South Africa in 53 free photos, most of them from Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula: Table Mountain and the city at its feet, Lion’s Head and the Atlantic beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton, Chapman’s Peak and Hout Bay, the African penguins of Boulders Beach and the Victorian main street of Simon’s Town, and Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of the peninsula. Each set of photos has a short note on the place.

Cape Town at a glance

• Getting there: Cape Town International Airport, about 20 minutes from the city centre.
• Getting around: a hire car for the peninsula (South Africans drive on the left), ride-hailing apps in town, and the MyCiTi buses along the Atlantic coast.
• Money: South African rand. Cards are widely accepted; tip car guards and petrol attendants a few rand.
• When to go: November to March is warm and dry, but windy. Winter, June to August, brings rain and whales in False Bay.

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Table Mountain and Cape Town

The flat top of Table Mountain, 1,085 metres high, rises right behind the city. A cableway with rotating cars runs to the top in a few minutes, or you can hike up Platteklip Gorge in about two hours. From the plateau you see the city bowl, Lion’s Head, Robben Island in the bay and the Atlantic coast. The mountain is covered in fynbos, part of the Cape Floral Region on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The Atlantic coast, Chapman’s Peak and Hout Bay

South of the city, the Atlantic coast runs past the white beaches and granite boulders of Clifton and Camps Bay, below the Twelve Apostles ridge. Chapman’s Peak Drive, a toll road cut into the cliffs, leads to Hout Bay, a fishing harbour where boats go out to the seal colony of Duiker Island. The water is cold all year.

Boulders Beach penguins and Simon’s Town

At Boulders Beach a colony of African penguins, an endangered species, lives among the granite boulders; boardwalks let you watch them up close. Next door, Simon’s Town, a naval base since the days of the British, has a main street of Victorian buildings with iron balconies.

Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope

At the tip of the peninsula, in Table Mountain National Park, the cliffs of Cape Point carry a lighthouse above the ocean, and the Cape of Good Hope is the most south-westerly point of Africa. Ostriches, bontebok and baboons live in the reserve; keep food out of sight of the baboons.

From the air, and more of South Africa

The country from the plane window, coastal towns, a tree-lined road, and some of its animals: a glossy starling and meerkats.

Tips for a first visit

• Go up Table Mountain on the first clear, calm day; the cableway closes when the wind blows or the “tablecloth” of cloud comes down.
• Drive the peninsula in a loop: Chapman’s Peak, Cape Point, Boulders Beach and back along False Bay.
• Keep valuables out of sight, and use ride-hailing apps after dark.

More about South Africa

South Africa is a truly exciting place to visit and Cape Town is one of the most desirable destinations in the world. The Cape’s lush vineyards and rocky coast, the arid Karoo landscape, the fertile farmlands of Gauteng and Mpumalanga, the picturesque, snowy peaks of the Drakenberg mountains and the green hills and spacious beaches of KwaZulu-Natal are just a few of South Africa’s natural attractions. These, together with over 300 game and nature reserves, provide a colossal collage of contrasts. A delightfully diverse destination offering the photographer the ideal opportunity to take a “BigFoto”.

One of South Africa’s most popular attractions is the g>Kruger National Park. If you stay at a private lodge at Pafuri Wilderness Camp, you are in the land of the Makuleke people, who together with Wilderness Safaris, are the custodians of this magnificent region. Here you can encounter the BIG 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo. Your guide will also point out special birds such as the crowned eagle, wattle-eyed flycatcher and many more.

Cape Town

When to go

The most popular time to visit is in summer, from November to March, when you can expect 11 hours sunshine a day. In the warmest, driest months, which are January and February, temperatures are around 26˚C. September/October (spring) and April/May (autumn) are still good times to visit, especially to see wildlife and flowers.

Getting around

A good way to orientate yourself after arrival is by taking the City Sightseeing Bus. The city tour shows you all the important landmarks, with commentary, and you can get off and on again as many times as you like. The company also offers a wine tour and a mini peninsula tour. For getting around Cape Town after that you need to get a ‘myconnect’ bus card from the main station and put some credit on it. Then you can use the MyCiTi bus. The Southern Line Rail Route to Simon’s Town is a good way to see several beautiful suburbs and coastal villages, and is ideal for tourists, but beware of pickpockets on the trains. Table Mountain Cableway cars run every 10 to 15 minutes, and take you to the summit in 5 minutes, from where there are magnificent views of the city and ocean. There are number of short and long walks to choose from.

What to see

To take a trip out to Robben Island 9km (5.5 miles) off shore, head for the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, where you can spend time in the Robben Island Museum, café and shop while you await your ferry. (Sailings are at 09.00, 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00) A round-trip takes about three and a half hours and includes a tour of the prison where Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years, guided by a former political prisoner. You will see the late President’s cell, preserved in its original condition, and the quarry where the prisoners did their hard labour.

Back on the mainland, you will want to see the District Six Museum (closed Sundays). This was a municipal district home to a lively but poor mixed non-white community, which was forcibly cleared away with no notice by the apartheid government in 1966 and declared a ‘whites-only’ zone. The museum preserves the memory of 60,000 of people who were relocated by force and their homes destroyed, and documents District 6 in pictures and artefacts like street signs, books, maps and audio visual recordings. You can tour the bulldozed streets on foot with a former resident as guide. If you haven’t had enough of South Africa’s painful past after this, you should go to The Slave Lodge on the corner of Adderley and Wale Street (opens 10.00, closed Sundays). This historic building was specially constructed to house 600 West African slaves in the 17th century. It now displays the story of 130 years of slavery in Cape Town.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain provides an antidote to so much human cruelty. Said to be one of the seven best botanical gardens in the world, it displays rare and endangered South African plants in a cultivated garden and nature reserve. There is a café, shop, nursery and activities for children (allow 2-3 hours for a visit).

Where to stay

If you are staying more than a few days in Cape Town – and why wouldn’t you – you might want to consider self-catering accommodation. Purpose built Marina Luxury One Bedroom Apartments on the V&A Waterfront sleep 2 and are quiet and secure. If there are more than 2 of you sharing, 5 Camp Street in the historic suburb of Gardens offers a chance to spend time outdoors at its pool or using the barbecue. If you like bright colours and traditional Victorian Cape Town houses, Sweet Berries Holiday Cottages in Sea Point suburb might be for you. There is a choice of 4 cottages with private backyards (only one has a pool), sleeping from 4 to 7.

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Questions about these South Africa photos

Can I use these South Africa pictures for free?

Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.

Where can you see penguins in Cape Town?

At Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, about 45 minutes from the city, where a colony of African penguins lives on the beach; there is a small entrance fee and boardwalks to watch from.