educational

Kirstenbosch is a world renowned and beautiful botanical garden tucked into the lower slopes of Devils Peak in the Table Mountain National Park. Covering 528 hectares (36 are cultivated) of indigenous South African plant life from fynbos to forest, Kirstenbosch has a lot to offer.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is Cape Town's world class aquarium showcasing more than 3000 animals including sharks, turtles, seals, crabs, seahorses and many, many more. The exhibits are informative, well maintained and beautiful. Helpful and enthusiastic volunteers are also normally on hand to answer any questions that you may have.

The Cape Town Planetarium is in a beautiful old building just off Long Street in central Cape Town. It makes for an informative and cheap outing.

Boulders Beach near Simons Town is a popular swimming spot sheltered by granite rocks and with good views across False Bay. It is particularly popular because it is home to a colony of more than 3,000 African Penguins.

Intaka Island is a 16 hectare bird sanctuary in the heart of Century City (near Canal Walk) and is home to 120 species of birds (70 are seen regularly) and 177 species of indigenous plants. Most of the birds are (predictably) waterbirds

The famous Noon Gun on Signal Hill has been fired every day (except Sundays and public holidays) since 1902 and has now been fired over 63,000 times! Visitors are welcome to watch the firing of the gun which happens daily at 12:00 sharp.

The MTN ScienCentre at Canal Walk is an interactive science museum aimed at children. The idea is that kids can have fun while learning basic scientific and technological concepts. There are over 280 displays, computer rooms, labs, etc.

World of Birds is a bird and monkey sanctuary in Hout Bay which is home to more than 3,000 birds of 400+ species. There are over 100 aviaries and walkways where visitors can get up close to eagles, owls, cranes, monkeys, meerkats, and many other birds.

The Castle of Good Hope is South Africa's oldest building dating from 1666. Taking 13 years to build the castle replaced a smaller fort which was built by Jan van Riebeeck. The castle contained a curch, bakery, workshops, living quarters, cells, etc and was built because the Netherlands feared a British attack on the Cape.

Robben Island is a former prison and World Heritage Site about 12km from Cape Town which rose to fame as a prison for political prisoners between 1961 and 1991. The most famous Robben Island inmate was Nelson Mandela who spent many of his 27 years of imprisonment there.