Nowhere else in the world does a wilderness with such startling biodiversity survive within a dense metropolis; a city housing some three million people effectively surrounds a national park, clinging to a mountainous spine that stretches from the massif of Table Mountain to the jagged edges of Cape Point. Hardly surprising, then, that the city's best attractions are encompassed by the Cape Peninsula National Park: world-famous Table Mountain, also known as Hoerikwaggo, "Mountain of the Sea"; the dramatic Cape Point, most southwesterly tip of Africa; the unparalleled Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, showcase for the region's ancient and incredibly varied floral kingdom; and Boulders, home to a colony of rare African penguins. Ascending Table Mountain warrants half a day, as does a visit to Kirstenbosch -- though you could include it as part of a (rather rushed) daylong peninsula driving tour, which encompasses Boulders and Cape Point.
