The Cape Town Super Combi
I’ve said it before: Cape Town is one of the most spectacular cities on earth. We spent 3 months here a few years back and it’s one of my favorite places anywhere.
Cape Town has two world Class attractions: Table Mountain and Robben Island. They’re both Unesco World Heritage Sites and both ‘must-see’ attractions in Cape Town.
Now you can visit both Table Mountain and Robben Island on one ticket. It’s called the Cape Town Super Combi.
I tell you all about that below.
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town. It rises dramatically, in places it is a sheer cliff rising straight up (1084 meters or 3,558 feet) from the city center below. It is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Africa’s natural wonders.
There are different ways of getting up to Table Mountain. I’ve hiked up 3 times, following some of the trails accessible along different parts of the mountain.
But the most common way up Table Mountain is by cable car. It is an ultra-modern cable car, capable of taking 65 people at a time. Time to the top is 5 minutes and it rotates 365 degrees on its way up/down so you can see in all directions.
A short video I took (sorry, I didn’t have a great camera at the time)
As the name suggests, Table Mountain is flat at the top. Once there, you can walk on various paths enjoying views in different directions. Particularly stunning are the views over the city (you’ll notice Robben Island way out in the bay) and looking across the 12 Apostles, a series of peaks lining the coastline.
Most people will spent 1 to 2 hours up here. It is a very different environment than down in the city bowl: it can be cool and windy and Table Mountain is known for the clouds that blow over the mountain and disappear as mist over the city (the “tablecloth” as it is called, a phenomenon caused by a mix of hot and cold air). You’ll see “Dassies”, a cute little animal that lives among the rocks and looks like a sort of badger.
Table Mountain might be one of the most impressive geographical wonders you’ll ever see. It’s one of mine.
More here on taking the Cable car up Table Mountain
Robben Island
Robben Island is a mix of history and geography. It is South Africa’s version of Alcatraz, an island prison 11 km from Cape Town. Like Table Mountain, it is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Once a leper colony and insane isylum, it became notorious as the place where political prisoners were kept during Apartheid. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years here, Jacob Zuma 10 years.
You’re taken to the island on a catamaran, a 30-minute ride over choppy, shark-infested waters. Once arrived, you have great views of Cape Town: seemingly close but almost impossible to swim to (just a few inmates have ever escaped Robben Island).
A visit to Robben Island usually takes about 3 ½ hours and includes the catamaran rides (there and back), a tour of the island, and a tour of the prison facilities by a former inmate. Having a former inmate telling you about life on the island is particularly poignant: they had no hot water, they slept on mats and were given only one blanket, they had buckets as toilets.
Of course the most famous inmate here was Nelson Mandela. During the tour they show you his cell, the cell where he spent 18 years of his life before eventually being released…and then becoming the first Black President of South Africa in 1994.
Robben Island is a required tour if coming to Cape Town.
The Cape Town Super Combi
As I mentioned up top, you can see them both Table Mountain and Robben Island on one ticket. The advantage to booking with Online City Pass is that you go to the platform, chose your date(s). The availability for both tours will come up. You select the date and time you want and purchase your ticket. It’s 100% digital so when you go for your tour you just show them the ticket that you’ve downloaded to your phone.
Buy your Cape Town Super Combi here
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Have more time in Cape Town?
Cape Town has spectacular geography everywhere you look. A couple of additional recommendations:
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world located on the slopes of Table Mountain.
- Take the Hop On/Hop Off. It’s the best way to see the city. Make sure to stop at Camps Bay and at Groot Constantia where you can do some wine tasting.
- Take a tour of the Cape Peninsula, see Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.
Some more ideas here: 15 Things to Do in and around Cape Town. Some highlights for me included hiking up Table Mountain and Paragliding from Signal Hill. But as I say, Cape Town is spectacular and there’s lots to keep you busy both in Cape Town and around.
Related: Highlights of a 2 week road trip around the Garden Route and Karoo
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