BBB Travel: Mountains, Sea, and Sky in South Africa

                                                         Source: dumirocks.wordpress.com via Courtney @bigbeigebox on Pinterest

Cape Town has SO much to offer between its gorgeous mountains, beautiful beaches, and attractions. Here is a summary of the rest of the activities on my trip.

Skydiving (Sorry, Dad!)

Given the recent news of a bungee jump gone awry in South Africa, it's a good thing we didn't go the Bloukrans Bridge jump. Instead, five of us woke up early to skydive with Skydive Capetown. This company provides excellent tandem jumps and provided a very laid-back atmosphere for my very first jump. I'm officially addicted!

Hike Lion's Head at Sunset

Lion's Head peak (far right of the top pic) is part of Table Mountain and is situated between Clifton Beach and Bantry Bay. The hike is moderately challenging and can be a great workout if you hustle up there (we got there in 29 mins). There is ample parking at the base of the hill and people hike up night and day. My recommendation is to go there for sunrise or sunset to watch Table Mountain and the beaches below light up picture perfectly. 

Wine Country with African Blue Tours

Our group hired owner, David Smith, to bring us through the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions. The itinerary was based from info I gleaned from the Lanalou Style blog's recommendations for the area.  This activity was, surprisingly, a big highlight for the group. We had a party of 11 (only 3 ladies) and the guys really loved the tour. I cannot say enough about how great David was in accompanying our group. Check out our review of his services here on Trip Advisior. 

Now, onto the wine. 

Anthonij Rupert Winery
Highlights: Terra Del Campo Arne

The Rupert estate is the home of the L'Ormains range. The winery is situated on 100 hectares and additionally boasts a horse farm and classic car museum with over 100 cars. The highlight wine was the Terra Del Campo Arne, which is named in homage to Diana Ross' deceased husband who was an avid mountain climber. He passed away as a result of an climbing accident on the estate and the wine is in dedication to his memory.

Thelema Mountain Vineyard
Highlights: Sauvignon Blanc 2011,  Riesling 2010, Merlot Reserve 2010

Thelema was the group favorite. It had a more modern, casual feel and the white wines were absolute stunning. The main tasting building had a Dwell-esque feel and was bright and airy. We bought several bottles of the Merlot Reserve 2010. Even if you hate Merlot, buy this!

Tokara Vineyard
Highlights: Tokara Restaurant & Reserve Collection Noble Late Harvest 2009

Tokara was our stop for lunch and our last wine tasting. The Deli (highly recommended by Lanalou Style) was closed that Friday, so we booked lunch in the Tokara Restaurant. It. Was. Stunning. The entire grounds and building are a visual feast for the designophile. You will swoon from the dining room, to the vistas, to the art, and food. 

photo c/o Tokara Restaurant website

Abseil Table Mountain

We booked a guided hike and abseil (aka rappelling) with Abseil Africa another morning to get the adrenaline pumping again following the wine tour. The 1.5 hr guided hike was followed by a 100 meter (300ft) abseil  down from the top of Table Mountain. The descent was like nothing I've ever done and I highly recommend this for the daredevil who loves a good view. After the abseil, you have to hike back to the top in order to take the cable car back down the mountain.

That's my 12 day Cape Town excursion in a nut shell! Please feel free to comment with any questions. I had so much fun and would love to share any tips I can.

All photos by Courtney of the BBB otherwise noted.