With its idyllic setting at the foot of flat-topped Table Mountain, gorgeous beaches, and a funky population drawn from every corner of South Africa and the world, Cape Town is right up there with Rio, Sydney and San Francisco as one of the world's most glamorous cities.
Down in the City Bowl, enfolded by the long green arm of Signal Hill, you can explore the shiraz-sipping precincts of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, wander the shady pathways of the Company's Gardens, strike a gangster pose at a Havana-flavoured nightclub on funky Long Street, and learn new culinary skills in Bo-Kaap, the Cape Malay district where terraced houses in vivid shades of mauve, mint and aquamarine cascade down the steep hillside.
Climb across the long arm of Table Mountain and you enter another world, where thundering waves pound against granite boulders as big as cars. The coastal landscapes leading to Cape Point, the legendary Cape of Good Hope that challenged explorers like Vasco da Gama for centuries, rank high among the most spectacular in the world. You can get to grips with this epic landscape by car on the stunning Chapman's Peak Drive, on a horseback ride along Noordhoek's 8km stretch of perfect white sand, or on a bicycle tour through one of Cape Town's biggest Xhosa townships.
At The Blue Yonder we make it our business to take you beyond the standard tourist hangouts and show you the heart that pulses beneath the skin of this beautiful city. Meet the jazz musicians who gave a rebellious soundtrack to the anti-Apartheid movement, play a friendly against a township football team, discover urban organic farming projects that put food on the table in suburbs where jobs are hard to come by, and share stories with some of Cape Town's most interesting citizens. It's all in the spirit of ubuntu – the distinctively African philosophy of companionship, compassion, and acknowledging that underneath our differences we all share a common humanity.
