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| On the Cape of Good Hope with Cape Point behind us |
Another post, more Cape scenery. We took a tour of the Cape Peninsula yesterday, from Cape Town all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, and we liked it even more than the Winelands tour. The weather did not cooperate at first, obscuring the mountains but by lunch it had cleared up and was a gorgeous day.
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| The Cape Peninsula / picture from Wikipedia |
We began by driving through Cape Town's Atlantic coast suburbs, home to most expensive real estate in the city, if not the whole country. The communities are lined with picturesque beaches backed by the "Twelve Apostles" formation on the west face of Table Mountain. These beaches may be pretty, but they aren't swimmer-friendly. The water temperature is currently ten degrees Celsius (fifty degrees Fahrenheit) and doesn't get about fifteen degrees Celsius (fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit) even in the summer. Maybe I'm a sissy who has gotten too used to warm water, but I wouldn't go in that water past my ankles.
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| Beaches of Clifton |
The tour continued down the coast to Hout Bay, where we took a short boat ride to see some Cape Fur seals.
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| Magge's got her coffee and is ready to go |
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| Seals on Duiker Island |
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| This guy was happy to see our boat return |
We then drove along Chapman Peak's Drive, considered one of the most scenic drives in the world, and until relatively recently, one of the most dangerous drives as well due to common rock slides. The road was closed about ten years ago in order to upgrade its safety measures and is apparently fine now.
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| Views from Chapman Peak's Drive |
The next stop was Simon's Town, one of the oldest European settlements in the country that has become famous for its colony of African penguins (also known as Jackass penguins). These animals only live along the western and southern coast of South Africa and are endangered.
We finished the day at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. In addition to providing more stunning scenery, the reserve is also home to a number of animals. We got up close to baboons, ostriches, rock dassies (look like big guinea pigs but are actually often considered the closest living relative to elephants), elands (a large antelope) and spotted two whales close to shore. The two kilometer walk from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope was spectacular, and is missed by most people, who take the roundabout route in their car, completely missing one of the prettiest beaches I've seen on this trip (also featuring icy water). We're going to have a hard time leaving this place.
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| Baboons |
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| Elands |
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| Sunbathing rock dassy |
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| On the way to the Cape of Good Hope |
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| The Cape of Good Hope |
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| Admiring Cape Point |
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| Going down to check out the beach |
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| The speck to the left is me. Magge didn't go down the beach because she didn't want to get her feet sandy. Yes, really, that was her excuse. |
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i liked the island
ReplyDeletethe animals are great
ReplyDeleteThe ostrich by the beach looks out of context - neat. Lots of different beach wildlife - very neat. Where are all the people?
ReplyDeleteOur guide said this is one of the few areas in the world where you can see ostriches by the ocean.
ReplyDeleteThere were definitely people at the reserve, but it wasn't too bad considering it was a Saturday. Most people don't venture too far from their cars, so the crowds thinned out considerably on the walking trail. Folks don't bother making the extra little effort to see the better views and get closer to the animals.
Wow, the views are amazing, just gorgeous. The water is so pure and blue especially in the penguins shots,love it thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteYou are not a sissy for not wanting to get into cold water, nope, it just means you are no longer a little daring kid! Remember when we went to Ogunquit and you were playing in the frigid ocean while I was lying on the beach covered with a blanket to stay warm?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great opportunity you had to see a variety of animals up close. As you say a little effort on your part was demanded but it was worth it and you get to share this joy with us.
I dont like putting shoes back on and hiking with sandy, cold feet. so sue me!
ReplyDeleteI think young lady (Magge) it's time for you to come home and be hugged and kissed and hugged some more! I hope you are ready for that amount of loving waiting for you back home. :)
ReplyDelete