ABOUT US

Who is the Travel Café Cape Town?

Hey you! The two of us are thrilled to welcome you to The Travel Café Cape Town, where we can help you experience Southern and Eastern Africa in the safest, most authentic and totally unforgettable way. We appreciate that travelling such a long way to our beautiful shores is a big deal for you, and might well be a once in a lifetime experience. And although the amazing diversity of Southern and Eastern Africa is one of its biggest draw-cards, planning a trip across such vast countries can be daunting. That’s why we want to help you get it right straightaway, so you get to squeeze every bit of goodness out of your trip (and return home with bags full of amazing memories and exotic experiences that will make your friends and family green with envy).

It probably won’t take you long to realise we’re not a massive faceless corporate travel agency located overseas. Not us. We’re two passionate pro-earth, vegan-friendly travellers who live locally in Cape Town, who are totally crazy about Africa, and who love nothing more than sharing our shores with fellow explorers. Our favourite type of travel is the kind that doesn’t just skim along the surface, but that really shows you a bit of the country’s soul, and gets you to truly connect with the land and its people.

Be sure to check our country overview and ask for a quote as we can help you get the most out of your African Adventure. Or better yet, drop us an email, call or WhatsApp us, and we’d be happy to help in any way we can. We can’t wait to welcome you to sunny South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Victoria Falls, Tanzania, Kenya and the Indian Ocean Islands and share our tips with you.

Until then, hamba kakuhle (“walk well”),

François + JD

François

Co-founder

Bonjour, I'm François and originally from France –in case you couldn’t tell from my name ;-) . Since I finished uni I’ve lived all over the world – Tennessee, London, Paris, Doha… But none of those come even close to the amazingness of Cape Town, my new hometown.

Thanks to an insatiable wanderlust I’ve also travelled all over the globe, at times spending months in one region to get to know it better. It has always been my dream to create a travel company that is run by travellers, for travellers. The Travel Café is that dream come true and I couldn’t be more proud of what we do. When I’m not working away at creating awesome travel experiences, you can find me hiking at our Eco Mountain Reserve Starry Starry Night or doing lengths in Sea Point’s stunning pool (definitely worth checking out!), running along the promenade or sea-kayaking in Three Anchor Bay.

My background is in the airline industry where I’ve headed up large e-commerce teams. That experience is coming in super handy to help you with booking flights, hotels and planning an unforgettable itinerary. So get in touch and let us help you have a magical time in the Mother City and the rest of South Africa.

JD

Co-founder

Howzit! And thanks for checking out The Travel Café :) It makes me super happy to have a chance to share with you some of my favourite things to do, see and explore in a city and country that is so close to my heart. Before we launched The Travel Café I was working as a travel journalist, writing for publications like GQ, Men’s Health and MSN.com. When I’m not at The Travel Cafe HQ I’m probably somewhere taking aerial shots with my DJI drone, hiking in the mountains or checking out the city’s newest restaurant and bar offerings.

Like François there is nothing I love more than travelling, exploring different cultures and really getting under the skin of another country. Thanks to my career I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to 54 countries so far (not like I’m counting or anything :). But nowhere I’ve been can rival the uniqueness, diversity and magic of South Africa, a country I’ve criss-crossed many times over in search of great travel stories. Along the way I’ve uncovered scores of hidden gems, discovered spectacular places most tourists never even hear about and kept myself bang up to date with everything that is hip and happening in the Mother City, South Africa and the rest of the region.

It gives me a huge kick to be able to share all of that with you here. So please have a look around, check out the guides we’ve put together for you with lots of love and care, and be sure to get in touch if you have any questions, requests or requirements so we can help make your trip to our sunny shores truly unforgettable.

Hanjia

Junior Travel Designer

Hi! I'm Hanjia and originally from South Africa, born and raised. Straight after high school I had my first taste of traveling and fell in love straight away. You can say the travel bug truly got me! I travelled for a few years internationally visiting amazing places like Germany, Italy and America before returning home.

And where better to live than in Cape Town! This city offers so much diversity, positivity and dare I say personality. I enjoy everything Cape Town has to offer from hiking up Table Mountain to basking in the sun on a hot summers day to exploring new places in the city.

Since discovering my passion for travel I knew that I wanted to help others experience the joy and memories traveling has to offer. I can't wait to help you to create your dream vacation, experience and learn about different cultures and make unforgettable memories. Africa is waiting!

Contact us now!

The Travel Café Blog

Etosha // Ghost elephants 🐘🦓

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

Our final stop on this exploration of Namibia is Etosha, an iconic wildlife and safari destination in the north of the country. Etosha is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking a deeper connection with nature. The incredible landscapes, the rich biodiversity, and the chance to witness the raw power of wildlife in their otherwordly natural habitat make this a place like no other. Desert-adapted elephants that appear seemingly out of nowhere, strutting to a waterhole across a shimmering salt pan, parched, their skin encrusted with mud to help remove ticks and parasites. This is one of the images that will stay with us forever. Along with spectacular sightings of giraffe coming for a sip, oryx, springbok "pronking" in high arched jumps, scores of zebras, lion, wildebeest, the list goes on…. September marks the end of the dry season ahead of the summer rains, and is an excellent time to visit. Not only are the temperatures mild during the spring of the southern hemisphere, but a general lack of water ahead of the summer rains mean the animals congregate in breathtaking numbers around waterholes. It’s a truly special experience to sit there and watch all kinds of wildlife come and go in their natural rhythm. Our safari field guide shared some fascinating insights that left us in awe of nature’s wonders. For example, did you know that oryx (one of the mot famous antelope species of Namibia) are brown colour instead of grey like adults? This helps them blend into the winter vegetation which is primarily brown at the time they are born, protecting them from predators. As they grow older, they develop the characteristic striking black-and-white coloring we know oryx for. Also, oryx can survive up to 8 years without drinking water, getting all the moisture they need from the plants they eat. Nature is truly amazing! 🐘🦓🐾 🏞️ For more info about Etosha and to start planning YOUR very own Namibia adventure, visit us here

Spitzkoppe & Damaraland ⛰️🌞

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

The breathtaking mountain regions of Namibia. ⛰️🌞 As we continue our journey northwards through Namibia, our next stop was Spitzkoppe where the remarkable monolithic granite peak rises a staggering 1,728m into the air. Also known as the ‘Matterhorn of Namibia’, it is a truly impressive view to behold. Here we took the afternoon doing a walk to a rock arch, admired some ancient rock paintings and watched the sunset sitting atop these ancient rock. 🌄🌵🥾 As you leave Spitzkoppe you’ll find many small markets stalls next to the road selling shimmering gemstones from quartz and amethyst to garnet and fluoride. This is a great option to find some souvenirs and support the locals in the area. 🤩 From Spitzkoppe we continued to Damaraland, where we learned more about the rock engravings (also known as petroglyphs) from hunter-gatherers who once called this area home. We then did a 10km mountain biking trail on electric bikes, the perfect way to explore the rocky area. Up next is Etosha National Park, 325km away for spectacular safaris in an otherworldly location. 🦓🌱🐾🦒 Explore more about Damaraland here

Walvis Bay & Swakopmund 🦎🌊

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

It was a big drop in temperatures as we arrived compared to Sossusvlei, due to the proximity of the icy cold Atlantic Ocean.🌊 Walvis Bay means “Whales Bay” as hundreds of whales 🐳 can be found here every year. There’s plenty to do and to see in this leisure town as it is home to many animals like seals, 🦭 whales 🐋 and pink flamingos.🦩 Our 4x4 driver took us on an exhilarating drive of the famous “Sandwich Harbour” in the Namib Naukluft National Park, which is bigger than Switzerland, boasting kilometres of desert 🏜️ sand dunes that fall into the ocean. We also had the privilege to be taken in the desert early morning by another knowledgeable guide to look for living animals like chameleons, lizards 🦎, snakes, 🐍 and many other cute animals. Our favourite was definitely the web-footed gecko, 🦎 which can only be found in this part of Namibia. Can you believe it manages to survive in the desert by licking water that condenses on its eyes from its eyes, when fog rolls in from the ocean? Nature is just so incredibly clever! For more information about Swakopmund, visit us here .

Sossusvlei and the Namib Desert 🐫🏝️

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

A sea of sand, and soaring over rusty red dunes in a hot air balloon. 🎈 🏜️☀️🌵 The world’s oldest desert is spectacular. A landscape that could easily be from another planet. Some parts are so dry, they get less than 10mm of rain per YEAR! Here, we visited the iconic Dead Vlei. 🤩 This used to be a marsh with an acacia tree forest. Then the river got cut off, the marsh dried and the trees died. This happened 1,000+ years ago, but the tree skeletons still stand. So dry is this desert the trees couldn’t even decompose, burnt black they stand forever more, frozen in time and place. The Namib Desert is also where you will find some of the tallest dunes in the world. Like Big Daddy, topping out at 325m and dwarfing the other dunes in the desert.🌵 A certain highlight, in more ways than one, was gliding silently over the desertscsape, weightless, in a hot air balloon. 🎈 There is something truly poetic about using the oldest form of manned flight to admire the world’s oldest desert from above. For more info about Sossusvlei, visit us here .

Ghost Town: Kolmanskop 🏚️🏜️

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

Destination 3: Kolmanskop. Ghost towns, fields of diamonds and Champagne by the gallon. Driving through the vast desert landscapes from Fish River Canyon to Lüderitz is an experience like no other! 🏜️ After spending the night at the Shark Island Light House in Luderitz on the Atlantic coast, where the views were incredible, we visited Kolmanskop Ghost Town. At one point home to 300 miners during the diamond rush in the early 1900s, the town was abandoned when mining moved elsewhere. Now, the old house are buried by sand, as Mother Nature slowly reclaims the area. At its heyday, when diamond fever reached its peak, Kolmanskoppe was buzzing with life, opulence and decadence. Our guide shared stories of what was at its time one of the most advanced towns in the world. Electric lights and telephones were installed in all buildings long before that was common elsewhere in the world. Shop ledger entries tell of caviar, Champagne and exotic meats. The miners certainly knew how to live it up! Walking through this ghost town, we saw how time has frozen the area, leaving behind stories of its diamond-rich past. The mix of history and sand was unforgettable For more information about Namibia visit us here .

Fish River Canyon in Namibia 🌵🌅

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

We've arrived at Fish River Canyon, our second stop in Namibia. The Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world and the size is jaw-dropping. We visited the canyon during golden hour around sunset and what an incredible sight it was! 🌅😍 During our visit to the canyon we enjoyed a few minutes of silence to take in the vast openness and beauty this area beholds as the sun set over the canyon walls. While we drove home from the canyon we saw dassies sunbathing on the rocks and a few Oryx (large antelope species) next to the road - which the meat-eaters among us tried for dinner that night.🐾🌵 🎂🤩 To celebrate Francois' birthday today, we enjoyed an 8km morning hike before the desert heat kicks in. What a magical place to celebrate a birthday on The Travel Café team! Up next is the coastal town of Luderitz, 420km North East and the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Explore more information about Fish River Canyon here .

Paddle down Orange River 🚣‍♀️🇳🇦!

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

Just across the border from SA, is the Orange River, which actually forms the natural border between South Africa & Namibia. The Orange River starts high up in the Drakensberg Mountains in SA and ends in the Atlantic Ocean. As soon as you cross the border, everything slows down including the staff at the border 🙂 We took our team on a half day rafting 🚣 excursion on the Orange River which flows all year long and feeds hundreds of table grape 🍇& tomato 🍅 plantations for export. The 16 km journey on a canoe 🛶 was a good, but not too intense exercise after eating big portions of meat, which is very popular in Namibia. 🥘 While we paddled our way down the Orange River, we saw plenty of bird life 🐦 - from fish eagles, cormorans and darters to weavers, egyptian geese and more. Our Next stop will be Fish River Canyon, a 250km drive from Orange River. Explore more about Namibia here .

Next stop Namibia! 🇳🇦☀️😎🏜️🥰

by Francois Lebrun • 17 Oct, 2024

The Travel Cafe team has set off on an epic two week educational tour of Namibia. We are beyond excited to showcase this spectacular country to our team members Hanjia and Ovayo, and discovering unique and authentic experiences, ahead of launching our own new Namibia minigroup tour in 2025. Keep an eye on our social media channels and join us on the adventure. Our first stop was the Cederberg Wilderness Area about 4hrs north-east of Cape Town. It is an awe-inspiring landscape of otherworldly rock formations, vast vistas and Khoi-San rock paintings 5,000+ years old. Find more details about the Cedeberg here :