a day on the Cape

Tuesday was a big one, an adventure circumnavigating the Cape. We started at Boulders Beach, a really nice sanctuary for the African penguins, and the little birds did not disappoint. We watched them swimming, molting, sleeping, bathing, and nesting.

After a picnic lunch at a secluded beach, we proceeded to Cape Point. The Cape’s scale and beauty are almost indescribable. First we hiked up to the original lighthouse, high up on Cape Pt. Subsequently, another light was built right out at the tip of the point, but we skipped that hike to have time to hike out to the Cape of Good Hope, which had far fewer tourists. The two Cape’s are adjacent to each other. On this hike we first saw a group of ostriches. Then we were greeted by a bunch of bold marmot-like critters that were super cute. However, we saw one almost get scooped up by a bird of prey! Here’s our postcard-worthy shot of Cape Pt from Cape of Good Hope.

After all the hiking we decided to do some more exploring by car. On the drive out of the park, we finally encountered a family of baboons. Two babies were playing on the side of the road while mom and dad watched from a few feet further away. There was a bit of a traffic jam due to the excitement and unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to take a good photo. We proceeded up the Atlantic side of the Cape and checked out the cute towns and endless stunning scenery. We managed to duck into an amazing little farm store just before close to grab some snacks. The drive along Chapman’s Peak was one we’ll never forget. Eventually we arrived in Hout Bay in time to see the Tuesday night surfski race. Don could have raced, but still feeling under the weather, thought better of it. After exploring Hout Bay some more, we got lost for the first time, but eventually re-traced our steps and found our way back to Kalk Bay. Here’s a shot of Hout Bay at sunset.