Drivin around the Western Cape
After reviewing our options for some time it was pretty clear how important it was to us to be as flexible and spontaneous as we can. Public transport and taxis without a baby seat, can be very adventurous and entertaining though.
We decided to rent a car by Avis nonetheless.
Not too many requests. 5 doors and a baby seat should do it.
Paying around 25€ a day total with cheap gas prices in comparison was a great deal to us, especially when you regard how much time you save by not waiting for buses, trains etc. Of course you get stuck in traffic every now and then but its nothing compared to the freedom you have, when you can choose where to go, whenever you want.
Actually it was our first time renting a car and did not regret it for a second.
The roads are great and everything is well connected.
Within 30 minutes you can go to different places and easily spent the entire day outside, hopping from one magnificent sight to another.
But mostly the views you get from driving around the western cape are so spectacular, it becomes a challenge sometimes not to look and focus on the road.
My wife got used to commands of „quick, take a photo of this or that!“. But she knew why. I would have loved to just sit back sometimes and admire the absolute beauty of the vastly changing scenery you get with every turn of the road.
Obviously we did not use taxis, ubers or public transport so I won’t be able to comment on that but I heard Uber is apparently the first choice to many locals. And the busses looked very safe and modern.
I dont know if I would ever try these so called Mini-Taxis. They are locally operated companies getting up to a douzen people from a to b.
It is very inexpensive and time is money. And that is exactly how they behave on the road.
You could get shocked a little bit how they just switch lanes or u turn within an instant, but after driving for a few days you get used to it. They will appear in your rearview mirror and let themselves be heard and felt.
To finish this one up, I have to point out again, I have never felt unsafe, unsure or uncertain about driving around Cape Town. There is a lot of police presense and if you use common sense, it is an amazing place to drive and admire the beauties of the Western Cape in all its varieties.
Being honest, I felt much safer in Cape Town than driving in peak hours around Berlin
