Penguins, Panoramas, and Perfect Views

Today was an absolute dream of a day exploring the Cape Peninsula – a private tour that took us through some of the most breathtaking coastal landscapes and a few wildlife encounters thrown in for good measure. After a couple of full days in the city, this was the perfect way to experience Cape Town’s stunning natural landscape.

We set off in the morning with our fantastic guide, Ernst, who not only knew every scenic shortcut but also peppered the drive with fun facts and bits of history. Our first stop was Boulders Beach on the shores of False Bay, home to the famous colony of African penguins. If you’ve never seen a penguin toddle across the sand in its natural surroundings, add it to your bucket list! These little guys are endlessly entertaining, waddling around and diving into the surf with surprising grace. We walked along the boardwalks and got fairly close to them – a totally unique experience. We also discovered small little marmot-like creatures called rock hyrax, or dassies, roaming through the shrubs surrounding the beach area.

From there, we made our way to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern-most tip of the African continent. The drive through the Cape Point Nature Reserve was spectacular, with dramatic cliffs and windswept stretches of fynbos. Fynbos, Afrikaans for “fine bush,” is a type of shrubland and vegetation biome representing one of the world’s six floral kingdoms. The turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean contrasted with the stark white beaches made for even more incredible views. We even spotted a lone bontebok and common eland (both of the antelope family), as well as several ostrich grazing the rough terrain.

After a decent drive filled with more breathtaking views, we stopped for lunch at the casual and eclectic Food Barn in Noordhoek Farm Village. This charming little village contains several eateries and shops of local artisan goods.

Our drive back toward the city took us along Chapman’s Peak Drive, often called one of the most scenic drives in the world. It hugs the mountainside with sheer cliffs on one side and deep blue ocean on the other.

To end the day, we headed up Table Mountain via the iconic rotating cable car (the floor rotates, giving you a 360-degree view as you ascend nearly 1,000 meters up to the top. Much to our surprise, we found more little dassies scurrying around the rocks atop the mountain! The air was crisp and windy and the late afternoon clouds blanketed the skies below us, adding more drama to our views. You could see Cape Town stretched out below us for what seemed like miles, with the Atlantic Ocean wrapped around it. We walked several of the trails and soaked it all in before heading back down.

Tomorrow, we leave vibrant Cape Town and fly to the Timbavati Nature Preserve on the edge of Kruger National Park, where we will check-in to Ngala Tented Camp for the next three nights. Our safari experience is about to begin!