Travel

From Nightlife to Wildlife: 6 Outstanding Ideas to Make Your Vacation Great

Any trip to Cape Town, South Africa is almost sure to be a good one. The weather in this coastal city is nearly always good, the people are friendly (well, at least for the most part), and prices are normally reasonable. Perhaps best of all, Cape Town feels like a real city and not a made-for-tourists oversized theme park.

A good vacation is even better with a great place to stay, and booking accommodations so far from home can sometimes be a source of concern. That’s why it’s best to stay at a place like the Marriott Protea or some other international chain hotel, because you know what you are getting.

A better vacation gets better still when you have a rough agenda to follow.

Cape Town Nightlife

There are lots of places to go in Cape Town. Start with the Village Idiot, which is a great name for a nightclub. It’s also a great place to go relax and soak up the local culture, not to mention the local cuisine. Other features include lots of stuffed ostriches, a spacious balcony, and an energetic DJ. The Village Idiot is one of those places that you simply cannot find anywhere else.

Those who prefer a slightly rowdier atmosphere will probably enjoy The House of Machines. It’s a biker bar like no other, as patrons can enjoy top-quality liquor or simply swill beer. For an even more dramatic change of pace, there’s also a full coffee bar. Plenty of local food and loud, live music complete the ambiance.

No trip is complete without a visit to the Perseverance Tavern (a/k/a Persies Tavern), which first opened in 1808. The food and drink is what you’d expect at a pub like this….basic beers and burgers. Back in the day, Cecil Rhodes was supposedly a regular. More recently, a German publication named Persies as one of the best taverns in the world, and that’s pretty high praise.

Cape Town Wildlife

Many of the seals around town are very used to humans and almost entirely tame. But don’t get too close, because they may look playfully and lazy, but they bite hard and can be very aggressive. Stroll down to Kalk Bay one afternoon, pick up some freshly-caught fish, and then interact with these one-of-a-kind creatures to your heart’s content.

Largely-elusive malachite kingfisher birds are in abundance around Cape Town. They are super tiny and super colorful. These birds usually nest in reeds and other areas near the water, where you can see them dive for insects and even for small fish. Near the city, the vast Rietvlei Wetland Reserve is home to large numbers of these unique animals.

You’ve got to love jackass penguins, so named because their call sounds like a braying donkey. They may be slow walkers, but they’re fast swimmers and can dive up to 350 feet. The penguins which hang around Boulders Beach are quite social and used to humans, but they should not be touched.

After writing this blog, I have the sudden inexplicable urge to go on vacation…

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