We are two couples who will be arriving in Cape Town in mid-October and will staying four nights before we head off on safari. We will have 3 full days in Cape Town and would appreciate suggestions how best to use our time. We wish to include a shark diving trip, which I believe would take up one day so that really leaves 2 other days. We'd like to see the wine country, view the penguins, go to Robben Island, see the whales, take a ride up Table Mountain, etc.

Is there a tour operator whom you would recommend or do you think we should rent a car? How best do we organize each day to get as much in as possible.

Just thinking ahead...

Thanks for any ideas you all may have.

Fran

Everything you want to do is fabulous. It is just a matter of deciding what you can fit into your schedule. If Table Mountain is clear (no clouds hiding it) I would go there first thing before it clouds up. Didn't go to wine country, but went to see the penguins twice! When we were there, we hired Rhino Africa, instead of renting a car or taking public transportation. They were reasonably priced, and they waited while we hiked around Table Mt., Boulders Beach etc. Had great rec for where to have lunch, waited while we shopped, shared their opinion on political things happening in SA and were very good at identifying the wildlife we saw on the way back from Cape Point. Great outfit!

If you do a shark diving trip, you are quite right, that will take up most of one day so you have 2 more full days left. Hopefully you will get to see some whales on the same day. A popular day trip (also a full day) is the route along the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point National Park. Along the way you can view the penguins at Boulders Beach, do a short boat trip at Hout Bay to view the seals on a nearby island, etc. Likewise, the wine country could be a full day trip or a half day trip, so to fit in everything you mentioned is going to be tough. I agree that Table Mountain should be done as soon as you have an opportunity and clear weather, perhaps even on the day of arrival? Sundown is a great time to go up TM, go up while it's light and come down in the dark. Robben Island has had some ferry problems lately and takes a few hours too. A tour operator will help you put all the details together, and should not cost you more. For popular day trips like Cape Point and Winelands, you can do a scheduled bus tour (daily departures) which is quite affordable, or your tour operator can arrange a privately guided tour (vehicle plus guide just for yourselves) which costs a bit more. The cheapest is to rent a car and drive yourself around, which is also very easy to do. And with tourism radio (a gps based tourist commentary) you can have your own virtual guide too! The big question is how to fit everything in, and what to leave out! You will have to come back for another trip sometime, I think.
Onne from Wild Wings Safaris

we did the big red open top red buses and found them very good...there are two routes and we did both....

the penquins are fun to see as is the area...

table mountain was closed most of the time we were there so we drove up the next hill (name forgotten) and found it very worthwhile...

the whales will be around in october and that is very worth seeing....hermanus is a great place to see lots of them...

Selwyn Davidowitz of "I Love Cape Town Tours" gets high marks from Fodorites (and often contributes to the Forum.) You might check him out at www.ilovecapetown.com.