CHEAP FLIGHTS TO CAPE TOWN FROM LONDON

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO CAPE TOWN FROM LONDON

TRAVEL TIPS :

Passport & Visas

• Check the passport and visa requirements for the countries you are visiting / transiting in on your planned journey - make sure you apply for them well in advance of your date of travel

• Check the legitimacy of your Passport and Visas.

• Don't forget your passport and visa on the day of travel.

• If you misplace your passport or visa please speak to the embassy or consulate immediately in the country you are traveling in.

Security Precautions

• Put a luggage strap around your case for easy credentials and superfluous securely.

• If you misplace your passport or visa please contact the embassy or consulate immediately in the country you are traveling in.

• Never carry packages on behalf of anyone else, however genuinely they seem to be.

• Never go away luggage unattended at airports, this creates a high security risk.

Health Precautions

• Check the inoculation and health requirements for all of the countries you are visiting on your journey. Please be aware some vaccinations need to be administered 4-6 weeks before travel.

• If you are carrying medicines or medications with you please keep a note of your condition and the medication you require somewhere handy e.g. a piece of paper inside the cover of your passport, where it can be easily found in an emergency.

• Ensure you take extra supplies of medication in case you get delayed abroad.

Air Tickets

• Check the ticket for Flight(s) details & accuracy as soon as you recieve it.

• Keep your tickets with your passport and visas and do not forget them on the day you travel.

Baggage Packing

• Pack the night before you travel, to save rushing and being late for your flight.

• Check the weather forecast at your destination before travelling to avoid taking unnecessary luggage.

• Roll clothes instead of folding them, it creates less creases. Honest!

• Pack travel sizes of all of the lotions and potions you require to save space.

Baggage Allowance

• Check with the airline you are traveling with on the stipulated baggage allowances.

• Ensure that your hand baggage allowance does not exceed the level enforced by the airline you are traveling with. This ensures unnecessary embarrassment at the check-in desk, having to move luggage from your hand baggage to your suitcase.

Getting To & From The Airport

• Check timetables for public transport in advance to ensure you arrive at the airport in plenty of time.

• If taking your car pre-book parking wherever possible or get someone to give you a lift in order to save time.

• Wherever possible use only metered taxis around the airport.

Foriegn Currency

• Make sure you have enough foreign currency for your immediate arrival into a foreign country, particularly if your flight arrives at an odd hour.

• Always make a list of the Credit / Debit Card numbers and travelers cheques you are carrying along with the suppliers contact numbers in case they get lost.

Special Requests

• Give airlines plenty of notice for special meal requirements or seating requests.

Jetlag

• Try to drink plenty of water whilst on the aircraft as this helps to counter dehydration.

• Check in flight magazines, for gentle exercises to do whilst on board to stop stiffness and tiredness of joints

• Check in flight magazines, for gentle exercises to do whilst on board to stop stiffness and tiredness of joints

• Cleanse and moisturize skin regularly whilst on board again to counter dehydration.

• Eat a light meal onboard as easier to digest, avoid excessive carbohydrates and fats.

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO CAPE TOWN FROM LONDON

Cape Town

• Cape Town is a coastal city in South Africa. It is the capital and primate city of the Western Cape province. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. As the place where the Parliament of South Africa is found, Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. The other two capitals are located in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The city is known for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, and for landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. As of 2014, it is the 10th most populous city in Africa and home to 64% of the Western Cape's population. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph. Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town, as the oldest urban area in South Africa, was developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established Dutch Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.

Climate

• Cape Town has a warm Mediterranean climate with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter, which lasts from the beginning of June to the end of August, may see large cold fronts entering for limited periods from the Atlantic Ocean with significant precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. Winter months in the city average a maximum of 18.0 °C and minimum of 8.5 °C Total annual rainfall in the city averages 515 millimetres. Summer, which lasts from early December to March, is warm and dry with an average maximum of 26.0 °C and minimum of 16.0 °C. The region can get uncomfortably hot when the Berg Wind, meaning "mountain wind", blows from the Karoo interior for a couple of weeks in February or early March. Late spring and early summer generally feature a strong wind from the south-east, known locally as the south-easter or the Cape Doctor, so called because it blows air pollution away. This wind is caused by a high-pressure system which sits in the South Atlantic to the west of Cape Town, known as the South Atlantic High. Cape Town receives 3,100 hours of sunshine per year. Water temperatures range greatly, between 10 °C on the Atlantic Seaboard, to over 22 °C in False Bay. Average annual Ocean temperatures are between 13 °C on the Atlantic Seaboard (similar to Californian waters, such as San Francisco or Big Sur), and 17 °C in False Bay (similar to Northern Mediterranean temperatures, such as Nice or Monte Carlo). As of 2018, Cape Town is experiencing a water crisis, following a drought that began in 2015, which is said to be the worst that the region has experienced in one hundred years. Despite Day Zero now being pushed back well into 2019, the water crisis still exists and residents still have to follow strict restrictions. If Day Zero is reached next year, the city's taps will be turned off and people will have to queue at allocated taps in the city for a daily limit of 25 litres a day.

Tourism

• Cape Town is not only a popular international tourist destination in South Africa, but Africa as a whole. This is due to its mild climate, natural setting, and well-developed infrastructure. The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notably Table Mountain, which forms a large part of the Table Mountain National Park and is the back end of the City Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the Table Mountain Cableway. Cape Point is recognised as the dramatic headland at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Many tourists also drive along Chapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that links Noordhoek with Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up Signal Hill for closer views of the City Bowl and Table Mountain. Clifton Beach is one of Cape Town's most famous beaches and is a significant tourist destination in its own right. Many tourists also visit Cape Town's beaches, which are popular with local residents. Due to the city's unique geography, it is possible to visit several different beaches in the same day, each with a different setting and atmosphere. Though the Cape's water ranges from cold to mild, the difference between the two sides of the city is dramatic. While the Atlantic Seaboard averages annual water temperatures barely above that of coastal California around 13 °C, the False Bay coast is much warmer, averaging between 16 and 17 °C annually. This is similar to water temperatures in much of the Northern Mediterranean. In summer, False Bay water averages slightly over 20 °C, with 22 °C a common high. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast tend to have very cold water due to the Benguela current which originates from the Southern Ocean, whilst the water at False Bay beaches may be warmer by up to 10 °C at the same moment due to the influence of the warm Agulhas current, and the surface warming effects of the South Easter wind. It is a common misconception that False Bay is part of the Indian Ocean, with Cape Point being both the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and the southernmost tip of Africa. The oceans in fact meet at the actual southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas, which lies approximately 150 kilometres to the south east. The misconception is fuelled by the relative warmth of the False Bay water to the Atlantic Seaboard water, and the many confusing instances of "Two Oceans" in names synonymous with Cape Town, such as the Two Oceans Marathon, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and places such as Two Oceans wine farm. View of Lion's Head from Camps Bay Both coasts are equally popular, although the beaches in affluent Clifton and elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are better developed with restaurants and cafés, with a strip of restaurants and bars accessible to the beach at Camps Bay. The Atlantic seaboard, known as Cape Town's Rivera, is regarded as one of the most scenic routes in South Africa. The majestic slopes of the Twelve Apostles to the unspoilt boulders and white sand beaches of Llandudno, which the route ending in Hout Bay - a diverse bustling suburb with a harbour and a seal island. This fishing village is flanked by the luscious Constantia valley and the picturesque Chapmans Peak drive. Boulders Beach near Simon's Town is known for its colony of African penguins. Surfing is popular and the city hosts the Red Bull Big Wave Africa surfing competition every year. The city has several notable cultural attractions. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, built on top of part of the docks of the Port of Cape Town, is the city's most visited tourist attraction. It is also one of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several hundred shops and the Two Oceans Aquarium. The V&A also hosts the Nelson Mandela Gateway, through which ferries depart for Robben Island. It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A to Hout Bay, Simon's Town and the Cape fur seal colonies on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours of the Cape Flats, a mostly Coloured township, and Khayelitsha, a mostly black township. Artscape Theatre Centre at Foreshore Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of Cape Dutch style buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany, France and Indonesia, is most visible in Constantia, the old government buildings in the Central Business District, and along Long Street. The annual Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known by its Afrikaans name of Kaapse Klopse, is a large minstrel festival held annually on 2 January or "Tweede Nuwe Jaar". Competing teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes, performing Cape Jazz, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments. The Artscape Theatre Centre is the largest performing arts venue in Cape Town.

Airport

• Cape Town International Airport serves both domestic and international flights. It is the second-largest airport in South Africa and serves as a major gateway for travellers to the Cape region. Cape Town has direct flights to most cities in South Africa as well as a number of international destinations. Cape Town International Airport recently opened a brand new central terminal building that was developed to handle an expected increase in air traffic as tourism numbers increased in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Other renovations include several large new parking garages, a revamped domestic departure terminal, a new Bus Rapid Transit system station and a new double-decker road system. The airport's cargo facilities are also being expanded and several large empty lots are being developed into office space and hotels. The Cape Town International Airport was among the winners of the World Travel Awards for being Africa's leading airport.