Delicious Gourmet Tour through the Cape of South Africa

As a Southern African Inbound Tour Operator we get a lot of requests from a wide variety of different clients – from online shoppers, to travel agents to return clients. Recently a Joberg based “operator” wanting to do a gourmet trip in the Cape approached us. Seeing as we have such an extensive network of foodie destinations & related things to do and experience– we gladly accepted the request and put together a tailor made package. Today we’d like to share it with our followers and other interested readers – to give you a little taste of the Cape.

Day 1
Group will be met on arrival at Cape Town International Airport and transferred to their hotel situated in the famed Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Tonight the group will enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, famed for its traditional Potjies and Cape Malay dishes.

Day 2
Group will depart after breakfast for Table Mountain. Enjoy a cable car ride to the top (weather permitting). Spend some time on top with the tour guide before returning to the lower station, from where the group will go to Signal Hill for more spectacular views and photo opportunities.

Enjoy a walking tour through the colorful Bo Kaap, stopping at the Spice Market, before going onto a local house to participate in a local interactive cooking experience.

After this unforgettable lunch, the group will have some time in the city center, stopping off at the Greenmarket Square open-air market and a walk through the Company Gardens. Arrive back at the hotel in the late afternoon, with the evening at leisure.

Day 3
Enjoy breakfast before the group departs with their tour guide for a Cape Peninsula Tour. Drive through Camps Bay and Llandudno towards Hout Bay, where the group will depart on a cruise to Seal Island. Continue on Chapmans Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Lunch will be a memorable local seafood affair in Kalk Bay, followed by a visit to Simons Town and the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony.

The group will return to their hotel in the late afternoon, with the evening at leisure.

Day 4
This morning the group will have a little leisure time in the morning to visit the V&A Waterfront or just relaxing. The group’s tour guide will meet them at their hotel at mid-day to depart to the Constantia wine route.

A Gourmet Lunch will be enjoyed at one of South Africa’s best award winning restaurants, followed by a wine tasting at a select wine estate.

Finish off this beautiful day with a walking tour through the magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Return to the hotel in the early evening, with the evening at leisure.

Day 5
Group will depart after breakfast for the West Coast. Enjoy a wine and olive tasting with the owners of the farm en-route.

Arrive at the traditional outdoor beach restaurant at mid-day. This restaurant is set right on the beach – barefoot pleasure! There are several courses, all traditional dishes – from fresh mussels, fish, to potjiekos. This culinary experience will take a few delectable hours.

Return to Cape Town via Blaauwberg, stopping at the beach for that iconic photo opportunity. Arrive at the hotel in the early evening.

Day 6
The group will be met at their hotel after breakfast and check out, and depart on their journey into the heart of the Cape Winelands. First stop will be at a top sparkling wine producer. Enjoy a tasting with a difference.

Visit one of the oldest wine estates in the area for a wine tasting and light lunch, before checking in at the hotel situated in the Stellenbosch town center.

The hotel is ideally situated to explore this quaint village. There are many restaurants, shops, bars and clubs within easy walking distance.

Day 7
This morning the group will be met at their hotel by their tour guide and depart on a walking tour of the old part of town.

The group will then enjoy a rusk with indigenous teas, there will also be a visit to a small family-run butcher to taste some of their famed biltong and droewors. Lunch will be a trilogy of fragrant Cape dishes, complemented by a glass of excellent Stellenbosch region wine.

The last stop on the walking tour will give the group an opportunity to purchase some nostalgic local sweets in a brown paper bag at the oldest shop in town.

The group will then depart on their afternoon meander through the Stellenbosch wine route, visiting two or three beautiful estates. Return in the late afternoon, with the evening at leisure.
Day 8
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before the group will depart with their tour guide on their wine and dine tour through Franschhoek. First stop will be at a beautiful local wine estate where the group will enjoy a wine tasting paired with homemade charcuterie at the comfortable Farm Grocer bar counter.

The group will enjoy a walking tour through the heart of Franschhoek and a visit to the French monument before going onto their next wine tasting and cellar tour at another award winning wine estate. Lunch will be enjoyed at a traditional restaurant on La Motte Wine Estate. The group will enjoy a fine dining experience with a complementing wine selection. Each guest will also receive a hard cover recipe book with beautiful photography, Cape Winelands cuisine recipes and their history.

After lunch the group will enjoy a walk around the gardens before departing for the next tasting at a wine estate that also produce fine wines and unusual cheeses. Enjoy a cheese and wine tasting before departing back to Stellenbosch.

If time permits, enjoy one last wine tasting and a visit to a extraordinary art gallery before returning to the hotel. The group will have time to relax and freshen up before they will be met and transferred to the local township for an unforgettable show and farewell dinner.

The live performance showcases local talent in a setting that shares with their guests the vibrancy of township street life, featuring township food and a craft market in an arena overlooking the surrounding mountains.

Day 9
Enjoy one last delicious South African breakfast before check out and transfer to the Cape Town International Airport for the group’s homebound flight.

**End of Services**

As mentioned, we did this as part of a bigger group safari – we can of course assist with the rest of Southern Africa – adding on visits to KwaZulu Natal (excellent Indian and Zulu cuisine), Mpumalanga (Kruger Park, Sabi Sands, etc. Safaris), Gauteng (Egoli – place of Gold), Botswana, Namibia, etc. Contact us to work out a bespoke program to fit your specific taste buds.

The Culinary Delights of South Africa’s Beautiful Cape

One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town is home to people from diverse cultures and ethnic groups, each contributing to the array of tastes and smells a visitor can expect to enjoy when dining in one of Cape Town’s many restaurants. 

Typically a good Cape Town restaurant will be reasonably priced and serve well prepared dishes that will linger in your memories long after you have left the city. This article will highlight some of the great flavors, places and influences which give Cape Town restaurants their unique character. To truly experience Cape Town you should try to include dishes from various Cape Town restaurants influenced by different cultures.

Probably the biggest cultural influence on Cape Town’s traditional food comes from Cape Malay cooking traditions. Truly South African dishes like Bobotie, Breyani, Samoosas and Koeksisters are all brought to us by the Cape Malay culture. 

Bobotie is made from minced meat and raisins, with a creamy crust for a covering made from egg. The dish has a sweet taste and is a South African favorite. Breyani is a dish made from rice and lentils, with fish, chicken or other meat. This is a tasty, yet spicy meal, which is popular in Cape Town. The samoosa is a very popular snack in Cape Town and South Africa, made by wrapping mince-meat or vegetables in pastry and then deep frying it. For the sweet tooth there is the legendary koeksister, a sweet pastry often enjoyed with a cup of tea. The Cape Malay version has a more cake-like consistency, while the Afrikaner adaption comes in the form of a twisted pastry glazed in syrup, making for a very sweet treat.

Visitors to Cape Town can chose from a variety of African fusion restaurants which will give you an unforgettable taste experience as traditional African ingredients are combined in adventurous dishes that will tantalize your taste buds. The menus typically offer a tremendous range, catering to diverse tastes and satisfying your palate, no matter how particular it may be.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is a development which has grown around a working harbor, where you can shop till you drop, then visit museums and galleries, see weird and wonderful sea life in the famous Two Oceans Aquarium, and dine in one of the fabulous restaurants looking out over the harbor. This is one of Cape Town’s big tourist draw cards, and after visiting you will know exactly why the Waterfront is such a popular spot.

Camps Bay beach is a popular spot for the young and trendy.  Enjoy the beautiful white sand and warm sunshine, but remember to protect yourself with a good sun block. The water is known to be a bit on the chilly side, but it does serve to provide refreshing relief from the midsummer heat.  Here you can expect to find Cape Town restaurants offering top caliber seaside dining.

Taking a walk around the Castle in the city center or browsing the stalls on Greenmarket Square can work up an appetite, which one of the Cape Town City Centre restaurants will satisfy with style.  There are a variety of good restaurants to be found on Shortmarket Street, New Church Street, Castle Street, Long Street, Loop Street and the likes.

False Bay offers some stunning seaside restaurants, notably those in Kalk Bay, where you can enjoy the best of Cape Town’s more casual dining locations, with the cry of gulls over breaking waves lending a charming character to the setting.

Green Point has a lively nightlife with old style disco clubs and music for the liberal tourist to enjoy a night out. There are a variety of restaurants where you can enjoy anything from sophisticated cocktails to imported Belgian beers with your meal.

Sea Point’s Beach Road has a couple of good restaurants offering a view of the promenade where rollerblading, jogging and dog walking are popular activities under the summer sun. Enjoy a hearty meal here and sip on a drink as the sunsets and Cape Town’s nightlife awakens.

Southern Suburbs restaurants range from sports pubs to the finest French cuisine restaurants on beautiful Constantia wine estates. Newlands hosts Cape Town’s cricket and rugby stadiums, where international events are common place, resulting in a frenzy of patriotism and a great atmosphere for visitors to the city to enjoy.

The Winelands are just a short drive outside of the city, where wine tasting is the order of the day. Enjoy a wide variety of restaurants on the various wine farms offering wine tasting and great dishes for the hungry tourist. The beauty of Stellenbosch and Franschoek make for a breathtaking escape from city life where you can enjoy the best food, wine and hospitality.

Come visit the Cape and enjoy a rich diversity of scenery, people and tastes.  Road Travel Africa is passionate about South Africa and specialize in culinary packages and tours, so get in touch with us to make sure you know which restaurants and establishments will make your taste buds happy 😉

Gourmet Road Trips in South Africa

Here at Road Travel Africa we are all food and wine enthusiasts, and as such delight in designing extraordinary tours for clients who are passionate about it and wish to experience all there is on offer.  On our special tailor made tours clients can enjoy visits to open-air farmer’s markets, hands on cooking classes and dine in breath taking settings.  All our tours are done on a private basis for individuals and small groups, and accompanied by a Food and Wine specialist and fully accredited tour guide.  Road Travel Africa’s Gourmet Tours will undoubtedly leave all our clients thinking about renewing that long forgotten gym membership.

So let us put together a specially designed tour so that you can get a taste of South Africa’s cosmopolitan essence and unique blend of cuisines, cultures, history and heritage.  To make sure you opt for the truly African experience, let Road Travel Africa recommend the ideal Safari to start or end off your trip.  You will also have the opportunity to take part in interactive cooking sprees and interesting demonstrations, as well as dining in the most amazing restaurants.  Discover the delights of Cape Malay cuisine while in Cape Town, authentic South African specialties on a culinary excursion in a charming Karoo town and other superb African dishes whilst in the bush.

Another brilliant offering from us is a visit to a cooking school in one of Cape Town’s Townships.  Here the locals have created a restaurant out of shipping containers.  They serve traditional African cuisine to the local community and to visitors.  The facility is also used to cater for functions in the local area, as well as for the cooking classes.  A visit to the school and restaurant is a unique opportunity for our clients to interact with a community initiative that is really working.  Clients can learn about African and specifically Xhosa culture and cuisine.  It is also an opportunity to interact with the community and for clients to make a real difference.  For the brave, there will be an opportunity to see how a Smiley is prepared and to taste one.  This is a traditional Xhosa delicacy, a sheep’s head placed in a pot above a coal fire hearth and cooked until the meat is tender.

For something different, in fact the exact opposite, Road Travel Africa could arrange for clients to go “Cooking with the Countess”.  Countess Enrica Rocca lived in Cape Town for 11 years.  During this time she had two successful restaurants in Cape Town, an Italian restaurant in the southern suburbs and a Venetian-style tapas bar in the city center.  She has now opened a cooking school in Venice (her Dad had a cooking school there), opened another one in London and recently she opened a third school in Constantia, Cape Town.

Yet another epicurean delight we can offer, also in Cape Town, would be The Bo Kaap, which is where the Cape Malay community has its traditional bright and colorful home.  Road Travel Africa will arrange visits to the local spice market, two community projects and a cooking demonstration or class at one of the local ladies in the area.  Our clients can select to simply book for lunch or dinner, or come a little earlier and participate in the preparation of the meal.  During this experience our clients can learn how to make a traditional Cape Malay curry or a Babotie and can then sit down and enjoy the food they’ve made.

Some of the other gourmet activities that Road Travel Africa could share with you would be fabulous bread making courses in the Franschhoek vineyards, raw food classes in the city, Chocolate love courses, picking your own berries and strawberries in the winelands, tasting the oysters in Knysna, enjoying the fresh sea food in Paternoster and the West Coast, having Potjiekos at a traditional restaurant, a braai with a local, a braai on the beach or a braai on a beautiful wine farm in the Stellenbosch winelands.  The options are truly endless!

A personal favorite here at Road Travel Africa is the African Relish Cooking School, located in the quaint Karoo village of Prince Albert.  This culinary hall is the only purpose built facility of its kind.  Accommodation consists of handpicked and renovated cottages in town.  With traditional irrigation canals running along the streets, this combination of well-appointed and luxurious living space coupled with the sound of trickling water is a haven in which to unwind.  Courses vary from “A History of Jewish Cooking”, “Comfort Food”, “Discover the exotic world of the spice route”, “Bread making Master Class” and “From Palate to Palette”.  We could also arrange shorter courses, just for the day.  Contact Road Travel Africa today to find out how we can custom make your Ideal African Gourmet Getaway.