Ecotourism in Cape Town

Table Mountain is a vital part of the attraction of Cape Town. You can walk, climb, bike, absail, para-glide the mountain or take the elegant new Swiss-designed cable car to the top of the mountain. And of course, there are other climbs in the mountains near Cape Town: on Lion's Head, or in mountains above Kalk Bay or Simonstown.

Table Mountain, Lion's Head, Devil's Peak, and the other mountains in and around Cape Town offer walks that are gentle to challenging within easy distance of the city centre. Locals go to Newlands Forest, the Constantia Green Belt, or walk on the Sea Point promenade. There are several excellent guides to walks in and around Cape Town.

A lot of the best nature in Cape Town is unexpected: a school of hundreds of dolphins early in the morning off Camps Bay; whales in False Bay; baboons with babies on their backs engrossed at the roadside near Cape Point. Even in the Cape Point Reserve, viewing's are wonderfully unpredictable. If you want to be certain, try the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront, or the World of Birds. Kirstenbosch offers the best detailed introduction to the Cape fynbos floral kingdom.