Travelling to South Africa with an infant and toddler.

Cape Town has so much to see and so much to do that even 6 days in this beautiful city was less. I strongly believe that when you travel with kids, it is absolutely necessary to be flexible and to be willing to make changes along the way. This definitely made our trip even more fun and we got to see way more than what we had planned. 

Some of the highlights for us in Cape Town were:

1) Chapman's Peak Drive - We loved it so much that we drove twice on this beautiful road. There is a small fee to drive this road but it is definitely worth it. There are so many spots you can stop at to take in the beautiful sights of the city. From here, you can see the Lions Head and Table top mountain from afar and this is a sight in itself. The curvy roads right alongside the beautiful pristine blue waters of Cape Town is a visual treat for anyone that loves mountains and water. You can also spot Hump-back Whales from here if you are there during the whale watching season. November is the end of this season and we were not able to see any but trust me, we spend a good hour here trying to catch a glimpse of one. 

2) Boulders Beach - Up until visiting Cape Town and researching for our trip, never did I ever expect to see Penguins outside of Antarctica! There is a colony of South African penguins that reside on this beach. You pay a fee to get on the viewing boardwalks from where you can see the penguins. While you cannot touch them, you do get extremely up close to them and it is an experience you do not want to miss.

3) Table top mountain - You can park at the foot of this beautiful mountain and hike up to the top or take a cable car up to the table. While we were there, it was extremely windy all those days and unfortunately, the cable cars were closed. Plus, with an infant, we did not want to risk hiking up with all the wind warnings. We sure did not want to deal with a sick infant and toddler. But even the foot of this mountain had such a beautiful aerial view of the city that I can only imagine how stunning the top would be.

4) Surfer huts at Muizenberg - I had seen this huts once in a movie and since then, always wanted to visit. These huts were everything and more than what I had imagined it to be. The huts are lined along the shoreline of the beach. Each huts is made of so many different colours and you are sure going to get some great photos here with the mountain as a backdrop on one side and the beach on the other. You can go inside the huts as well!

5) Cape of Good Hope - This place is so iconic that it seemed like a must visit. The 2 hour drive from Cape Town felt so long but we stopped at the Boulders Beach on way there and it helped break up our trip. There is an entry fee to get inside and I must say this - we could have totally skipped this area. Not only was the entry fee quite expensive, but the area was so crowded that we had to wait an hour in line to get a photo with the Cape of Good Hope sign - which we did not end up doing. Parking was such a challenge to find and we had to take turns to explore around. Plus, I felt we had seen such beautiful sights already specially on our drive through the Garden Route that we could have definitely skipped this one. 

6) V&A Waterfront - This area is so much fun! With restaurants to small boutique stores to artisan markets to local handmade shopping to live music to a kids playground, this area had it ALL! We got some really good souvenirs to bring back home and the wood work was absolutely beautiful. There is a little train that takes you around the waterfront and this place is right by a mall so you have a chance to shop some more. Tip: There are tons of road side vendors throughout Cape Town and they sell the same stuff that you will find at the Waterfront. It is much cheaper to buy wood carvings from these vendors! 

Knysna was a beautiful coastal small town destination that we were so glad we included in our trip. We had 2 full days here and got to see some spectacular sights of the water and the beautiful turquoise colour of the ocean. The Map of Africa was a place recommended by a local and we are so glad we went. The landscape there is cut out in the shape of the Map of Africa with a stream passing all around to give it its name. 

This town is known for their Oysters and while I am not a fan of Oysters, my husband seemed to have devoured them. He could not stop talking about how delicious they were. 

The Knysna Head was an absolute beautiful place to visit. This water is known to be some of the most dangerous in the world to swim in. Due to the meeting of the Knysna River and the ocean, there is a strong current created that can be quite dangerous. 

There is a cute cafe called the East Head Cafe right by the Knysna Head. You get to see the beautiful view while having your lunch and the food was amazing. We definitely recommend this place. 

This luxurious resort is everything you will ever dream of. The lodge is located on top of the hill right in the middle of the jungle. Each chalet is equipped with everything you can think of with your own private balcony where you can sit and see the water hole. The bath tub is right by a huge glass window that faces the jungle! I still remember sitting in the bath tub one day while watching a herd of elephants descend from the hill nearby. 

Your packages includes game drives, all meals, all accommodations unless you pick a different package. There are morning and evening safaris in open jeep safaris and these are an experience of a lifetime. We got to see a lion just 4 feet away from the jeep and that moment, no matter how frightening then was truly magical.

We got to eat some of the best food during our time there. Each meal was so delicious and different. Every night had a different theme but my favourite was the Braai night - which is a term for an African BBQ. The kitchen also called ahead to ask what the kids would eat from their kids menu. 

If you are looking to really indulge on your trip, definitely consider this lodge. We had planned our entire trip quite economically but had decided to splurge a bit to live in one of these Lodges and we were so glad we did!