Life in
Cape Town
Extraordinary. Complex. Unforgettable.
A FIRST HAND PERSPECTIVE FROM VAC
The City We Call Home.
The City You’ll Make Your Own.
Cape Town is our home. Many of us at VAC grew up here, and we’ve spent nearly twenty years introducing international students and young travelers to the city we know and love.
It’s an extraordinary place to live. Mountains, beaches, fascinating neighborhoods, exceptional food, and a remarkable diversity of people and cultures are all part of everyday life. Yet Cape Town is also a city of striking contrasts, shaped by a complicated history and challenges that deserve to be understood. Over the years, we’ve helped young people settle in, make friends, explore, and gradually find their own place in the city. We know what surprises them, what they sometimes struggle with, and what makes their time here memorable. This guide brings together those experiences and our own local perspective, offering an honest introduction to life in Cape Town, in all its beauty and complexity.
Explore Life in Cape Town
A closer look at the places, people, experiences and realities of life in Cape Town.
STUDENT REFLECTIONS
Cape Town Stays With You
These are the reflections of six former VAC participants, each with their own story of what Cape Town came to mean to them.
“This place holds so much magic for anyone willing to listen—willing to receive it. And once I arrived, it felt like the pieces of my life finally started falling into place. All I needed was to take that first step, that leap off a mountain, and trust that I could fly.”
“Since coming here, I’ve found myself learning how to love myself more and just overall becoming a happier person. I feel as though I discovered a new admiration for the people around me and realized how much I genuinely adore teaching kids.”
“You will find an amazing group of supportive, adventurous people that will encourage you to go crazy and have fun in this wonderful Mother City. Nothing will help you be you more than living here in Cape Town. Ill miss you all!”
“The past three months spent conquering fears and realizing dreams have changed me in a way that I did not imagine possible. … I came into this experience hoping to learn about Cape Town and its culture (which I have), but I have come out of the experience having been taught about myself and the person I wish to be.”
“I found that my time here with VA Corps was not only deeply touching in terms of the people I met, the places I got to experience on a weekly basis, and the sense of community here in Cape Town that warmed my heart and soul.”
“To say that my time in Cape Town forever changed my life is an understatement. In all honesty, I was afraid once I landed. I never even been on a plane before, and here I was taking a 22-hour flight to this foreign location. I really didn’t know what to expect! … Looking back, it all seems like a beautiful dream.”
EXTRAORDINARY ACCESS TO NATURE
Living Between Mountains and Ocean
01
A City with a Mountain Running Through It
One of the most extraordinary things about living in Cape Town is having a mountain right in the middle of the city. And not just a mountain, but an entire national park, with vast stretches of wilderness extending along the Cape Peninsula.
The mountains are a constant presence. You can see them from almost anywhere in the city, rising above neighborhoods, busy roads, and buildings. They’re part of the backdrop to everyday life in a way that’s difficult to appreciate until you’ve spent some time here.
02
A Life Lived Outdoors
Cape Town’s mountains, beaches, and coastline have a huge influence on the way people live. For many, spending time outdoors is part of everyday life, and it’s difficult not to get swept up in that culture.
Hiking, mountain biking, trail running, surfing, scuba diving and rock climbing are just some of the activities on offer. We often see participants arrive with one set of interests and leave with a few new ones. Some take up surfing or trail running, while others simply find themselves spending more time outdoors.
There’s also a strong social side to it. People get together to hike, surf, run, or ride, and these activities offer an easy way to meet others. We often see participants put themselves out there, by joining a group, trying something new, and making connections with people they might otherwise never have met.
03
Uniquely Accessible
For our interns living in Observatory, some mountain trails are only about a ten-minute drive away. It’s easy to head up there after work for a run or walk, and quickly leave the city behind.
Whats particularly nice is that you don’t have to walk far, or climb particularly high, before the city disappears from view. Suddenly, you’re surrounded by mountains and natural vegetation, and it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
The beaches and coastline are similarly accessible. An afternoon at the beach, a sunset walk, or simply finding somewhere beautiful to relax can easily become part of your week.
SETTLING IN
Finding Your Rhythm in Cape Town
01
Finding Your Feet
Arriving in a new country can feel a little overwhelming, even when you’re excited to be there. Everything is unfamiliar, and the little things you take for granted at home suddenly require a bit more thought.
When you walk out of the airport, a VAC staff member will be there to meet you, usually someone you already know.
We’ll introduce you to the Mother City in the best way we know how. By taking you out to meet her.
We’ll introduce you to your neighborhood, Observatory show you where to find the things you’ll need, and talk about how to navigate the city safely. We’ll we’ll head to the city centre. We’ll show you how to use public transport and we’ll also discuss some of the realities of living here, including homelessness and the visible inequalities that are part of everyday life in Cape Town. These conversations make much more sense when you’re actually out in the city, seeing and experiencing things for yourself.
Our aim is to help shorten any period of uncertainty. And to make sure you feel supported so that you have the confidence to go out and explore. Cape Town can take some getting used to, but we find that familiarity, practical guidance, and a little local knowledge make an enormous difference.
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Finding Your Daily Rhythm
After orientation, your internship becomes the main structure around which your week develops. Having somewhere to go, a regular journey to work, and familiar faces to see each day helps people settle into Cape Town surprisingly quickly.
And then there’s everything that happens outside your internship.
It’s not unusual for our participants to head out three or four times a week after work. They might catch the sunset from the beach, go for a hike or a run, walk along the promenade, visit the gym, or meet friends for a meal. There’s an enormous amount to do, and much of it is easily accessible.
Weekends are an opportunity to explore further: a new beach, a longer hike, a restaurant you’ve been meaning to try, or perhaps a night or two away.
Some days are busy, and others are deliberately quiet. You might spend an entire Saturday exploring, or simply stay home, catch up on your laundry, and make dinner. That’s part of living somewhere too.
After the first couple of weeks, we often notice a change. Participants begin making their own plans, developing preferences, and feeling more comfortable with the practicalities of getting around.
03
The Ordinary Pleasures of Living Here
One of the advantages of living in Observatory is that so much of everyday life is close by. It’s a neighborhood we know extremely well, with independent cafés, restaurants, shops, longtime residents, and people from all sorts of backgrounds. It’s lively, sometimes a little untidy, and not without its challenges. Knowing how to navigate the neighborhood safely is part of becoming comfortable here.
There’s a lovely moment when you realize you no longer need Google Maps to find your way somewhere. Or you learn the name of the barrister at your favorite coffee shop. What we particularly enjoy watching is how that familiarity turns into independence.
We often find that it takes two or three weeks before participants really begin to feel comfortable with their routines. It’s this participation in the daily life of a city that makes the difference between visiting somewhere and actually living there. And Cape Town has a way of really rewarding those that take the time to reach that point.
By the time people leave that change can be one of the things they appreciate most. They’ve had the unusual opportunity to arrive somewhere as a complete stranger and learned, not only to live and navigte a different place, but to participate in its daily life, and become part of it. To give to the city, and take from it, in equal measure.
COMMUNITY
Finding Your People
01
Something in Common
One of the things that continues to surprise us is just how close the friendships formed during our program can become. We’ve seen people arrive in Cape Town knowing nobody and leave with friendships that continue long after they’ve returned home.
We think Cape Town has something to do with it. Choosing to spend a few months living and working in South Africa tends to attract people with a certain curiosity about the world, an adventurous spirit, and a willingness to try something unfamiliar.
Our participants come from all sorts of backgrounds, but there’s often something they have in common before they’ve even met.
02
A Community from Day One
One of the most valuable things VAC provides is a community of people who are going through a similar experience. Most participants arrive knowing nobody, but from the beginning they’re introduced to their housemates, meet others during orientation, and have opportunities to spend time together through our regular Friday activities.
Community also develops through work. Participants spend much of their week alongside South African colleagues, many of whom come from very different backgrounds and have different perspectives on life. We often see genuine friendships develop through these relationships, giving participants a connection to Cape Town that goes well beyond the VAC program.
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Finding Your Own Circle
Cape Town also offers plenty of opportunities to meet people independently. Observatory has a large student population, and there are all sorts of clubs and activities around the city.
We’ve seen participants get involved in running groups, mountain biking, surfing, and other activities, meeting people they would never otherwise have crossed paths with.
What matters is that participants have options. Some love being part of a big group. Others develop a handful of close friendships, or prefer exploring independently. Either way, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and build connections in your own way.
Building relationships is a big part of the experience. And many of the friendships that begin in Cape Town continue long after everyone has gone home.
EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY
Food and Culture
01
A City of Many Cultures
It’s difficult to define the culture of Cape Town because it depends so much on who you’re talking to. The city is home to people from an extraordinary range of backgrounds, with different languages, histories, traditions, and ways of life. Even the character of the city can change quite dramatically from one neighborhood to the next.
Over the years, we’ve welcomed participants from more than 30 countries, and one of the things we’ve noticed is how naturally people from very different places seem to fit into life here. Particularly in Observatory, where diversity is such an ordinary part of the neighborhood.
Something our students often comment on is how open people are. South Africans can be wonderfully curious about visitors, where they come from, and what they think. Conversations sometimes become surprisingly personal, touching on politics, history, or subjects that people elsewhere might be more hesitant to discuss.
We think there’s something valuable in that openness. Cape Town brings you into contact with people who see and experience the world very differently, and there’s an enormous amount to discover if you’re willing to share and listen.
02
A City That Loves Food
Cape Town takes its food seriously, and with good reason. In 2024, readers of Condé Nast Traveller voted it the best city in the world for food.
The variety is extraordinary. You can find cuisines from across the world, often with a distinctly South African influence, alongside local dishes that reflect the city’s different cultural histories.
And for many international visitors, the value is another pleasant surprise. Cape Town offers everything from inexpensive neighborhood restaurants and lively food markets to internationally acclaimed fine dining. Depending on your budget, you may find yourself enjoying restaurants and dining experiences that would be considerably more expensive in cities like London or New York.
We often see participants develop their own collection of favorites. Some return to the same little restaurant week after week, while others seem determined to try somewhere new every time they go out. Three months gives you plenty of opportunities to do both.
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Beyond the attractions
There’s no shortage of ways to enjoy Cape Town’s cultural life. Markets, galleries, museums, music, performances, festivals, restaurants, and nightlife are all part of what’s available, and the variety makes it easy to keep discovering new things.
But we think there’s an important distinction between enjoying what a city offers and getting to know the people who make it what it is.
Some of the most interesting cultural experiences aren’t things you buy tickets for. They happen through conversations with colleagues, getting to know people in your neighborhood, visiting different parts of the city, or finding yourself in a discussion that challenges something you’ve always taken for granted.
We encourage participants to be curious about the people and places around them. Cape Town has an enormous amount to offer, but no two people will experience it in quite the same way. And sometimes the most interesting part of living here is realizing how much you still have to learn about the place.
AN UNEQUAL CITY
The Realities, Honestly
01
A City of Contrasts
Cape Town is an extraordinarily beautiful city, but it is also a place of profound contrasts. One of the things that can take newcomers by surprise is how closely great wealth and serious poverty exist alongside one another. Sometimes those contrasts are difficult to ignore. You can travel a relatively short distance and find yourself in a neighborhood that feels entirely different from the one you’ve just left.
Much of this is inseparable from South Africa’s history. Apartheid shaped where people were allowed to live, work, and move, and its consequences remain visible throughout Cape Town today. Understanding even a little of that history helps explain why the city looks and functions the way it does.
We don’t think there’s much value in pretending these differences aren’t there. They’re part of everyday life, and they’re part of getting to know Cape Town beyond its beaches, mountains, and beautiful restaurants.
02
Living with the Realities
Some aspects of daily life in Cape Town take getting used to. Poverty and homelessness are visible in parts of the city, including Observatory. You may encounter people asking for money, places that feel unfamiliar, and situations where a little more planning and awareness are necessary.
Personal safety deserves to be taken seriously. Cape Town is not a city where we’d encourage people to wander anywhere, at any hour, without thinking about where they’re going. Knowing which areas to visit, how to get around, and when to arrange transport makes a real difference.
This is why we place such importance on introducing participants to the city properly. Rather than simply giving people a list of warnings, we take them out into their neighborhood, explain what they’re seeing, and help them learn how to navigate daily life with practical local knowledge.
We want participants to feel comfortable exploring Cape Town, but that comfort should come from familiarity and good judgment, not from pretending there are no risks.
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A Different Perspective
One of the things we’ve come to admire about South Africans is their ability to make a plan. Life here isn’t always straightforward, and people frequently have to find ways around circumstances that are difficult, frustrating, or simply beyond their control.
That resourcefulness can be quite striking to someone arriving from a place where things generally work differently. So can the realities of what people manage with limited resources.
There are serious social problems in South Africa, and we wouldn’t want to romanticize the difficulties people face. But we’ve noticed that spending time in Cape Town can change the way participants think about their own circumstances, what they consider important, and the assumptions they’ve grown up with.
Over the years, we’ve found that the participants who seem to get the most out of their time here are often those who become comfortable with the fact that life doesn’t always conform to their expectations. They’re curious about the differences they encounter, willing to listen to people whose experiences are unlike their own, and open to having their perspectives challenged.
It’s often these participants who leave Cape Town with a particularly deep appreciation for the city, including its complexities and contradictions.
WHAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
Cape Town has its quirks
A few things nobody thought to mention before you arrived.
Penguins Have Right of Way
Cape Town’s famous African Penguins are not just tucked away in a nature reserve. In Simon’s Town, you can sometimes see them waddling along the roadside. Whether they’re wandering through town or relaxing on the beach nearby, seeing them never gets old.
People are really friendly
Don’t be surprised if a complete stranger strikes up a conversation while you’re standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in a restaurant, or walking down the street.Many of the South Africans our participants meet are wonderfully open and curious. People aren’t just friendly; they’re genuinely interested in one another, and conversations can go beyond small talk surprisingly quickly.
The Ocean Is Freezing!
Those gorgeous turquoise beaches along Cape Town’s Atlantic coast look positively tropical. But dip your toes in, and you’ll discover the water can be a lot colder than expected! Luckily, the beaches on the False Bay side of the peninsula have generally warmer water. That’s where people tend to go if they actually want to stay in the ocean for more than a few minutes.
The Baboons Are Thieves!
These clever animals have absolutely no respect for personal property and are expert opportunists! Keep your food and belongings secure when visiting areas where baboons are present. We’ve learned that lesson from experience!
Winter Can Be Properly Cold!
People hear “Africa” and imagine sunshine and shorts all year round. Then they arrive in Cape Town in July. Winter brings rain, cold fronts, wind, and houses that aren’t always particularly good at keeping the cold out. Bring a proper jacket. You’ll be glad you did.
Not Just a Mountain
Table Mountain isn’t just the famous flat-topped mountain you see on postcards. It’s part of a vast mountain landscape stretching down the Cape Peninsula, much of it protected within Table Mountain National Park. There’s an actual national park running right through the city, and you could spend years exploring its trails.
Work-Life Balance Is Taken Seriously
Cape Town has a wonderful outdoor culture, and many people make the most of their free time. A run before breakfast, a surf after work, or a sunset hike on a weekday? All perfectly possible. With mountains and beaches so close, spending time outdoors can become a surprisingly natural part of your routine.
The Wind Has Opinions
Cape Town has a famous southeasterly wind, and when it blows, it really blows. Beach umbrellas become a liability, hairstyles are ruined, and choosing the right activities based on wind direction can become a surprisingly serious discussion. The locals know that one side of the mountain can be wonderfully sheltered while the other completely blown out.
THE JOURNEY HOME
The Hardest Part Might Be Leaving
There’s a moment, often somewhere toward the end of a stay, when you realize how familiar everything has become. The streets you once needed directions for, the people you see regularly, the places you return to without thinking. Somewhere along the way, Cape Town has become part of your everyday life.
And then it’s time to go home.
For some, leaving is surprisingly difficult. They’ve built friendships, discovered new interests, and found a place for themselves in a city that once felt completely unfamiliar.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER
Could Cape Town Be Part of Your Story?
If you’ve been imagining what it might be like to spend a few months living in Cape Town, we’d love to help you explore the possibility. VAC offers internships and other opportunities to experience the city, with a local team to help you find your feet.