After returning back to the hotel we take the car and drive it to the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. The ticket from Boulders Beach does not grant us entry here so we have to pay again for entrance.
The park is quite busy but not on our first stop, a short nature trail near the road. It is a short and nice trail through a rocky area and a good chance to get acquinted to the flowering fynbos in the area.
It is quite fortuitous that we have taken the trip during the flowering season but we decide to make the most of it and see as many flowers as possible, who knows when we will return?
In the end the vast majority of the visitors are driving to the Lighthouse area and that is what we are also doing. On the way we stop a few more times though to marvel at the views of the cliffs and the multitude of the flowers and fynbos near the road.
We see for the first time a wild kahla, a plant we have seen only cultivated before. And a Septemberbush which supposedly is also a popular cultivar in South Africa.
The lighthouse area is the most developed area in the National Park with a few gift shops and restaurants. It also has the funicular that is taking people to the top of a hill, we decide to skip due to long lines.
Instead we decide to eat a pizza as a late lunch and it is quite good. There are all around us a lot of signs about the danger of the baboons trying to get to the food but we do not see any even though we are vigilant.
And we understand why there are no baboons as soon as we start a short hike on a nearby trai. There is an electric fence around the visitor area which keeps them out. Outside we feel more exposed but we still do not see any baboons.
What we see are birds and lizards, including the endemic Black Girdled Lizard, and some beautiful views of the coastline. There are also flowering fynbos everywhere and few other visitors.
After leaving the lighthouse area we stop at a whale viewpoint. While it is the whale season we do not see any but we enjoy the views of the cliffs and fishing boats in False Bay.
And then it is off towards the Cape of Good Hope which is another branch of the road going down the peninsula. However we get detoured by what seems an out of place sighting as we see ostriches walking near the ocean. And not only one but a whole group of ostriches seems to be eating right next to the Atlantic Ocean.
And then we arrive at the Cape of Good Hope sign and understand where all the tour buses are as the area is chock full of visitors. Most of them take only a picture at the sign which makes it really busy. The surrounding area however looks still wild and untamed and you can understand how the Portuguese felt when they first arrived here and assumed that they are at the southern tip of Africa, which actually is not true.
As we return back north from the southernmost point of our safari trip we stop at a roadside parking lot to take a short hike to the ocean and view some tidal pools. We soon spend some time to observe the antics of a Western Cape Bunting which seems to collect material for a nest. Or pretends to be to attract a mate?
As we continue the trail is beautiful with a vigilant ostrich near the trail and lots of fynbos on both sides of the trail.
There are interesting rock formations to see and flowers to smell as well as tidal pools to explore so we enjoy the area and take picture after picture of the different landscapes and flowers.
The ocean looks forbidding and it is quite cold so we keep a safe distance from it and make sure we always have a route back to the trail even when exploring the tide pools.
And what is a day without dassies? Here we have our last look at a few dassies who look at us with their patented look of indifference and disgust.
As the sun starts to fall towards the horizon we have to return to the gate as the park closes at sunset. But on the way we stop at a few historical sites including the two crosses in the honor of two well known Portuguese navigators who discovered the way to Asia from Europe around Africa.
After returning to Simon’s Town we take a short stroll through downtown and even though most stores are closed on Sunday we find an open grocery store to buy some provisions for the remaining days in South Africa. Downtown has a lot of good looking houses but looks a bit beaten down.
In the evening we prepare for our move tomorrow to the last accomodation in our trip near downtown Cape Town and try to understand how many rand we still have and whether we still need to exchange some for the last couple days. Of course we also exit a few times to see the penguins overnighting in the hotel courtyard and behind the hotel who give themselves away through the constant braying which we are starting to get used to actually and does not disturb us at night.
