Visit Cape Point and other Province of the Western Cape, South Africa Things to Do Tips

Cape Point is NOT the most Southern point of the African Continent. this can be found 150 kilometres towards the southeast. There, at Cape Agulhas, the two oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic 'meet'.

The Cape Point is considered the most southern point because in the old days it was the turning point, when they reached the cape their battle against the sea was almost won because they past the Bay of Storms (Bay of Good Hope.)

Take the escalator to the top and have a look to the surrounding area.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A visit to Cape Point

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Website: http://www.capepoint.co.za/

Off course everybody knows that this one of the MUST SEE sites of South Africa.

The table mountain dominates Cape Town, every where you walk in the streets you see the mountain in the distance. I can imagine the beauty that attracted the first sailors.

You can go up the mountain in an elevator or even walk to the 1086 metres high top.

For more information and photos see my page: Cape Town

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Website: www.gocapetown.co.za

We also visited Cape of Good Hope, just drive in the Cape of Good Hope Nature reserve and go to the most southern point of the peninsula. Just before you reach Cape Point, you will pass the signs for Cape of Good Hope.

The Cape of Good Hope was first rounded by Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, who named it "Cape of Storms" (Cabo Tormentoso) but that had a negative sound for the sailors who had to sail around it.

This is off course also a MUST SEE sight. It's obvious that all the tourists go to the same spots here.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

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Website: http://www.cpnp.co.za/

Visit the beautiful botanical garden of Kirstenbosch, walk in the gardens or in the greenhouse and look at the beautiful plants and trees.

You can wonder for hours through these beautiful surroundings, we enjoyed our time here very much. For some more info, please have a look at their official webpage.

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The following text is borrowed from their official webpage.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch grows only indigenous South African plants. The estate covers 528 hectares and supports a diverse fynbos flora and natural forest. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.

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For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
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Phone: +27 21 799 8899
Address: Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Private Bag X7, Claremont
Website: http://www.nbi.ac.za/frames/kirstfram.htm
Other Contact: INFORMATION OFFICE: (021) 799 87

Take a boat trip and visit the seals in their natural environment on Duiker Island. You see dozens off them resting on the rocks or playing in the ocean.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

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Directions: It's only a half hour boat trip from Hout Bay.

Go towards the beach of the Boulder Coastal Park and walk between the ropes and between the penguins. There were lot's of penguins walking around here and you could get very close to them.

One thing to remind it's here not give way from right but give way for the penguins. They are as curious to us as we to them.

The penguins you see here weigh between 2,1 to 3,7 kilo’s and are a 50 cm high.

The Boulder colony started in 1983 with a pair of African Penguins on the Foxy beach at Boulders and in 1997 they counted already 2350 adult birds. This due to migration from Dyer Island and reproduction.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

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Website: http://www.simonstown.com/tourism/penguins/penguins.htm

The language monument reminds the people to the official status of the African language. This monument exist out of grained granite that is made into concrete.

The small columns remind that the Dutch, English and several African languages are the source for the African language.

Try shouting in the biggest horn to hear your voice carried out over the area.

For more information and photos see my page: Paarl

You can find much more explanation about the symbolism and the idea behind this design on their website. (This is an extract from that side)

A COLONNADE of three elements to the left or west of the approach symbolizes the languages and cultures of the enlightened West. These structures, closely juxtaposed, begin at a height and diminish in size and then descend in a curve to ascend again into the main upward sweep.

A PODIUM with three semi spheres to the right, or to the eastern side of the approach, represents magical Africa with its indigenous languages and cultures, and develops into a lesser curve which joins the main upward movement.

The confluence of these two curves forms a bridge which is the base of the main hyperbola. This, rising up into space, signifies the coming into being and the development of Afrikaans.

A language and culture neither western nor African, but Malayan, is represented by a low wall in the middle third of the main steps to add to the general scale.

Together with the main column, placed in the same life-giving pool with bubbling fountain, rises a structure symbolising our Republic: free, yet encompassed by and open to Africa; free in form and reminiscent of the west, whose cultures helped to establish it. It symbolizes two languages and two mutual enriching cultures, yet one nation, facing the future with courage and resolution, deeply conscious of the presence of an Omniscient Being, guiding us to our destiny in the turmoil of our time.

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Phone: 021-8723441
Directions: The Afrikaanse Taalmonument is open daily from 9 to 5. The access turns off Main Street at the town entrance and is sign-posted.
Website: http://www.museums.org.za/TaalMon/English.htm

The Cango Caves are worth exploring, you can do there several guided tours and you see lot's of wonderful things underground. For more information you can read my travelogue: The Cango Caves.

It's open 364 days in a year and only on Christmas day it's closed.

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

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Phone: 044 272 7410
Website: http://www.cangocaves.co.za/
Other Contact: reservations@cangocaves.co.za

There are several ostrich farms that you can visit in Oudsthoorn and we went to Highgate. You get a tour in the farm with a very good explanation and you have the possibility to taste Ostrich meat. For more information see my Oudtshoorn travelogue Our experience in an Ostrich farm.

Well go and see those "Volstruis"

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

Like did you know that: Males have black and females grey feathers more on my travelogue from Oudtshoorn.

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Phone: +27(0)44 272 7115
Directions: You can find a detailed map on their website.
Website: http://www.highgate.co.za/
Other Contact: hosf@mweb.co.za

We drove through the Meiringspoort and on to the Swartberg Pass. This pass surprised us. We thought about a normal road, but it was a sand road, and mostly so small that only one car can travel on it. Here and there, we saw an opportunity to let other cars pass. But this was not necessary because going up, we didn’t see one car. You can imagine that this took a long time to drive up. But the view on the top was great. That winding sand-road going up. We were glad we did this. But after the top, the road didn’t ended as we thought. It was downhill and then ups again. We saw the first car just behind the first top, one car in more than one hour; it sounds like a very busy road. But a the second top, we saw 2 cars standing with tourists, also taking pictures. And on the way down, we passed more cars. But we still are on a sand road.

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

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