Cape of Good Hope

South Africa – May 2017

After a wine-induced sleep Tina and I enjoy a delicious breakfast at our guesthouse in Stellenbosch. Over a cup of Rooibos tea and eggs Benedict we plan our day. First, we will head to Somerset to visit a cheetah sanctuary, and then follow the coast to Boulder’s beach to see some penguins. In the afternoon we will arrive at the Cape of Good Hope. From there it’s only about 30 minutes to Kommetjie, where we will spend the night.

In hindsight, I really don’t know why we went to this cheetah sanctuary. Neither of us is a big fan of zoos. But there we were, listening to the animal keeper telling us about how this place is necessary because the farmers shoot the cheetahs trying to steal their sheep and cattle. While this sounds like a good reason, I still don’t understand why they let people come in and pet the wild cats then. And I certainly do not think that the animals appreciate being in 10×10 meter cages. So please, do not support these kinds of animal sanctuaries and rather go on a safari.

Leaving the cheetahs behind, continue our drive through the vineyard to the coast. When we reach the ocean, we open all windows and let in the salty sea air. The 15 kilometer stretch of road along the white beaches of False Bay is one of my favourite road trip memories. Not being able to stop admiring the beautiful scenery, we cruise through small fisher villages until we arrive in Simon’s Town. Here you find Boulders Beach where a big colony of African penguins settled down in the 1980s. From the car park it’s a pretty walk through lush bushes to the sandy beach. Despite the horrible smell, we spend a good hour climbing over rocks, trying not to disturb penguins, but at the same time getting away from other tourists.

Back in the car we have a snack and then drive on to the entrance of the Cape of Good Hope, which is part of the Table Mountain National Park. When we first arrive at the car park, we’re not that impressed. We expected a feeling of “we’ve reached the end of the world”, but instead find “it’s just another tourist attraction”. Most people are only taking pictures in front of the sign with the Cape’s latitudes and then get back into their cars and leave. Tina and I check out the map with the different hiking paths and decide to take the trail leading up the hill towards Dias Beach.

I am by no means a sportive person, but somehow energized by the breathtaking views, we rush up the steep stairs. It’s super windy, but we do want to make the most out of this experience and decide to take a lunch break with a view. Only a few of the people we saw at the car park made it all the way up the hill. We appreciate the quietness of the place and listen to the crashing waves low below us. Tina wants to get adventurous and I snap some pictures of her on a rock rising out over the cliff. Though we could have spent hours and hours gazing at the horizon, we finally decide to face the last drive of the day.

We’ve only got 40 minutes left to Kommetjie, where we splurged on an Airbnb with amazing views on the ocean and Hout Bay. The owners are a young local couple and the husband gives us some recommendations for our next day’s drive to Cape Town. As we have our own kitchen, we walk down the hill to the sleepy town centre and buy some pasta at the local mini-mart. But before returning to the flat, we go on a walk along the beach to visit the Slangkop Lighthouse we’ve seen when walking down the hill. With the sun setting in the distance, we stroll on the wooden walkway with bare feet.

Upon recommendation of the Airbnb hosts we don’t take the direct highway to Cape Town, but do a little detour across Chapman’s Peak Drive to Hout Bay. The toll road is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world and sports 114 turns! It takes us approximately 90 minutes for the 9 kilometer road. Not because we are scared of driving the curvy road, but because we have to stop after each turn to take in the incredible view and snap some pictures. After the GPS mistakenly leads us to a sketchy part of town close to the Hout Bay Harbour, we decide not to follow it anymore and guide ourselves to the last stretch of coastal road towards Camps Bay.

We immediately fall in love with the laid back surfer town’s atmosphere and are not quite ready yet to return our beloved rental car. So we decide to first drive all the way up to Bloubergstrand from where you supposedly have the best view on Table Mountain. Unfortunately, the clouds cover most of the today. After filling up the gas tank one last time, we make our way back downtown and finally say our goodbyes to the trusty baby blue Toyota Corolla who accompanied us on our 1000 km journey through South Africa.