Rugged and Rewarding

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, MARINERS BEWARE
Cape Peninsula facing False Bay

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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South Africa has many things to offer a traveler, one of which is unexpected diversity. The cape of Good Hope is an example of that. As the peninsula juts Southward it marks the conversion point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. You can sense the power as two massive elements of our world collide and churn against each other. The landscape is rugged and beautiful with soft sandy beaches hidden along its rocky edges. In some ways, SA has more of a connection to the oceans than the jungles or the great plains of the continent. Historically Cape Town and False Bay was the last safe harbor before sailors ventured off to great peril and unknown conditions.

Cape Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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Most of the Peninsula beaches are pristine and manly home to surfers and other wildlife. Mother nature scours these sandy sanctuaries and keeps them clean.

Dias Beach and The Cape of Good Hope (surf break)

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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While the Cape itself isn't the actual furthest southern point in Africa it's close and it sure does feel that way. From here looking due south about 7000 km or 4350 m is Antarctica. And going westward its about the same to Uruguay and South America. And to east Australia is even farther at 8700 km and 5400 m. You can sense the vastness of these southern oceans and the secrets hidden there. This is a special place, when planning travel here leave time to just be and just experience it.

Coastal Dunes of Bettys Bay

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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Surprising Wild Life

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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Surprisingly, Namibia and SA are home to penguins. The story is told that a pair of penguins arrived one day to breed and then kept coming back. In time others arrived with them and a decline in ocean-dwelling predators allowed them to grow and flourish, although there are incidents of the colonies being attacked by leopards. In the 19th century there was an estimated population of 4 million African Penguins, but that number has fallen to 55,000 today. If something isn't done to halt the decline, these penguins could be extinct by 2026.

Surprising Wild Life

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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Ostriches aren't as common to see but you have a decent chance to find one here because the Peninsula is a protected park. That's a very large bird to just be foraging beside the road.

Getting Lost With Yourself

Photo credit: Aaron Spohn
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SA is an amazing place its southern coast is only a small part of it. However, if you like to find places where you can enjoy the local wonders without interruption this is the place. I think we might have seen more penguins and baboons than people.

And the baboons? Well, that's a whole other story.

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