The final stop on our trip along the South African coast was Cape Town. We had 2 nights there, giving us 2 and a half days before we flew home.
The afternoon we arrived Table Mountain was shrouded in cloud, hidden from view. Fortunately, when we went there the following morning, the clouds had lifted. We headed up in the cable cars, excited to see the views. It only takes a few minutes to go up in the cable cars, which rotate round to give you an ever changing view. That said, the queue to get to the cable cars can be slow moving, so it definitely pays to get there early before it gets busy. Plus, getting there early means there is less chance of the cloud arriving before you go up.
The views at the top were amazing. In one direction, we could see across the hills; in another direction, along the coast away from Cape Town. Another direction gave us fab views of Cape Town and the ocean beyond. There are a number of paths you can walk along on the top, giving visitors the chance to enjoy all the views.
After we finished there, we piled back into minibus and headed out to the Cape, to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. To get there, we drove along Chapman’s Peak Drive, which is meant to be one of the most picturesque and scenic ocean drives in the world. Well, it was certainly absolutely gorgeous. We drove past sweeping beaches, with golden sand, and barely a person on them. The mountains on the other side of the road were stunning, and went right to the water’s edge. It was breath-taking!
When we got to Cape Point, we all headed for the lighthouse, which is the main attraction there. Well, that and more beautiful views. It takes a few minutes to climb up the steps to the lighthouse, and it is a bit of a climb, but the views along the way more than make up for it.
The views at the top were breath-taking in more ways than one – it was really windy at the top! But still stunning.
From Cape Point we had a short drive to The Cape of Good Hope. There isn’t much to do there except admire the views, and enjoy being at one of the world’s most southern points.
Our final stop of the day was Boulders Penguins Colony to see the penguins, which I love. This was possibly one of the highlights of the whole holiday! Watching hundreds of penguins, on a beach! Bliss! There are boardwalks visitors walk along to see the penguins, which go along just above the beach, which means the penguins can get from the ocean to all parts of the beach, and beyond into the town itself. We saw some penguins on the road next to the beach, and we were told that penguins are protected which means that if a penguin or two take up residence in your garden there’s nothing you can do to move them – you just have to live them. Which is either a great thing, if you love penguins, or a nightmare if you don’t!
The drive back into Cape Town was along the coast, past more beautiful beaches and suburbs of Cape Town, such as Hout Bay, and Camps Bay, which were lovely beaches, and which I returned to the next day on my own as it was a free day.
After that free day, which I spent on my own on the hop-on hop-off bus, the trip and holiday to South Africa ended. It was another amazing holiday, to such a beautiful part of the world. I will definitely return one day.
Sarah's travels 