The Complete Guide to a Kosher Trip to Cape Town

Sea Point, Cape Town's densest Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, is home to the city's active Chabad centre alongside dozens of additional synagogues and South Africa's longest continuously running kosher meat restaurant - and serves as a perfect base for visiting some of the world's most spectacular sights: Table Mountain, Cape Point, and Robben Island. Here's a short guide to planning your visit.

Chabad Centre of Cape Town — the heart of Sea Point

The Chabad Centre of Cape Town on St Johns Road, led by Rabbi Mendel Popack, sits at the heart of Sea Point - the neighborhood with the city's highest concentration of observant Jews. Nearby Marais Road, well known for its own cluster of synagogues, is a short walk away, as are most of the neighborhood's kosher restaurants and shops.

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Table Mountain — best early in the morning

Table Mountain, the iconic flat-topped mountain towering over Cape Town, is reachable by cable car for 360-degree views of the city and ocean. Practical tip: go up early in the morning, before the clouds (the 'tablecloth') cover the summit and before the cable car lines lengthen.

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Cape Point — the tip of the continent

Cape Point, inside a nature reserve at the southwestern tip of Africa, offers dramatic cliffs, beaches, and wildlife. Practical tip: combine the visit with a drive along the spectacular coastal road from Sea Point, and keep an eye on your sandwiches - the wild baboon troops are notorious for stealing food from tourists.

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Robben Island — book ahead

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, is today a UNESCO World Heritage site reached by ferry from the V&A Waterfront. Practical tip: tickets are limited and sell out especially fast in tourist season - book online several days ahead.

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Between Sea Point's vibrant Chabad centre, the summit of Table Mountain, the cliffs of Cape Point, and the story of Robben Island, Cape Town combines a warm Orthodox Jewish community with some of the most spectacular scenery and stories anywhere in the world.