Western Cape Province

South Africa

There is an unforgettable winding road that runs along a magnificently gorgeous shoreline, ending at a pebbled beach of crashing waves, sunning seals & wandering ostriches. This is where it is said the Continent of Africa stops. A Natalie bucket list location if there was ever one!

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Getting there from Cape Town, this breathtaking coastal path snakes south for 40 miles passing first through the stunning palm treed resort town of Camps Bay with it’s gently curving crescent of sand. It’s filled with trendy beach front restaurants, strikingly beautiful people & even more strikingly beautiful rolling waves that break across the out cropping of rocks. We caught an epic sunset there one night perched on a west facing 2nd floor restaurant balcony…THE perfect place to watch the South African day sink into the Atlantic.

The road continues south along a picturesque lowland coast of sweeping beaches & coves, with the dramatic 12 Apostles mountain range as backdrop. Eventually it ascends an inland rise that drops into the varied topography of sprawling Hout Bay. On the north shore is it’s quaint fishing Harbour, a gem, where we met a smooching seal, waved at his brother & sang along with the cutest group of guys you’d ever see just a minstrel-ling on the dock.

Further past the Harbour, a long shore of sand eventually leads upward to towering steep cliffs where the Mini Cooper size boulders of the north beaches morph to colossal bus size and the ocean beats relentlessly, violently with massive foamed waves. The climb above Hout Bay begins Chapman’s Peak Drive, a legendary highway famous for spectacular views & treacherous hairpins. The narrowing pavement is perched within the towering jagged cliffs, twisting & turning while boasting a sheer drop off & periodic 180 degree look at where the Western Peninsula’s steep sheer mountains meet the sea.

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“Chappies”, as the locals call it, is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world with it’s 114 turns & a unique imbedded bridge carved into the near vertical mountain taking narrow to a whole new nail biting level!

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Once past the laid back suburban coastal town of Noordhoek, miles of a remote highway through stunning beaches then low profile shrubs (fynbos) leads further & further south through the Peninsula Nature Reserve to that exciting final destination, the Cape of Good Hope.

This iconic landmark delightfully was populated with a herd of ostriches (around 10) just hanging out along the short bluff that borders the parking area. No sand to be found on this beach, only large rounded river stones and the sea in a constant churn provides a playground for a delightful group of seals who clamored up & down the larger boulders off shore.

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There is a simple brown sign marking the spot which provides the perfect photo op to document we were really there! Big sigh bucket list moment… unbelievable & thrilling to say the least.

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Back tracking from Hope’s rocky beach, a separate southbound road climbs over the fynbos covered mountain spine to reach breathtaking Cape Point’s towering heights. Exploring the inclines is a bit rigorous, but the site fortunately has a funicular to carry huffing & puffing folks like me to the thrilling dramatic highest promontory that’s marked with a sturdy yet endearing light house. High cliffs & ridges mark the end of the continent here with stunning views of the swirling sea thousands of feet below where the warm Atlantic mixes with the Indian Ocean’s cold waters that flow in from the South Pole.

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This is where famed “Shark Ally” is located. We had hoped to cage dive to meet those massive Great Whites face to face while in South Africa, but alas, our scheduled excursion happened upon a day deemed too dangerous to navigate those often brutal waters. Dang it! Guess we’ll just have to go back one day, right? (wink* wink*)

One would think that exploring the dramatic north south ridge of the Cape to the final climax of the Peninsula would be enough excitement for one day, but South Africa always, ALWAYS delivers more! The drive back up along False Bay (the eastern shore) brought us to the most magical beach of all. Surprisingly nestled in a suburban neighborhood, Boulder Beach heralds huge ancient granite rocks, soft white sand AND a colony of adorable African Penguins. Small, around 24″ tall, the endangered species with their black striped heads number here in the thousands. The little guys were sunning everywhere, waddling freely across the sand, flapping their wings & diving into the waves. So astonishing with homes just yards away & absolutely delightful!

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Our final stop on the loop exploration of the Cape Peninsula was at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a vast & lush ‘Garden of Eden’ park of gorgeous paths through gorgeous plants & gorgeous towering trees (did I say it was GORGEOUS?!). Truth be told, I wasn’t overly enthused about this stop beforehand, but in the end, was blown away by Kirstenbosch’s pristine beauty. Located at the eastern base of Table Rock Mountain, every corner of the acreage had gorgeous flora & fauna, inviting hiking & even a Conservatory housing a vast array preview of coming attractions from the more arid South African Savannah. So peaceful…I wished for a blanket & a picnic basket of goodies so we could settle in on a grass patch to stay awhile beneath one of the giant billowing trees!

Although the splendor of South Africa’s Cape Peninsula can be done in a day, it lives in your heart forever. If possible, I would return again & again to experience the diversity & thrill of it’s unique majesty… AND at last get that chance to dive with those sharks!