"South Africa gives me a perspective of what’s real and what’s not real. So I go back to South Africa to both lose myself and gain awareness of myself. Every time I go back, it doesn’t take long for me to get caught into a very different thing. A very different sense of myself." -Dave Matthews-
If you are looking for a day trip outside of Capetown, heading down to "The Cape" is a great way to spend it.
It's less than a 2 hour drive from Capetown and there are plenty of worthwhile stops along the way. It's a great chance to visit a wondrous spot where you feel like you're standing on the edge of the world!
We opted to drive on the M6 along the west coast of South Africa, then crossed the peninsula to the M4 through Simon's Town, before finally entering Table Mountain National Park and following their trails to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.
Driving along the M6 is like driving along the Pacific Coast Highway of California - there is an ever changing ocean view to one side and amazing cliffs to the other. They've carved out just a little path for you to drive along to take in it all.
The first stop that I'd recommend is on the south side of Hout Bay. There are a few carve-outs in the road where you can pull off to take in the scenic overlook of the bay, and really any one of them is worthwhile. Some of them are even like little parks or picnic spots. During the day, you can see the locals windsurfing in the bay - but if you stop here again on your return drive, the sunset is gorgeous! It's a true panoramic view over the Atlantic Ocean over the cliffs and around the town in Hout Bay.
The second stop not to miss is the penguins in Simon's Town.
Waddling little guys in tuxedos - how can you resist? They're just adorable. And how funny, they used to be called the "Jackass Penguin" (now referred to as the African Penguin) because of the noise that they make.
The Boulder Colony in Simon's Town has now become part of a National Park, so it's only open to the public during daylight hours. There are estimated to be over 2,000 penguins living in this colony, which has grown rapidly due to a plenty of fish available in the bay.
Though the people of Simon's Town love their penguins, they have become a bit of a nuisance, getting into trash, and generally being noisy and messy. Therefore, the park is fenced off from the nearby neighbors.
And finally, you're entering Table Mountain National Park, where you continue to drive to the south to find a parking lot, from which you can hike to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point.
When you enter Table Mountain National Park, you have to pay a small parks services fee - then can drive your car almost to "The Cape". Once you park, you can either hike slightly west to the Cape of Good Hope or south to Cape Point. We were limited on time, so we just ended up walking to Cape Point. (You can also take a little train car-like thing if you don't want to walk). But, the views from the walk over to the Cape of Good Hope are beautiful.
The walk to Cape Point is paved, going slightly uphill as Cape Point is located atop some cliffs. To my surprise, there were actually two lighthouses located there. The old lighthouse is located at the highest point, but no longer used because it could be seen by ships too far away, causing ships to round the cape too closely. Then, the new house is located at a slightly lower elevation to create a safer distance for ships to view it from, is still in service.
When we were heading here, initially I thought that we were going to the southernmost point of Africa. Though it is very close to it, that is a common misconception. The southernmost point of Africa is actually Cape Agulhas, which is located about 90 miles to the east-southeast. However, it is considered the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, though that also fluctuates based on currents between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas.
p.s. If you look south, have a clear day, squint, and use a little imagination, you can see Antarctica from here! And Mom, Dad and I aren't subtly hinting this time - WE WANT TO GO TO ANTARCTICA!
