I recently ran a competition in collaboration with City Sight seeing Tour Buses. They were so kind to offer 2 tickets to anyone who entered and retweeted my post about Cape Town. I want to take a moment to THANK City Sight Seeing Buses for this collaboration. You guys are AMAZING. You can also follow them on twitter at @joburgredbus and @capetownredbus #redbus

On 15 October 2015, we announced the winner! Congrats to Haanim Galvaan who was the lucky girl to score 2 tickets to the city that she wanted to explore the most. She chose Cape Town to explore and took her friend with her. These are their tweets and photos from their awesome Cape Town experience.

While the City Sightseeing buses are double decker, with an exposed 2^nd level, the cruise offers just one level of seating and full shade, an advantage for those of us with skin that burns easily.

We boarded the boat, with only one other fellow passenger. As a photographer, the empty boat was helpful because I could move around easily, to catch different views. I could see later on that the noon boat was packed.

Overall, the cruise was a lot of fun! The tour begins amongst some of the most exclusive waterfront condos and yachts in South Africa, with a view of Signal Hill. The boat then passes underneath the Swing Bridge by the Clock Tower and the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, then circumnavigates its way all around the Victorian Basin. The highlight was watching seals swimming, relaxing and enjoying the water. The boat driver paused near them, to allow for extra time to take pictures. I was too busy in action with my camera to listen to the full audio tour, but it does offer a lot of fun facts and interesting historical information. There’s even mention of Bon Jovi! The cruise offered a new and different perspective that builds on my great appreciation for this gorgeous city, overflowing with fascinating discoveries for locals and tourists alike. And for photographers, the cruise provides the opportunity to capture images of the harbor from the water.

If you have a day to spend out at the V&A Waterfront, be sure to include this quick tour into your day. Then meander through the artsy shops at the crisply designed Watershed space [http://www.waterfront.co.za/Shop/watershed ] and find lunch or snacks at the V&A Food Market [http://waterfrontfoodmarket.com], open everyday. Just be sure to have cash on hand, as most food vendors don’t accept credit cards. If you’re there on a Saturday, I also suggest the Oranjezicht City Farm Market Day [http://www.ozcf.co.za/market-day/] at Granger Bay. And there’s always the Victoria Wharf Shopping Center, if you’re looking for a more standard mall experience.

A huge thank you to Nico and Citysightseeing.co.za for the opportunity! And thank you to the crew, Kyle and Llewellyn, for a smooth and enjoyable cruise!