School Holidays - what to do with the kids on the Cape Point Route this summer!

It’s summer holidays and even with the season festivities, it does mean extra time with the kids and keeping them entertained for a long period of time. Here are some suggestions from the Cape Point Route team if you are in Cape Town, because it’s a first class place to travel and live with kids and a perfect spot for a family holiday. Click Here for our TOP TEN list of things to do with kids!

Why? The weather is excellent, and the Cape Point Route is jam packed with fun things to do - be it in the water, on the water, next to the water, at the beach, on land or in the mountains. It’s delightful whether you are walking, driving, biking, diving, swimming, birding, exploring, shopping, eating or simply wandering around any of the charming villages on the route.

Just 35 minutes from Cape Town city centre, the Cape Point Route spans 2 coastlines, and is wrapped around a national park. It runs from Hout Bay on the Atlantic Seaboard, down to Cape Point itself, then up the False Bay coastline through Simon’s Town, to Muizenberg. The Cape Peninsula is Cape Town’s “Playground of the Cape” offering something for every kid – young and old! And fortunately most of the activities and attractions on the Cape Point Route will appeal to child-free visitors too.
Get there by train! Cape Town to Simon’s Town line is fantastic for kids especially from Muizenberg southbound. Please note that the trains are currently stopping at Fish Hoek Station and a replacement bus service is in operation whilst there is work being done on the train tracks. Children under 5 travel free if accompanied by an adult. 6 – 11 year olds pay 50% of the adult fare and children over 12 pay full fare. Adult single from Cape Town Station to Fish Hoek Station is R13.
Or try the Southern Line Tourism Route: Hop on Hop off train ticket with unlimited train trips is R30 and available between 08h30 and 16h00.

Activities for Older Kids:
• Surfing – learn 2 surf in Muizenberg- group or private lessons.
• Landsailing – 3 wheeled buggy with a wind surfer like sail in Muizenberg. Min 8 years and height 1.3 metres but there is a tandem cart for children aged 5 – 9 years.
• Sea Kayaking in Simon’s Town to see the penguins. Kids > 10
• Scuba diving – let the kids do a scuba diving course and discover a world underwater. Sea dives are suitable for over 12’s but learning in the swimming pool from 8 years.
• Fishing from Hout Bay. Take the kids on an inshore fishing trip to catch a big one. Suitable for kids aged 4 – 12 is great fun and is a half day excursion.
• Outdoor Adventure Centre in Scarborough. Climbing Walls, Giant Cargo Net, suspension bridges, tight-rope walking and paintball are amongst the activities available. Supervised adventure play or book a party for a group of kids for 2 – 3 hours.
• Camel rides in Kommetjie – it is not like riding a horse!
• Boat Trips – see the seals on Duiker Island off Hout Bay (45 mins – children of all ages welcome)
• More Boat Trips from Simon’s Town – from Harbour Cruises to False Bay’s Seal Island or high speed trip to Cape Point for older kids.
• Walk with baboons – fascinating learning experience for kids to see baboons in their natural habitat. Ages 6 and up.

Cape Point Route Attractions:
• World of Birds in Hout Bay
• Boulders Penguin colony in Simon’s Town
• Cape Point Ostrich Farm near Cape Point
• Good Hope Nursery near Cape Point
• Imhoff Farm in Kommetjie
• Noordhoek Farm Village in Noordhoek
• Scratch Patch – an all time favourite in Simon’s Town
• Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope – visit the nature reserve on a full day excursion.
• Slangkoppunt Lighthouse in Kommetjie – climb to the top!
• Best Child Friendly Beaches – Boulders Beach, Fish Hoek Beach, St James beach, Muizenberg Beach, Kalk Bay Beach, Hout Bay Beach, Kommetjie Beach.

More details to follow with beach details, family friendly restaurants and more....

CPR members raise R20 000 for education!

Tourism businesses on the Cape Point Route collectively raised more than R20 000 to fund a child’s education at a function held on 1 Dec 2010. The Barocca Lounge at Rioja Restaurant felt like a Dutch World Cup soccer party on Weds 1st Dec. Tourism businesses and suppliers dressed in bright orange gathered for the annual launch of the Cape Point Route guide to the south peninsula and a fundraiser for the Empowerment Through Education Trust.

The 2011 Guide to the Cape Point Route hits the shelves and brochure stands around Cape Town this week for the start of the summer tourism season. The brochure is a tangible finale of the tourism offerings run by the region’s destination marketing organisation Cape Point Route. The energy and colour reflected the passion of tourism business owners in the south peninsula.

Guests were greeted by fantastic performances by talented local artists who are integral participants in the eMzantsi Carnival on Sat 4th Dec 2010. Ricardo Herdien led the team at the CPR launch with gospel singing, followed by harmony singers Van Die Blokke from Ocean View and whose looks do not match their angelic voices! Then we were blown away by 15 year Shannon Docherty from Fish Hoek whose voice is not reflective of her age! The 783 Movement is a collaboration as part of the eMzantsi Intercultural music project with a fusion of musical genres. The eMzantsi performance ended with a bang as the Marhoshi Gumboot dancers stomped their attention on the tourism guests.

During the performances Boulders Beach Lodge and Southern Right hotel arrived in orange printed t-shirts and 100 orange balloons which were filled with booby prizes or breakfast vouchers. They charged R5 a pop and it was luck of the draw as the team raised an additional R500 for the education fund!

Barbara Elshove-Schmidt welcomed guests and thanked Lemonade Design for their creative work to design the information guide, printers Trident Press and photographer Jacques Marais to took the cover photo as well as Brochure Management and False Bay Couriers who distribute the guide. Thanks also went to the web team Siteworx and Tourism Marketing for their work on the Cape Point Route website which supports the printed brochure in promoting the south peninsula as a tourism destination. Sally Grierson of Cape Point Route explained the initiative of the evening which took the form of a silent auction, where guests bid for sponsored items to raise money for the Empowerment for Education Trust. Herbie Eichel represented the trust and explained more about the programme which provides quality education for children from Masiphumelele and Ocean View as the children from Masakhane and Green Curtains crèche attend “big” school!

The bidding started in earnest with guests trying to outbid their unknown competitors for prizes from wine and meal vouchers to experiences, massages and weekend getaways to raise money for a child’s education. Wine sponsored by Cape Point Vineyards and Spier wine estate and canapés from Rioja were enjoyed as the bidding continued and the final tally of funds is currently R20 500!!!! The cost of educating one child for a year is R15 000 and the target was reached comfortably.

As Barbara said, “The Cape Point Route ambassadors and tourism business owners have showed their community spirit by coming together to support an initiative that will build the future of our region by educating children to become leaders”. Sally was delighted with the financial success of the auction and the alliances and relationships that continue to grow and develop amongst tourism members and suppliers in the south peninsula!

IMAGES:
1. The Cape Point Route Team - Shayne, Barbara, Sally, Natasha
2. Team Southern Right and Boulders Beach Lodge
3. Barbara and Lambert van Rijswijk from Lemonade Design who designed the brochure
4. Lizanne and Tracy from Cape Point Vineyards - wine sponsors for the evening.
5. Barbara from Cape Point Route watching the Marhosi Gumboot dancers