South Africa was the final stop on our nearly three-week itinerary for this trip, following Qatar and Zambia. Upon the conclusion of our trip to Zambia, my family and I took the two-hour flight from Lusaka to Johannesburg, South Africa. We spent two days in Johannesburg and four days in Cape Town. Special thanks to my uncle, Bashir, for showing us all the noteworthy sites in Capetown. Here is a recap of our itinerary:
Day One
My family and I flew South African Airways to Johannesburg from Lusaka, Zambia. Even though it was just a two-hour flight, South African Airways served meals in economy class. The flight was comfortable, the service was excellent, and the food was better than average. After landing in the evening in Johannesburg, we took a private airport transfer, booked on Viator, to our hotel in the suburban town of Sandton. Our driver, Mish, was excellent and provided several tips about Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. We inquired if he could be our driver to take us to the Apartheid Museum the following day, and we would pay him directly. He kindly obliged. My cousin recommended Sandton for its safety, shopping, and great restaurants. We stayed at Hyatt Place in Sandton, an excellent hotel with courteous staff that was close to several points of interest. Johannesburg has a reputation as a city where you don’t want to be out in certain areas in the evening due to high crime. We took the advice of my cousins who have lived here and decided to call it an early night on day one.
Day Two
On this day, Mish picked us up at 9 a.m. and took us to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. This was a big reason we wanted to spend one full day in Johannesburg. The museum was informative and educational, and our kids got their first history lesson about the injustice in South Africa not that long ago, relatively speaking. I would budget two to three hours to comfortably get through all the exhibits. After finishing the museum, Mish took us to Mandela House, where Nelson Mandela grew up. The line to get inside was long, so we viewed it from the outside. We returned to Sandton and went to Nelson Mandela Square, a nice shopping center with many shops and several outdoor restaurants. After having dinner with family and friends, we returned to the hotel. We did not have transportation booked to the airport the following morning, so we asked Mish, who kindly obliged. If you are in Johannesburg and want safe and reliable transportation, Mish is the guy you want. If you’re interested in hiring him, contact me, and I will forward you his contact information.
Day Three
Upon the conclusion of our stay in Johannesburg, we took the late morning flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and we flew the South African budget carrier called Safair. We had a good flight without any issues. My cousin has a home in Cape Town and arranged transportation from the airport to our Airbnb with Danny, a kind and reliable driver whom he has known for a while and has his own transfer company. Upon landing in Cape Town, Danny waited for us and took us to our Airbnb in the historic neighborhood of Bo-Kaap. This predominantly Muslim neighborhood is known for its colorful buildings and adhan (call to prayer), which can be heard over the speakers for the five daily prayers. Bo-Kaap is a very hilly neighborhood, and our Airbnb was at the street’s top end. Going downhill with the stroller was a piece of cake, but going uphill was a solid leg workout. We liked our Airbnb with its Table Mountain views, but it was challenging for my mom to climb multiple staircases to get in and out of every time. It was also a solid workout carrying three 50-pound suitcases up three flights of stairs. Since these buildings are old and have preserved their historic nature, you won’t find elevators in this part of town. As such, do your due diligence on Airbnb and clarify the ease of access with the owner. They are definitely not wheelchair or handicap friendly. Our Airbnb hostess, Jolanda, was very kind and greeted us at the main entrance. She even helped us take our luggage up to the apartment and gave us tips about the neighborhood. If you want to stay at her apartment, message me, and I’ll share the link to her Airbnb listing. Once settled, my uncle took us out for dinner and a drive that gave us a panoramic nighttime view of the city. The scenery was spectacular and just a taste of what was to come.
Day Four
Since we were all tired from the travel of the previous four days, we slept in a bit and got well-rested. Later, we took an Uber to the nearby Victoria & Alfred waterfront. This entertainment complex has shopping, restaurants, a Ferris wheel, and live entertainment with groups performing native South African dances. It also has boats in and out of the harbor and offers excellent views of Table Mountain and the surrounding area. While we were here, we had the privilege of meeting uncles and aunts we had never met before, which was one of the more fulfilling aspects of this trip. We were here until sundown, and following dinner, we returned to our Airbnb to get an early start the following day.
Day Five
This was a day packed with activities, and we accomplished a ton. My uncle picked us up early in the morning, and our first stop was near our Airbnb, Bo-Kaap Deli. This neighborhood gem had delicious pastries, coffee, and tea, and it was my introduction to rooibos tea, grown exclusively in South Africa.
Once we concluded with breakfast, we started our day by driving along the shore down to Boulders, part of Table Mountain National Park. Boulders is home to a thriving colony of African Penguins. They’re fun to watch, and the kids had a blast observing them. They’re still wild, and as tempting as it may be, there are clear warning signs that you should not pet or touch them. The chicks have greyish fur that eventually turns black and white as they mature. A fenced boardwalk leads you to Middle Beach, where you can swim and get closer to penguins. We went in July, winter in South Africa, although a sweater was sufficient to keep us warm.
Following Boulders, we drove south to Cape Point, part of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Tickets to enter this nature reserve cost about twenty dollars (USD) and about ten dollars for kids 2-12. The promontory has stunning cliffs, ocean views, and a few hiking trails. You can take The Flying Dutchman Funicular from the parking lot to an area right below the Old Lighthouse or do the short but primarily uphill walk. Tickets for the funicular only cost about four dollars, but the wait can be very long. The walk going up is kid-friendly, and my two older sons (ages four and three) were able to walk up and back. Two Ocean’s Restaurant is adjacent to the parking lot, offering splendid views of the cliffs and the ocean. When walking up the paved trail, be cautious of baboons along this path. They can be very aggressive, and if you have a bag that’s not secured, they will try to snatch it in search of an easy snack. I also don’t recommend carrying your passport when visiting Cape Point, as people have had bags containing passports taken by the baboons. The parking lot is a hotbed for baboon activity, and YouTube has several videos of them causing trouble.
Following our time at Cape Point, my uncle took us to one of the most scenic drives in the world, Chapman’s Peak Drive. This road was carved out of the face of the mountain about one hundred years ago and links Hout Bay with the coastal town of Noordhoek. Hout Bay Harbour has several restaurants, and we stopped by a place called Fish on the Rocks. Their fish and chips were excellent, and it’s a place I would highly recommend. Occasionally, Chapman’s Peak Drive will close due to inclement weather or if there is the threat of falling rocks. However, if you are visiting Capetown, I can’t emphasize enough that this drive should be on your must-do list.
We stopped at the One&Only Cape Town for coffee and scones to finish the evening. This beautiful hotel has an all-day café and bar area in the lobby’s center with open seating. Their scones are served with homemade forest berry jam, Chantilly cream, local cheddar cheese, and farm butter. This was a perfect way to finish off a long but fulfilling day.
Day 6
On our last full day in Cape Town, we took the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway to the top of Table Mountain, the famed flat-top mountain that overlooks Capetown. As you ascend on the cable car, views of Lion’s Head, Devil’s Peak, Robben Island, and the V&A Waterfront will become more prominent. The top of the mountain has a picnic area, a café, and Wi-Fi. If you plan on hiking down or hiking in the area, you are best off reserving a ticket for the earlier cableway timings. If you plan on going to the top to soak in the panoramic views, the best time is after 1 p.m. when the crowds start to thin out. I recommend bringing a sweater or light jacket as it can get ten to fifteen degrees cooler at the top, along with windy conditions. The line for tickets for the Aerial Cableway can be long, so purchasing the tickets in advance through the website or mobile app is recommended.
Once we finished Table Mountain, we went to V&A Waterfront and rode on the Cape Wheel, the famous Ferris Wheel with enclosed cabins next to the boardwalk. This Ferris Wheel reaches a height of about 120 feet and takes about 12-15 minutes to complete a revolution. The views of the harbor, Table Mountain, and Capetown are beautiful. The Victoria Wharf Shopping Center is adjacent to the Ferris Wheel and is a place I recommend visiting. It has hundreds of shops, over a dozen restaurants, and several gift shops with African crafts and souvenirs.
We had dinner at a Turkish restaurant called Saray and had a wonderful experience. The food was excellent, the service was top-notch, and the atmosphere and location gave this place excellent vibes. This was our final evening before we departed Capetown the next afternoon for our 15h and 23m non-stop flight to Atlanta via Delta Airlines. This was the longest flight any of us had ever taken, and again, the kids held up exceptionally well. Snacks, coloring books, in-flight entertainment, and some melatonin for kids were essential for a peaceful flight.
Recap
- South Africa was this vacation’s final stop, covering Qatar and Zambia.
- If you’re staying in Johannesburg, I recommend staying in Sandton. We stayed at the Hyatt House Sandton and had a great experience. It’s close to Mandela Square, and you can hail an Uber to other points of interest.
- If you’re planning to visit Capetown, there are several neighborhoods that you can consider. We chose Bo-Kaap due to its historic Cape Malay roots and close proximity to V&A Waterfront. You may also consider Sea Point, Green Point, or City Centre.
- Although Capetown is safer than Johannesburg, petty crimes and muggings still occur, albeit less often. Regardless of where you are in Capetown, I would still be vigilant after dark.
- If you’re arriving from North America, I strongly recommend drinking only bottled water in Zambia. South Africa is supposed to have clean, potable water, but I did not want to risk traveler’s diarrhea, so we stuck with bottled-only.
- I did not rent a car in Zambia or South Africa since they drive on the opposite side. I didn’t want to risk being involved in an accident because of 20+ years of muscle memory of driving a certain way. But if you’re comfortable doing so, South Africa maintains the roads and highways well.
- If you’re curious about Capetown’s topography, Table Mountain is the northernmost part of the Cape Fold Mountain range, which stretches to the Cape of Good Hope to the south. This mountain range comprises the Cape Peninsula, which juts into the ocean. Boulders, Cape Point, and Chapman’s Peak all encompass this range.
- To truly appreciate how vast Africa is, just consider that a flight from Dhakar, Senegal, to Washington, D.C., covers less distance than a flight from Johannesburg to Dhakar.
Vaccines and Antibiotics
- Talk to your physician about prescribing antibiotics for traveler’s diarrhea, just in case. I caught a bug in Livingstone, Zambia, which didn’t fully manifest until I left for South Africa. The antibiotics knocked it out relatively quickly, saving me a trip to a local clinic.
- Most of South Africa, including Capetown and Johannesburg, is in an area with no malaria transmission. However, if you have Kruger National Park and areas to the north on your itinerary, these areas have high malaria transmission, and anti-malarial medication is strongly recommended.
- The CDC recommends getting the typhoid vaccine if you visit South Africa and stay with family or friends. This helps protect against salmonella. The typhoid vaccine comes in an injection form and as an oral capsule. Typhim Vi is an intramuscular injection for those two years and older and should be administered at least two weeks before travel. Per the CDC, repeat travel requires a booster every two years.
- The typhoid vaccine also comes in an oral capsule called Vivotif. There are four capsules in total; each should be taken 48 hours apart. The final capsule should be taken at least one week before arrival in the risk area. A booster dose is recommended for repeat trips to endemic areas every five years.
- When traveling to South Africa, the Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for toddlers between 6 and 11 months. This would be in addition to the usual childhood vaccination series that they get starting at 12 months.
- These vaccines are available at retail pharmacies for adults and children of certain ages. However, consult with your primary care physician or your child’s pediatrician first to ensure they are appropriate.
- Please visit the CDC website for the most up-to-date information about these vaccines and the risk areas involved.
Award Redemptions
- For our nonstop flight from Capetown to Atlanta, we flew Delta by redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles, their Skyteam partner. I transferred AMEX points to Virgin Atlantic when they had a 30% transfer bonus. Each award ticket for adults was 45k miles plus taxes, and the price for children between the ages of 2 and 11 was lower about 33k miles. Our youngest was a lap child, and his award ticket cost 4.5k miles (10% of the adult fare). Unfortunately, Virgin Atlantic has devalued its award chart since I took this trip, and this flight costs 65k miles for adults. It still beats the one-way cash price, which is frequently over $1,200.
- Our stay at the Hyatt House in Sandton was only 5k points a night. If you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points 1:1 into Hyatt. Hyatt remains my favorite transfer partner for Chase, as it consistently provides excellent value.
Miles for places 