I’ve met a lot of well-traveled individuals during the course of my adventures and have had many discussions about all the amazing places the world has to offer. When I started my traveling, South Africa wasn’t necessarily on my initial short list (I mean, assuming I’d had a list) but it came up time and time again as “a place you would love” by people whose opinions I trusted, and I decided I must see for myself. In fact, I was so confident that I would like South Africa that I traveled there with a one-way ticket, hoping that at some point during that two week trip I’d have an inspiration for what to do next. This strategy was all well and good until checking into my flight on Ethiopia Air when I was told I needed to show proof of my plane ticket OUT of the country in order to fly IN to the country (or so the ticket agent “thought”.) Having no ticket, I had nothing to lose by pushing back on this point and soon two supervisors were also leaning over the monitor trying to interpret the requirement in various ways. After some back and forth on the verbiage (they were on my side) I had an idea and said I’d JUST at that moment changed my mind and decided to make a “land exit” from the country rather than fly. I made up that term but it turns out it’s a thing and no proof of this was needed. The supervisor winked and said that was a good idea. Phew!
I read Trevor Noah’s book “Born a Crime”’on the flights there (great read and I highly recommend) and brushed up my South African history. I will admit that part of the reason for deciding to read over other in-flight activities is that on Ethiopia Air you can’t really hear the movie unless you manually hold the earphones in your ears and my arms got tired a few hours in. But I am really glad I read the book.
I arrived in Cape Town a few days before the Flash Pack tour started (my first time ever being early for a tour- usually I come running into the initial meet-and-greet with my suitcase, straight from the airport.) This was nice for a few reasons- I could “get my bearings” in the city, do laundry, recover from the flight, and adjust to the time change. I might need to do this ‘arriving early’ thing more often! Getting my bearings in Cape Town included a lot of exploring on foot and I realized quickly it’s a very manageable city to get around. The views throughout the city are SPECTACULAR and especially so during the sunsets. 
I immediately got a really good vibe from Cape Town and was glad the tour was starting with three more nights in the city before moving onward.
Our tour guide Jamie and the group of 11 of us met each other at our hotel (actually 10 of us met, as Jen was on an optional pre-trip shark diving trip- which she both survived and loved.) We all hit it off right away and I was relieved it was another group of fun, open-minded, adventurous and cool people. Phew! (You’d think by my 9th Flash Pack trip I’d be over that fear of a lame or annoying group, but nope.) 
That night we headed to the Camps Bay area for dinner by the beach to catch the first of several amazing sunsets we’d be seeing together. 
[Side note: you may have caught wind about the water crisis South Africa is currently facing. The situation is no bueno. The country has been having a drought since 2015 and water levels are critically low. It’s a huge problem and many water restrictions are in place across the country, with plans to turn OFF the water in Cape Town in a few months! This is called “Day Zero” and will disable the ordinary water supplies to more than a million homes. It’s a sad and scary situation- nobody here is disputing Al Gore’s stance on climate change.] 
Ok, back to the tour! The next day we started off with a spin through some picturesque Cape Town sites, including the Bo-Kaap, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood which was created by emancipated slaves in the 18th century and is known for its brightly painted houses. 
Next… it was up Table mountain, the aptly named mountain overlooking the city and the key contributor to the aforementioned stunning views. 
We were all looking forward to hiking the mountain but due to high winds, we had to take the cable car up instead. I learned that the weather is unpredictable and can be extreme in South Africa– and the winds are no joke. It’s one reason that almost as many people have died climbing Table mountain as Mount Everest (yes, I fact-checked this.) I didn’t really believe the magnitude of the wind until experiencing it myself at points over the next two days- at one point I honestly thought a woman’s stroller was going to blow away! Jamie said South Africans are used to it though and don’t need to grab onto trees like I did at one point, soon after taking this sunset selfie. 
Despite not being able to hike up the mountain, we had more than our fair share of excitement as we embarked on a rappelling adventure (South Africans use the British English term “abseiling.”) I’d never been rappelling before and was a little nervous but I loved it! I will say that despite loving it, while doing it my nervousness turned into full-on fear that lasted for most of the experience. Good fear, though! I always love an adrenaline rush. 
And, we did get in a mini-hike, making our way up the rocks back to the top after our rappel. 
Afterwards, we all said we’d do it again as we thought it would be less scary the second time (although none of us are sure that it actually would be.) And it was easy for us to say that as we knew there was no time to actually do it!
The next day started with a drive up the coast to the Cape Peninsula area, stopping to take in some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. This is an area called “Chapman’s peak.” 
We had ocean paddle boarding on the docket that morning and with the wind being strong in some areas we wondered how choppy the sea would be. The conditions we had are best described as Class II rapids, maybe Class III in areas. This is only a minor exaggeration. Thankfully the paddle board guides realized that sending us out on boards would be more like surfing than paddle boarding so they adjusted the plan. Instead of individual paddle boards we used huge, group paddle boards and had a kind of whitewater rafting experience, which was a blast. 
I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did during this activity, especially when trying to stand-up on the board and trying to avoid falling into the chilly, choppy water. It. was. hilarious. 
And, there is definitely a chance the tourists on the beach thought we were refugees as we paddled by. 
We did all manage to stand-up at the same time- which is a minor miracle -and our adventure ended with a race between the two boats (my team won but no I’m not all competitive.) The victors: 
Afterwards, we got a closer look at the penguins on the shore that we had seen from our rafts (I mean paddle boards.) They are cute little things and it’s really cool to watch them swim- as they torpedo underwater like missiles, and then do this cute wing-flapping thing to dry off when they get out. 
And the coolest part is that it’s the female penguins out frolicking in the water while it’s the male’s job to sit on the egg on the shore! No doubt penguin dudes complain incessantly about this arrangement. 
After a delicious seafood lunch by the sea we headed onward to the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most southern point of Western Africa. It was beautiful (and windy, as you can tell from the pics) and we even had some baboon and ostrich sightings on the way. 
We concluded our stay in Cape Town with a trip to Robben Island, which holds the historic prison where Nelson Mandela was held captive for 27 years. We toured the island and jail facility, led by a guide who had been imprisoned there himself for five years. It can’t be fun for the guide to have to relive his experiences everyday but he gamely answered questions from the group, including someone who wanted to know why he didn’t try to escape. I mean… really?? This person was not part of my group, obvs. 
It was interesting to learn more about the prison and the people who had been held captive there for years at a time (with no indication of if or when they would be released). Their living conditions: 
The jailers thought they were being smart by separating the regular joe prisoners from the political leader prisoners but they ended up creating a situation where the leaders had years to plan for the fall of the apartheid, even drafting a constitution (haha, joke’s on you… that strategy backfired!) While touring the prison, the recentness of the fall of the apartheid really struck me and it was crazy to think that Robben Island was still a working prison until 1996. Despite the rawness of apartheid, so far I have found South Africans to be very open and willing to talk about it as a part of their history. They aren’t wanting to brush it under the rug and seem to genuinely want people to know the truth. 
That afternoon we took another stunning coastal drive to the beautiful wine country town of Stellenboschun (fun fact- there are more than 4,000 vineyards in South Africa.) Stellenbosch is a charming university town and we made ourselves right at home, enjoying a sampling of the delicious local wines at an outdoor cafe. The next day we hiked through the hillsides of the neighboring town of Franschhoek, spotting a few baboons along the way and learning about the unique vegetation that grows there from our hiking guide, Tayne (Wayne with a “T” he explained to us Americans.) 
The region actually has one of the most diverse samplings of plants in the world, including South Africa’s national flower, the king protea. 
Of course after our hike we had to re-hydrate and what better place than a local winery? 
At Grande Provence we took in the picturesque views, enjoyed a wine tasting (complete with a “nougat” pairing) and had a most delish picnic lunch. This is my kind of picnic! 
And, of course we’re trying to do our part to help with the water crisis. 
Needless to say, so far it’s been a phenomenal trip with a phenomenal group of people! I can’t believe it’s almost halfway over. That reminds me- I guess I should figure out where I’m headed after this… I never did work out the details of that “land exit.” Oh well! Staying in the country longer would definitely not be the worse thing….
Magnificent pictures,beautiful country. Thank you so much for sharing. Love reading your travel blog.