Cape Crusaders

It is better to travel Hope-wardly, so on Saturday 22nd we made the epic drive down the peninsula to The Cape of Good Hope itself. Throwing economic caution to the significant winds, we even hired a hotel room on the Cape so we would not have to zip back the same night.

Set off early and drove directly to the Cape of GH itself. It was blissfully empty when we arrived (09:30), got the We Woz Ere shots by the iconic signs, and climbed up to the headland (hanging on against the wind) . Even in good weather, it’s an impressively barren landscape (which somehow supported a family of ostriches, hopefully pecking around) .

Cape Point Lighthouse

As we climbed back down to the Cape of GH, tourist bus-loads were now queuing for photos by the iconic sign. So we drove around to the larger visitor area at eastern side of the peninsula, by the Cape Point lighthouses.

(Yes lighhouseS, plural : they discovered the original one was set too high and often obscured by fog, making it a Point-less lighthouse. Cunningly, a newer version was then constructed, 160m lower – and more to the Point, visible. )

There was also an old WWII pill-box on the peak, and sunning himself on the rock there, this chunky lizard (20 cm long ) seemed to have picked up the art of camouflage from the military.

Lunchtime we headed back up to Simon’s Town , and checked in to the Magellan’s Hotel, up at the top of a ridiculously steep road, to find a rather odd ‘welcome’ sign on the door –

Then we headed down to Boulders Beach (actually, to the free area just South of it 😉 ) where I had a VERY brief go at snorkelling. 

Wind and waves were whipping up the sand so there really wasn’t anything much visible under water, and the sea was on the fresh side – well, it does come straight from the S Pole.

Then we watched African Penguins, swarming over Boulder Beach –  terribly cute!  Originally known as Jackass Penguins owing to the male’s braying call

Simon’s Town