in advance, especially in regard to your children and moreover if you travel with a minor such as a niece , nephew or friend.

Visitors to South Africa largely express their desire to visit and experience places where the local people spend time, away from the so-called tourist routes and traps.

In Cape Town there is no better place to start this cultural experience than dining out at establishments which have existed and prospered with regular local patronage for many years and in some cases for over a hundred years.

Capetonians are social people with multicultural backgrounds spawned from the common nickname, “Tavern of the Seas”, as Cape Town was where sick, weary and weather- beaten sailors and travellers from around the world, after months at sea would stop, relax and refresh. Relaxing was definitely taken to heart and still exists amongst Capetonians and the list below will guide you to exactly where you will currently find casual comfort and scrumptious food, offering superb value as it was found at some of the establishments, over 150 years ago.

In Chronological order
Perseverance Tavern, City est.1808, wine and malt license issued 1836. Commonly known as “Percies”. Hearty pub menu.

Forrester’s Arms, Newlands est.1852 became a Tavern and Inn 1881. Affectionately known by all as “Forries”. Indoor Fire place, outdoor beer-garden, Carvery, a’la carte and Pizza.

Seaforth Restaurant, Simons Town est.1950 as a tearoom turned restaurant and renovated in 1996 after a major fire. Views and mixed choice menu.

Hussar Grill, Rondebosch, est. .1964, Great Steaks.

La Perla, Sea Point, est.1969, a promenade institution.

Nelson’s Eye, City, est. 1960’s, steaks as legendary as its' neighbour Mount Nelson hotel.

Brad’s Grill ,Harfield Village, est.1978, Pepper sauce fillet at its best, Legend status.

Anatoli, Green Point, est.1987, Turkish, meze and Lamb, perfect for something a little different.

Cattle Baron Chain, est.1987, focus on Tableview restaurant, 400gram rump & sauce, absolute winner.

Dias Tavern, City,est.1988, a Cape Town institution, Peri-Peri Chicken and more, Legend status.

Chapmans Peak Hotel restaurant, Hout Bay,est.1988, best know calamari in town.

Bayside Cafe, Tableview, est.1989, ex Camps Bay, renowned spareribs and complementary veg.

Peddlers on the Bend, Constantia, est1993, restaurant, pub and beer garden,

Kalkys in Kalk Bay Harbour, est.1996, the best fish ’n chips, informal, unique atmosphere.

Olympia Cafe & Deli, Kalk Bay, est.1998, Sunday favourite.

Fat Cactus, Mowbray, est.1998, Mexican, best chilli-poppers in Cape Town.

If you are a local Capetownian reading this please add any other restaurants which come to mind which are not mentioned which have over a decade of trade behind their names. You are welcome to add this info in the comments.

Before commiting to a tour package to South Africa, make sure the offering suits you and the needs and interests of your tour group..

South Africa is a new and very diverse country to visit for most nationalities. There are many tour packages on offer to tourists from around the world and from personal experience, they mostly follow similar routes and patterns. Of course, if it’s the first time you visit South Africa you will probably follow a highlights package on offer, as you would if  travelling for the first time through Europe or visiting a city such as London.

However, before you make your mind up for South Africa travel, do your homework carefully.  Ask yourself questions such as what time of the year am I travelling in, it may well be summer back home but is the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere so although it is still nice to travel in South African winter season, the colourful pictures of sunshine and swimming in the sea or a pool on the brochure could be misconstrued also for the fact South Africa has all geographical conditions changing from Province to Province at the same time of the year. So a package which works well in good weather is often discounted and sold during winter but you simply won’t achieve the same satisfaction. However you can come to South Africa in winter and visit a region which although cooler than summer, still has good outdoor weather for activities.

I always revert back to the fact that South Africa is a far bigger country than most people anticipate and packing too much into an itinerary can involve time consuming travel either by air or road. So ask yourself, do I want to see and do as much as possible in a 7 to 14 to 21 day period virtually packing your bag and moving on to a new hotel and destination every 2nd day and at the end feel like you have to go home for a holiday or do you select fewer places to visit and increase the days in each to maximise your time to explore and relax involving minimal bag packing and less travel time in a air-plane or coach.

Whichever travel pace or style you may choose, make sure each place you visit has a meaning and an interest or appeal to you. There is nothing worse than signing up for a tour and excursions which don’t appeal to you.

GPS Tours is a great place to start your planning for a South African holiday. GPS Tours enjoys success with travel groups and individuals by seeking out exactly what the group dynamics are and what the travellers’ interests are. GPS will study the South African calendar of events and compare the dates you wish to travel, for example you certainly don’t want to be planning a Cape Point tour on the day of the Cape Argus Cycle tour as this will severely disrupt your day out. GPS Tours is able to supply credible advice and firsthand knowledge of South Africa which will be extremely beneficial in your decision making and success of your African experience.

Contact the Owner and author now via the contact page on this website and begin a friendly rapport whilst building a travel worthy South African itinerary.

Micro climates are experienced on all sides of the Cape Peninsula, from Cape Town to Cape Point, making the over used cliche of “Four seasons in one day”, seem more like a true statement.

In Camps Bay the South Easter wind can sand blast people off the beach and a 5 min drive around the corner to Sea Point you would be hard pressed to believe there was any wind at all.

You can drive past the University of Cape Town situated on the back slopes of Table Mountain in Rondebosch and on approaching the next suburb of Newlands where Kirstenbosch National Botanical gardens are located you sometimes need to apply your windscreen wipers, drive into the heart of Newlands and apply the faster speed to the windscreen wipers and as you exit the suburb and enter the neighbouring suburb of Bishopscourt you can switch off the windscreen wipers and be asking yourself where did that rain materialise from?

I recall phoning a friend to confirm a game of golf, his retort was if I was mad as it was raining hard in Hout Bay and he was surprised when I said it was fantastic sunshine on the City side.

My point being is, if these climatic conditions change so quickly on the ground then what can one experience 1067metres (3500ft) above sea level whilst walking or hiking on Table Mountain?

Table Mountain recently received the accolade of being included as one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature in the world. It’s majestic, spell-bounding appeal and being located in the heart of the City makes for extremely easy access and offers some fantastic hiking and climbing. The perils I would like to express, start with the complacency people tend to have thinking Table Mountain is void of any dangers as it’s in the City. Countless times I can personally recall people looking more prepared for the trip up the mountain in the Cable Car than hiking a mountain, dressed as though they plan to go to the beach afterwards only to find out their intentions were to hike up the mountain!

This is where it all starts to unravel badly, before the amateur hiker has even started out. People with the best intentions often are so ill-prepared not taking Table Mountain as seriously as a mountain hike in a wilderness area. I have personally seen people starting out in T-shirt, shorts, running shoes or less and a 250ml bottle of water. This I’m afraid is a disaster waiting to happen. The arrogance and looks of disgust I get from both tourist and local’s, when I say to them their water will be finished before they reach the start of the trail astounds me.

There are fatalities every year on Table Mountain and many rescues to boot. To highlight two of the main causes of rescue are a lack of water and changes in conditions. Platteklip Gorge is one of the commonly used trails up the mountain however with its East facing angle receiving full morning son in summer months where temperatures can reach over 30deg C and with the heat reflecting off the bare rock, temperatures can soar up to 10 degrees higher whilst in the gorge. With insufficient water being carried and few mountain streams running in the summer this can result in de-hydration and unnecessary critical situations so if you intend using the mountain take a minimum of  2litres of water per person and a good hat and plenty sunscreen. Talking to an experienced veteran of the mountain, Brian Georgeson, a man who regularly leads Hiking publication journalists and personally helps to up-date Mike Lundy’s popular guide to mountain trails in The Cape says,” its annoying to see people not taking necessary precautions, the amount of times I have had to give parched hikers extra water, not only for themselves but they never think of their beloved dogs either”.

The other scenario which can play out and catch a hiker totally off guard even with being thoroughly prepared, is the change in the weather conditions. Cape Town has the cold Benguela current coming directly up from the cold Antarctic and southern Atlantic, together with soaring land and air temperatures in the summer can produce what is referred to as mini-coastal low pressures which on the clearest days can result in a thick blanketing fog which sprawls in and engulfs the mountain. Temperatures can suddenly drop and visibility decreases to virtually zero. So it’s essential to be prepared with warm clothing to counter wind and damp, emergency rations, a mobile phone and always inform somebody responsible on the ground of where you intend to hike and what time you are expected back. It’s important not to deviate off this course and it’s even more important to stay in one position if you are disorientated and have no clue in which direction to move in. If you take the necessary precautions the Mountain Club of South Africa under the auspices of the WSAR (Wilderness Search and Rescue) teams will be in a better position to help you.

Planning for a hike up Table Mountain is not only essential but will help you enjoy this natural wonder better and safely. There are good books and guides to be found in all book shops or even better for your first accent of the mountain, it is a good idea to join a professional guide to lead and educate you.

For further information you can make contact with the Mountain Club of SA Cape Town Section. www.mcsacapetown.co.za

Eating whilst in South Africa, especially Cape Town and the Garden Route is great value for money especially in terms of quality and quantity and you don’t necessarily have to go to lavish restaurants and spend tremendous amounts of money to fill your stomach and feel content. In fact there are a couple of ways to get a decent meal especially for lunch without having to sit down in a restaurant at all.

Two great meals and  favorite to many locals and found in many food selling shops in most areas in Cape Town and many other places around South Africa is either Calamari or rotisserie roasted chicken. Besides an abundance of fast food outlets such as McDonald's, KFC and South Africa’s own Steers and Nando’s, there are many easier ,cheaper and for that matter healthier and happier ways of picking up lunch or a snack on the run when traveling.

Rotisserie Chicken is a big seller. You can buy a whole chicken to share or get pieces to go as a portion from a reasonable R20.00 to around R55.00 for the whole bird. You will be able to find quality chicken in this fashion from places such as Pick ‘n Pay, Spar to Filling station services food outlets. It isn’t fried chicken and combined with an already made salad or a couple of fresh bread roll’s and you have a cheap healthy lunch and you won’t waste an hour sitting inside a restaurant either.

A firm favorite which is possibly a little unhealthier compared to rotisserie roast chicken is of course South Africa’s great Calamari or squid. Totally unexpected shops such as Pick n Pay which has the largest supermarket chain countrywide has decent fried Calamari in their deli section on sale to go. For as little as R15.00 you can fill up on Calamari with great ease. Cape Town and along the coastal regions have an abundance of Fish ‘n Chips shops. Sometimes there is nothing better to get a fillet of Hake, sit on a beach or a bench and eat while watching the ocean.

On one occasion on a tour, I had been driving and guiding a couple from Alberta, Canada. They had been constantly eating in restaurants since they had left home over a week prior and on arriving  at lunch time in Knysna, a resort town on the Garden Route, I suggested visiting my favorite fish ‘n Chip outlet in the town, to pick up some calamari, fish and chips and go down to the famous Knysna Head’s, a picturesque headland location at the mouth of the lagoon entering the ocean to eat lunch. Whilst waiting for the food, they popped next door to the wine shop and believe me, the meal or picnic they had that day was probably the most memorable on their holiday.