In every college students life there is a time when they can pretty much forget about taking those tough college cores and instead focus on what’s really important: partying in a new country and traveling the world. This time is the coveted semester abroad. Whether you’re going to Europe, Asia, or Australia you can use this semester to find that hot foreign chick you’ve been dying to meet or try that German beer you’ve read about. We’ve come up with some of the best places to begin your wild adventure; but read with caution because you may never want to leave! This is “Study Abroad Exposed!“
Paragliding over mountains, horseback riding on a beach, surfing enormous waves and hiking through the city… Cape Town is a sanctuary for ANYONE. Want to go cage diving with great whites? You can do that here too. Need a glass of wine? Why not enjoy one while on a safari with the wild-running lions and giraffes? Cape Town is definitely the most unique place on our Study Abroad: Exposed list. This city will leave you speechless with its beauty and wild lifestyle.
[Editor’s Note: If you’re in Cape Town you should 100% make the trip to Stellenbosch. It’s the biggest college town in the country and it’s absolutely amazing. Vineyards everywhere, great bars, and a good party scene. Just watch out because you are still in South Africa…]
Clubs/Bars
New Orleans has Bourbon Street, New York has The Meatpacking, and Cape Town has Long Street. By day, Long Street is crowded with people shopping at the fashionable stores, lunching at the delicious restaurants, and of course having drinks to enjoy the sunny days. By night, this street boasts a wild party scene. High-end clubs and little dive bars line the street so you’ll be sure to be stumbling down this street in the early morning hours.
We’re all college students. We all need our dive bars. This is why The Shack is the PRIME spot for us. The shack plays retro rock and alternative music and has a pool table for you and your boys to play while tossing back the beers on tap. The laid back vibe here will give us that college-y feel we all so desperately crave.
Wanting something more high-end? Club 31 is just that: high-end, swanky, and posh. This club owns its lavish décor and gorgeous women. The opulent chandeliers, tables stacked bottles of Veuve, and killer views will leave you feeling like a king. Come here dressed to the nines if you want to pick up one of the many models that party here.
You pull up to the address your friend gave you and arrive at a plain, un-labeled door with a narrow flight of stairs behind it. Yes, you’ve arrived at The Waiting Room. The bar has live bands playing on Tuesdays and impressive DJs playing chill music from Wednesday to Sunday. This cozy, edgy spot even has a rooftop bar overlooking the untamed Long Street so you can watch all the drunken partiers!
Whether you’re looking to party during the day or night, Fiction is the spot. Fiction has a dance floor that fits 200 people who are ready to dance all night. The music is a mixture of all different genres, which is exactly why people are addicted to this place. Upstairs is the “day time bar” which has Astro Green Turf and wooden benches and tables—it’s open from 12 pm so you can start early! Even further up is the rooftop with incredible views of Cape Town.
Restaurants
South Africa is known for its colorful locals and diverse cultures—it’s even called the “Rainbow Nation!” With Cape Town being the most popular city in the country, it’s no wonder the food here is a hodgepodge of flavors from around the world.
Walking down the famous Long Street you’ll see every country represented so you’ll always be able to satisfy your cravings for guac, burgers, pizza, or anything else.
Here are some of the must-try restaurants in the city:
– The Roundhouse and Rumbullion (Mediterranean/African)
– El Burro (Mexican)
– Royale Eatery (Burgers/milkshake)
– Gold Restaurant (African) [PICTURED ABOVE]
– Kitima (Asian/Sushi)
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJRYmSir-4&w=590]
Events
Imagine chillin in a river, listening to different style bands play their music, and watching the best comedians perform their shows on three stages. This dream comes to life at the Up The Creek Festival in Cape Town. There are over 30 acts preforming on stages during the weekend so no matter what type of music junkie you are, you’ll fit right in. The bars at the festival wrap around the river so you’ll be laid-back and enjoying your freedom the entire time. There’s even a competition with wild prizes to create the sickest, most comfortable, unique floating device so that you can enjoy a brew while gliding down the river!
This year the festival will run from January 29th days of happiness, swimming, and partying. Think Woodstock, Tomorrow Land, Coachella, and a lake combined… but better.
Photo Ops
It’s pretty clear by now that you can do almost anything in South Africa. This is why the pictures from your semester abroad here will make your friends at home wishing they were enjoying a beer and the South African sunset with you right away.
You’ll feel like your in an episode of shark week when you’re cage diving with the deadliest sharks at Gansbaai. Kill the Instagram game with a picture at Boulders Beach—the beach that has over 3,000 penguins roaming the shore! Become humbled and inspired by visiting the cell that imprisoned Nelson Mandela on Robben Island. All I have to say is to take the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway to the mountaintop and the 360 views of the country from the cable car will speak for themselves. Obviously riding a safari jeep through the Aquila Game Reserve of Cape Town will leave you with incredible pictures of zebras, giraffes, elephants, and lions to show off!
Wildcard
– Movies that take place there (Safe House, Invictus, Blood Diamond)
– Instagram locations (Clifton Beach, Kirstenboch Gardens, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Old Biscuit Mill Market, Stellenbosch Vineyards, Bo Kapp–pictured above)
– Weather (Our summer is their winter; very mild and moderately wet winters; warm and dry summers; beach city)
– Attitude Towards American Guys (Nicest locals in Cape Town, very welcoming, a lot of different cultures and ethnicities in the city, people from all over spend time living in Cape Town) to February 1st so come prepared to camp out for three
