Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tyger Valley Holiday Apartments

Tygervalley Holiday Accommodation, famous for its views that stretch from the Boland Mountains to Gordon’s Bay and awesome views of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Table Bay in between.

There are plenty for visitors to do as Tyger Valley is close to the Durbanville and Paarl Wine Routes, Bloubergstrand beaches, golf courses and also weekend craft markets.

For all those shopping lovers, Tygervalley has a Shopping centre close by, all other major shopping centres are Canal Walk and the V&A Waterfront and all have a wide range of places to shop, eat and drink!

Great for some family time is a nearby Zoo called Tygerberg Zoo located North along the N1 highway from our Tygervalley towards Paarl. The Zoo is home to 280 animal species and also a children’s farmyard for the kids to enjoy.

Self Catering Tyger Valley
If you are thinking of coming to South Africa check out Car Rental South Africa

Why Cape Town

a With a wide variety of attractions, activities and spectacular sights, Cape Town has everything you need for a memorable vacation or business travel destination! Choose from a back-to-basics backpacking trip, or a 5-star luxury hotel whirlpool suite, or anywhere in between. Whatever your budget or needs, Cape Town has it!

Offering some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, award winning vineyards and farms, and the most breathtaking views, your visit to Cape Town will not soon be forgotten.

Cape Town is a bustling and active area at all times of the year, but most specifically during holidays and tourist seasons ie. November – March. If you plan to visit during the Summer months, or over the Easter holiday, or December school holiday, be sure to make your accommodation and car rentals as far in advance as possible. Cape Town hotels and car hire options fill up quickly so be sure to avoid the disappointment of not planning ahead.

With so many offerings in and around Cape Town, there will never be a dull moment!

To make your trip the best it can be, a rough plan of your itinerary will get you off to a great start. Planning to spend at least a week in Cape Town will allow you every opportunity to take in all the activities you want to see the most. For suggestions, browse this site ideas for things to do, and places to visit requiring anywhere from one hour to several days. Choose organized, guided tours, or pick and choose activities and locations to form a rough idea of where you will need to be when. Also keep in mind the many activities or hidden treasures you may come across, so keep a flexible plan and you will have a stress-free and relaxing visit!

Once you arrive in Cape Town there are several travel options available to you, including hiring a car, using the one of several public transportation options, or planning your entire trip in conjunction with a guided tour, responsible for all transportation during your stay.

Renting a car is the most flexible way to enjoy Cape Town, allowing you to go as you please, and make your own plans around your likes and interests. For more focused travel events, a guided tour may be just what you need, allowing you to focus on your trip and not having to worry about how to get from location to location. Public transportation is not the ideal option, as it can be unreliable after hours, and is not the easiest option for tourists.

Cape Town Accommodation ranges from rustic to ultra luxury, our accommodation page provides a wide range of hotels & apartment to suit most budgets.

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Cape Town Car Hire

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Travel: Cape Town, South Africa

Breathlessly, we take the last few steps over some craggy rocks and scramble to the summit. After two hours of solid climbing, Vanya and I are ready to collapse as the sun beats down on our sweaty brows.

• Cape Town with Green Point Stadium in the foreground

And then, suddenly, all the effort becomes worthwhile. In a moment, Table Mountain gives up one of the most spectacular views in Africa.

From our wind-swept viewpoint, we see the white surf of the Atlantic Ocean crashing into the rocky peninsula that is the Cape of Good Hope.

And to the north, I cast my eyes over Cape Town's city bowl, making out in the distance the impressive white oval that is Green Point Stadium, the 70,000 capacity football stadium built for this month's World Cup.

Gazing down and over the turbulent ocean, the immense pride that Capetonians feel for this corner of the country makes complete sense to this outsider.

Since those first settlers established a trading post under the shadow of Table Mountain nearly 350 years ago, Cape Town has grown to become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Africa, famous as a playground for the rich and a popular destination for millions of European and North American holidaymakers.

But I also wanted to see Cape Town from the fascinatingly diverse perspectives of the three million ordinary South Africans for whom the city is home. This would prove easier than I had imagined as I discovered a warmth and hospitality that can only hold them in good stead as they help host the greatest sporting event on the planet.

After my Emirates flight touched down under a deep blue sky, we drove from the airport past a montage of scenes that immediately revealed the vast spectrum of life that is found here. From the township of Khayelitsha, where thousands of black South Africans live in squalor, the road quickly took me past the affluent southern suburbs, home to many of Cape Town's British expatriates.

It is a jarring juxtaposition of rich and poor that provided an immediate insight into the deep racial divisions that remain nearly 20 years after apartheid, the regime that created these poverty-stricken townships, was swept away in the name of democracy and equality.

Depressingly, decent housing and even basic sanitation remain an exception in the townships. But look beyond the grim physical reality: a visit to Khayelitsha is one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences for visitors to Cape Town.

Township tours usually last half a day or so and include a visit to a shebeen, or pub, orphanage, school, community centre and a traditional healer. Turning the lives of impoverished non-white people into a tourist attraction doesn't sit comfortably with me, but the reception I received on my visit to Gugulethu, another township nearby, at least partly allayed my concerns.

With a group of friends, we spent an afternoon at Mzoli's Place – a butchery which happens to be an almost legendary hang-out among Capetonians. Buckets of African sausage and lamb chops are served to a soundtrack of blaring Kwaito music and raucous laughter among the well-oiled clientele. The idea is simple: you choose the meat at the butchery, it gets barbecued to perfection, and is then served with a spicy salsa, bean salad and the South African staple maize "pap".

After munching a mammoth slab of beef and chatting with the locals, we drove back into town – passing close to the football stadium – and downtown to Long Street. It is here that the World Cup after-match parties will be the most colourful and the most cosmopolitan.

This strip of bars, restaurants and hotels, slap bang in the centre of town, is where everyone heads to have a good time. After taking in a cool gallery exhibition opening complete with canapes and wine at Wessel Snyman Creative, we headed to Boo Radleys, a few blocks away on Haut Street, where we downed cocktails and talked football. The World Cup-themed chat continued in Rick's café before we ended the night sipping a Mars Bar milkshake at Mr Pickwick's.

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Car Hire Cape Town

Monday, June 7, 2010

Cheap Car Hire Cape Town

Cape Town is blessed with as many discount car rental companies as Johannesburg has, although the market is not as large. We have searched for a cheap car rental company that has discounted car hire in Cape Town, which will also let you rent a car with no credit card even if you are a backpacker/student and only 18 years old and have just received your drivers licence. Discount Student cars are hard to come by, as the norm in Cape Town’s car rental industry has been that you were only able to rent a car if you were 23 years of age or in some cases 25 years old and in the possession of a credit card. On top of that, you had to be the owner of the credit card. Now, some car renters have tried to get discount car hire using someone else's card, yet this is deemed as fraud and can not be accepted by any car rental company. We found no cheap car rental for cash in our internet search. We have however, identified a need for hiring cars with no credit card and did some research. We discovered that people were searching for 'credit card car rentals in Cape Town', as well as 'cash car rental Cape Town airport'.

There is a new trend in Europe, one that is spreading to other parts of the world. Shops, retailers and international companies are accepting fewer credit cards; instead they prefer you to pay by debit card or cash. A recent survey from major international retail stores in Europe revealed that this trend is increasing with the result being that a growing amount of visitors to Cape Town and South Africa are in need of a discount car hire in Cape Town; and are not able to rent a car as they do not own a credit card. Drive Africa has made it our mission to source and find reputable companies in Cape Town that can offer either discounted cash car rentals or debit card car rentals at very attractive prices ( in addition, to also keep their cash deposits to a minimum). To rent a car in Cape Town with discount was difficult to find.

This in itself was quite a mission, as every car rental company we approached was reluctant to offer their cars for rent to backpackers or students in Cape Town without the security of a local or international credit card. We approached some of the smaller cheap car hire companies in Cape Town and convinced them that this product is needed in Cape Town. This is a trend which stems from Europe and it is only going to increase. An increasing amount of foreign visitors to Cape Town would be looking to make use of discount car hire for cash or would like to use their debit cards for paying their rental car. Some rental companies listened to us and we were able to convince them to allow cash car hire for students and backpackers for discounted car hire in Cape Town with a few provisos’ that they set. Click here for further information pertaining to cheap car hire in Cape Town.

The discount rental company would need proof of residence while visiting Cape Town, as they will take a copy of the air ticket, ID or passport and take cash deposit to secure the cheap car hire with no credit card. We have therefore identified some companies and are now able to exclusively offer discount car hire to our clients, namely students in Cape Town, a package only available to Drive Africa at this stage. We have made sure that even the cheapest car hire or low priced car rental that we offer on our website has all the correct, government approved insurances that come with the rental, so that if you have an accident or your car is stolen while you are renting it, it is always correctly insured to completely covers you. Remember, these are not 4x4 rental cars. Please go to 4x4 hire South Africa and choose the car of your choice that suits your needs.

So if you hire a car from Drive Africa using cash or your debit card, you can hire with peace of mind knowing that that the cheap car rental in Cape Town that you were searching for is right here, allowing you to book with confidence. Drive Africa also has a financial guarantee in place as well as being proud members of Cape Town Tourism and members of the Tourism body SATSA (Southern Africa Tourism Services Association) that has a financial guarantee in place for renters of Drive Africa and they in turn have bestowed our site with the international website body Dot Travel approved sites stamp. They assure through their accreditation, that we are a fully fledged car rental company offering discount car hire and are not just a virtual company on the internet. A bonus is that the minimum age for student car hire in Cape Town or a backpacker car rental is 18 and all you need is a valid driver’s license; as there is no minimum time that you have had to have your driver’s license for.

We welcome you to Cape Town, and especially to come and rent a discount car in Cape Town from us. This will definitely make your stay an unforgettable one.

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Cape Town Car Hire

Monday, May 31, 2010

Beauty is in the eye of the Stroller:

Calling all visitors to Cape Town... Fancy walking in the foothills of the Himalayas or Andes for a paltry 25 Rand - the price of a sandwich? You can leave home at a not too disagreeably early hour and be back home in time for tea.

Of course I'm joking, but a day's hike in the extraordinary Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve - an hour and a bit outside Cape Town - comes pretty close to delivering such a massive mountain hiking experience: huge, straining peaks and tumbling river valleys against a backdrop of silvery blue sky.

And then there's the plants.

Kogelberg is at the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a unique sliver of vegetation restricted to South Africa's Cape region.

Compared to other global plant powerhouses - the Holarctic Kingdom covers most of the Northern Hemisphere - the modestly-sized CFK is only the size of Portugal but contains 1 in 5 of every plant in Africa (including 50% of those found south of the Zambezi) and is the most diverse of all the 6 floral kingdoms, even pushing the tropical rainforests into second place.

The Cape Floral Kingdom is made up of a number of biomes - areas of environment-adapted vegetation - of which the fynbos (Dutch for 'fine bush' - named after the small, needle-like leaves characteristic of much of the flora) is by far the largest.

Essentially a mix of shrubby ericas (heathers) and bushy proteas plus the reed-like restios, the fynbos is also packed full of some of the most bizarre-looking plants you'll see.

Fleshy-leaved stalks finish with a startling flourish of colour; wildly extravagant bushes burst into sunshine yellow flowers; alien-looking orchids and lilies push their way out of the sand - it's an explosion of colour and form that is utterly bewildering.

Equally as jaw-dropping is the endemism involved: of the fynbos' 9 000 or so species, some 70% are found nowhere else - and in the Kogelberg Reserve a handful of plants are restricted to just a few boggy mountain tops.

What does all this mean? Well, see for yourself - it's easy enough. Take the ridiculously scenic R44 - Clarence Drive - from Gordon's Bay to Kleinmond on the other side of Cape Town's False Bay.

Try not to steer the car off the road as you gape at the sea views, pass Betty's Bay and turn inland on a signposted gravel road a kilometre before the Palmiet River dam.

It's pretty quiet around these parts. The official at the entrance gate was fast asleep when I arrived and the only sounds were the distant artillery-like rumbling of the ocean and over-excited birds in full song.

There are various trails - some a couple of hours; others a full day's hike. I set off on the latter, a 24km circuit that takes you on a most extraordinary journey: damp valleys, silent, sun-dappled forests, steep slopes and wide, tumbling rivers.

It was about 6 hours before I saw anyone - 2 walkers with whom I swopped cheery hellos and how fars - and that was it for the whole day. No radio masts, no pylons, no vehicles - just endless views and captivating scenery.

That's not to say I was entirely alone: the path is scored with animal tracks - antelope, porcupine and the heart-fluttering sight of perhaps a Cape Leopard's pawprint.

A pained squeal alerted me to the presence of baboons and sure enough there they were, a troop down in the river bed casually stripping the fibrous skin off a stand of sedges and chewing the stalks like sugar cane.

I thought I had their number and settled down to spy on them, until my binoculars took me into the yellow eyes of a pair of enormous males who had (predictably) spotted me long before I had seen them and were watching me carefully; one with a long white cigarette-like stalk hanging casually from its mouth like a 1930s New York cop.

Adopting primate decorum, I lowered my gaze and walked on and the 2 hairy security men stretched back in the sun and resumed chewing.

Don't expect vast, milling herds of animals: the fynbos sits on ancient, sandy, wind and sun-blasted soil - and the result is a low animal biomass (the big stuff used to live in the neighbouring Renosterveld before its fertile soils were ploughed up for wheat and apples).

The Kogelberg is however great for birds, or at least some highly endemic species. In fact, nearly every bird I saw was either unique to the fynbos or to Southern Africa - and the lack of disturbance means that the birds seem bolder and more conspicuous - maybe I'd just had too much coffee.

A neatly painted house - the park ranger's cottage - peered around the corner as the late afternoon sun covered the mountains in shady swathes of purple - the end of the trail.

I can't say I wasn't looking forward to putting my feet up for a bit - although the hike doesn't involve any serious climbing, it's 8 hours on the go - and I wouldn't particularly want to be marooned up there at night.

The Kogelberg may be eminently accessible from South Africa's 2nd largest city but it was starting to look mighty wild up there as the sun's warmth ebbed.

The car park was deserted, as it was when I arrived. I sat for a while and watched birds flitting and darting about like garden fairies on whirring wings. Strands of silvery spider web drifted past on a breeze and the air seemed to glow - a fitting final chapter to a magical destination.

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Cape Town Festivals and Events

Cape Town is a spectacular destination to visit at any time of the year, combining natural splendour and vibrant local culture, a buzzing nightlife with a fascinating recent history. But it is also notable for the sheer number of festivals and events that take place all throughout the year. Here are a few of the highlights to watch out for on your Cape Town holiday...

For Sports Enthusiasts...

There's one event that a sports nut on holiday in Cape Town won't want to miss out on. The Cape Argus Cycle Tour is the world's biggest cycle race, with over 40,000 amateur and professional cyclists taking part each year. Starting in the centre of town, the 109 kilometre route passes through the highlights of the local scenery, including False Bay, Chapmans Peak, and Suikerbossie Hill, before finally ending up in the Green Point district of Cape Town. It is one of the most beautiful cycle rides in the world, held on the second Sunday in March every year - book your place early if you want to take part!

If you are a runner rather than a cyclist, the Two Oceans Marathon could be your event of choice. Taking place on Easter Sunday and following the stunning scenery of the Cape Peninsula, this is known as "the world's most beautiful marathon." The main event is a 56 kilometre ultramarathon that runs from Greenlands to the Cape Town university, but there is also a half marathon and a number of fun runs for those who want to run a shorter distance.

For the Party Crowd...

One New Years' Celebration not enough to you? In Cape Town, they celebrate the New Year two days in a row! Taking place on the 2nd of January, Tweede Nuwe Jaar (also known as Kaapse Klopse) is a celebration unique to Cape Town. Originally a celebration held by freed slaves, the event has evolved into a colourful carnival, featuring live music, dance, food and drink stalls, as rival troupes from different parts of town compete to put on the very best show.

For the Fashionistas...

If you you are planning on having a Cape Town holiday and know your Gucci from your Gautier, try and time your visit with Cape Town Fashion Week. Held in late August, it showcases the best local design talent in a proudly African week of fashion, eschewing the big name international designers and focusing instead on homegrown talent and practical fashion.

For Gourmets...

If good food and fine wines are your thing, make sure you start you South African holiday in Cape Town. The Cape Times V&A Waterfront Wine Affair, held over three days in early May, is a showcase of over 70 vineyards, held in a picturesque waterfront location, giving visitors to sample the very best South African wines.

Another essential event is the Cape Gourmet Festival, a fortnight of culinary events focusing on wine, spirits, and traditional South African food that concludes with The Good Food and Wine Show on the last weekend of the festival.

Whether you are a sports nut, a discerning gourmet, a fashion fan, or are just looking for a good party, your are sure to find a festival to suit your taste, so make sure you time your Cape Town holiday to coincide with one of these great events.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Cape Town: The Must-see City Of Africa

Mention Cape Town, South Africa, and perhaps the first thing that comes into your mind will be the growling lions and the running gazelles. It could be true that much of the popularity South Africa is brought by its safari, but there is definitely than meets the eye whilst visiting Cape Town.

And the Adventure Begins

Cape Town has something in store for adventure lovers from all over the world. For one, the beaches are very inviting, especially when it comes to various water sports activities such as kayaking, parasailing, water skiing, scuba diving, and snorkeling. In fact, you can just simply ride a yacht or a chartered boat and watch the dolphins and whales having fun, and enjoy the bounties of the sea.

Your Cape Town travel will also never be complete without taking the off-beaten paths and hiking trails that lead up to the gorgeous Table Mountain where you can see lush vegetation and exotic floral and animal species. Do you want to be the next Tiger Woods? You can also take delight in a quiet tee time amongst the vast greens of Cape Town golf courses, which are actually some of the best if not the best in the entire world.

The South African arts and culture will be one thing that you do not want to miss. In Cape Town, you can take your pick amongst the wide varieties of cultural and entertainment performances of different artists. You can amuse yourself to real African music, humor, dances, and arts. At daytime, meanwhile, you can feast your eyes amongst the historical galleries, museums, and exhibits found all over the city such as the Gold of Africa Museum, or Robben Island Museum. You can also proceed to Hout Bay and Kalk Bay in Cape Town if you would like to take some paintings or souvenirs back home.

Cape Town also never sleeps, as the bars, restaurants, clubs and cafes will keep you entertained, well into the night. This is also a very good opportunity to meet interesting folk and exchange stories. You can dine at fine international restaurants, or sample the local cuisine. The V&A Waterfront is one of the premier attractions in Africa, where you will find entertainment, and activities galore.

The fertile mountains, plains, and valleys all over Cape Town make them perfect for the cultivation of the most delicious wines in the world. During your trip, you can visit the Cape Winelands region which offers rolling mountains and historic wine cellars, offering free samples of local wine. Food, cocktails & other refreshments are also on offer.

Find Cape Town Accommodation Now

There are millions of people all over the world that visit the city every year, so you may want to secure yourself an early spot in one of the fine Cape Town hotels or other accommodation options. Many Cape Town Hotels permit online booking, which saves time & hassle once you arrive. With the most courteous staff and world-class amenities, you are in for a pleasant surprise!

With all this excitement, your Cape Town Travel experience, is something you would not soon forget!