Cape Point – A Good Starting Point!

by anna on 09 September 2010

One of the most visited attractions in Cape Town, South Africa is the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point and I paid it a visit last weekend together with a group of students. This was definitely a good starting point for my adventures. The minute you are on the road towards the National Park the sightseeing begins! Incredible views of the bays and beaches when you pass Simon’s Town and Muizenberg.

cape point view

Things even get better when you enter the National Park and reach the Cape of Good Hope, the place where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean meet. After the standard ‘can you take a picture of me and the “Cape of Good Hope or Kaap die Goeie Hoop” sign?’ you have to climb up the cliff behind the sign. Once you’re up there, you have to take a few minutes to catch you’re breath, either from the climb up or from the breathtaking view.

cape point reserve sign

The landscape of the nature is not the only attraction that the Cape of Good Hope has to offer. Running wild are ostriches, zebra’s, baboons and some deer-like animals. Near the big rocks in the shallow water you can see penguins, different kinds of water birds and if you really keep an eye out, you can even spot some whales! (Some advice: do not forget your binoculars, like I did! You’ll need them.)

The cherry on top is Cape Point. Though another climb up, it is without a doubt worth the climb. The view you see when you reach the light house on top of the mountain is astonishing. Ocean as far as the eye reaches! Also a very interesting object is the signpost which shows you how far you are from other places, like for example the distance between Amsterdam and Cape Town is 9675km. This signpost makes you very conscious about how big the world actually is and how far you are from home.

cape point view

On the way back to Cape Town, Simon’s Town is a good place to take a small break. In Simon’s Town there is a penguin reserve. For a few Rand you can see their habitat and be able to walk (even swim) with the penguins. They are cute and funny, but also cheeky and can be very smart (so be careful).