The Silo
Standing 57 metres tall, it was the tallest building in Cape Town for more than fifty years and a familiar landmark for ships arriving in Table Bay. As agriculture and trade evolved, the silo's role diminished and the building was eventually decommissioned in 2001. For years it stood empty, a relic of the city's industrial past.
Its second life began when architect Thomas Heatherwick was tasked with reimagining the structure. Rather than replacing it, he transformed the towering concrete silos into one of Africa's most celebrated cultural landmarks.
Location
Guests have immediate access to some of Cape Town's finest restaurants, boutiques and galleries, while the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa occupies the levels below. The city's beaches, the Cape Peninsula and the Winelands are all within easy reach, making The Silo an ideal base from which to explore the diverse experiences that have made Cape Town one of the world's most captivating destinations.
Accommodation
Interiors combine contemporary African art with bold colours, eclectic furnishings and carefully curated design pieces, creating spaces that feel more like private residences than hotel rooms.
Dining is centred around fresh, seasonal ingredients and inventive presentation. The Granary Café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in an elegant setting, while the rooftop offers drinks and light meals accompanied by panoramic views across the V&A Waterfront. Throughout the property, art, architecture and hospitality combine to create an experience that is unmistakably rooted in Cape Town's creative spirit.
Experiences
- Watch the sun set over Table Mountain from the rooftop, with sweeping views across the harbour, city and Atlantic coastline.
- Board a private boat from the Waterfront and cruise Table Bay, keeping an eye out for seals, seabirds and passing marine life.
- Explore the galleries of Zeitz MOCAA, one of the world's leading museums dedicated to contemporary African art, just steps from your room.
- Take the cable car up Table Mountain and follow panoramic walking trails high above the city before returning to the Waterfront below.
- Set out for the Cape Peninsula, tracing the dramatic coastal road past Chapman's Peak, Cape Point and the penguin colony at Boulders Beach.
- Discover the Cape Winelands, touring celebrated estates in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek while sampling some of South Africa's finest wines.
- Visit Robben Island, taking the ferry across Table Bay to explore the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and gain insight into South Africa's journey to democracy.
Why We Include The Silo in Our Journeys
Its location places Cape Town's galleries, restaurants and cultural attractions within easy reach, making it an ideal stop at the beginning or end of a wider African journey. Equally, for those devoting their entire time to the Cape, it provides a stylish and inspiring base from which to explore the city and beyond.
Talk to us about designing your journey >
From the Team
“Mention The Silo to anyone in South Africa and they'll know exactly what you mean. The word ‘iconic’ is overused, but few buildings deserve it more. A defining part of Cape Town's skyline for over a century, its transformation mirrors the city's own continuing reinvention. Bold, confident and unmistakably contemporary, it is a symbol of modern Cape Town at its most creative and sophisticated.”
Why Plan Your Safari with Journeysmiths
Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want your safari to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want your safari to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.
We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.
Great Places to Combine with The Silo
The Silo works beautifully as part of a wider African journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.The Silo works beautifully as part of a wider African journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.
La Residence is the finest boutique hotel in the Cape Winelands. The main house is reminiscent of a French country chateau and is set in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley surrounded by classic Cape Winelands scenery and overlooking a peaceful lake. The hotel is decorated and furnished in style with French antiques, Persian carpets and oil paintings, yet a friendly informal atmosphere prevails.
A contemporary sanctuary set above Walker Bay, Grootbos Forest Lodge immerses you in ancient milkwood forests, sweeping ocean views and world‑class fynbos experiences, all delivered with refined, nature‑forward luxury.
Hidden deep within a private sanctuary, this small and personal lodge combines seclusion with privileged access to one of Africa's most inspiring conservation stories, where endangered black and white rhinos roam protected landscapes and meaningful encounters leave a lasting impression.
With a superb shady riverbank location in a large and diverse private game reserve, Singita Ebony is not just luxurious; it is fascinating in all respects. Spacious and adaptable, it’s great for couples, groups, solo travellers and families.
Incredible Experience
We returned not long ago from our two week vacation/safari to South Africa. Everything went seamlessly from the moment we landed, enabling us to truly enjoy it all. Ross carefully listened to our hopes, areas of interest, and needs, helping put together an itinerary that ultimately far exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend Journeysmiths without any reservations and plan on using them again for our next African adventure!
The only country able to offer malaria-free safaris, South Africa is a wonderful choice for many looking for a luxury safari experience. Enjoy the abundance of wildlife on offer in some of the most exclusive private reserves, before exploring cosmopolitan Cape Town, where the glamour of the city meets the rugged outdoors.
See the splendour of South Africa as a family on this exclusive safari. Spend your days exploring captivating Cape Town, enjoying the delights of the Winelands and on safari, seeking out the abundant wildlife that roams the wilderness. No matter your age, this iconic safari will leave you with memories for a lifetime.
With opportunities to see the Big Five of both land and sea, along with incredible scenery, enormous national parks, world-class vineyards, a fascinating history and vibrant, friendly people, South Africa frequently tops the lists of the world’s best holiday destinations. Even so, less than 1% of the world's travellers make it here, so it’s a place where you’ll find yourself with a few select, like-minded and discerning adventurers who have discovered this gem of a country. It’s a place you could return to for the whole of your life and never tire of it.
We’ve compiled a list of our favourite experiences to inspire your imagination.
If you’re looking for a country that’s got everything, choose South Africa. Renowned for the spectacular views of the Garden Route, vibrant Cape Town, malaria free safaris, fascinating history and outstanding wildlife, the whole family will fall under the alluring spell of this diverse country.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the first person to call South Africa “the rainbow nation”. It’s a reflection on the fascinating diversity of this country, not only in the identities of its people but in the landscapes, wildlife, cultures, and activities it offers. South Africa is a country which, because of its variety, can be all things to all people, truly a rainbow of varied opportunities and experiences.
in South Africa
Without a shadow of a doubt, South Africa is one of the very best places to watch wildlife in the world. The Kruger National Park — a protected area the size of Wales — is certainly the most famous and popular safari destination, but with Journeysmiths you’ll escape the crowds to explore vast, wildlife-filled private reserves, in the company of the best guides.
Cape Town is one of the world’s great cities with a unique setting beneath Table Mountain.
To experience a little bit of everything that South Africa has to offer, you can hardly do better than to drive along the coastal road of the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It’s an extraordinary journey, and there’s wildlife on both land and shore, endless beaches, historic battlefields, and the vineyards are never far away. One day you might be whale spotting at Hermanus — renowned as one of the best whale watching locations in the world — and the next you could be learning about the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, handling antique weapons and scrambling over the British and Zulu positions.
Formerly the Zulu Kingdom, the province of KwaZulu Natal runs along South Africa’s dramatic Indian Ocean coastline. The Drakensberg Mountains create a natural border between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, and offer some excellent hiking routes.
For families of all ages there is so much to see and do in South Africa, making it an excellent and diverse travel destination. We’ve chosen 20 of the best experiences to immerse you in the culture, wildlife and beautiful places of this remarkable country.
South Africa is an excellent choice for family travel with children of all ages. Its wildlife is abundant, with a great diversity of species, including the Big Five: rhino, leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo. There are vast malaria-free reserves and it’s easy to get from safari regions to Cape Town and the beach.
Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary
Working in partnership with globally recognised conservation organisation; Care for Wild, the world’s largest rhino orphanage, we have curated a truly unique and exclusive experience giving a privileged few behind-the-scenes access to this otherwise incredibly private sanctuary.
From the culture and scenery of Cape Town to close-up conservation experiences and the wildlife riches of one of the world's great safari regions, this journey packs a remarkable range of memories into less than two weeks.