We spent over a week in Cape Town with rain every day. Not the small showers of rain that you can slip out in between and grab a bite to eat, but the constant downpour of rain where all you want to do is stay in your PJ’s and climb under the covers. Our last 24 hours in the country was full of sunshine, so in a final ditch effort to see the beauty we had only heard about we teamed up with Willem at Tsiba Tsiba to show us the beautiful cape!
Promptly at 9 AM, Willem rolled up in his cruiser and picked us up at our Cape Town hostel excited to show us around his favorite area of Cape Town, The Cape Point Peninsula. I was mostly looking forward to seeing the penguins at Boulder Beach, but before we got to see them we drove through the colorful coastal towns of Kalk Bay and Muizenberg. As I watched the fishermen dock their boats and begin selling fresh fish I wished it was lunchtime. Since it was my last day hopefully someone else can visit Kalk Bay and taste the fresh meals (let me know how they are!)
If you drive up high above the crashing waves you will find someone like the lady above at her post every day with eyes glued to the water. With a walkie talkie in hand she is ready to radio down to the ground if she spots a shark in the bay. She protects the surfers and swimmers and is proudly wearing a jacket stating “shark spotter.” I would have never assumed that somewhere high above in the hills there was someone looking out for me while I swam below. If you find yourself driving through the mountains in the Muzenberg area keep a look out for the shark spotter and pull over to find out if they have seen anything for the day!
Our first stop was Simon’s Town and Boulder Beach. At this point Willem could have left me there and I would have played with these guys for the remainder of the trip. They are amazing.
In my mind penguins belong among glaciers and icebergs so seeing these tuxedo-wearing waddlers building sand castles and splashing in the waves I couldn’t help but stare. They are called jackass penguins because their mating call sounds like that of a jackass donkey. You can’t help but be amazed at the sound that can come out of these little guys. I couldn’t stop laughing when a penguin had to jump over a rock or something in its way, their legs do not allow them much movement so the little hop they make is both awkward and adorable.
Next, the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western point of the African Continent. We loved the “south-western” qualification. The southern-most point is Cape Agulhas which is about a 3 hour drive from the Cape of Good Hope. Josh and I also went to Cape Agulhas and we can vouch for the Cape of Good Hope as the prettier and more entertaining of the two.
Arriving at the Cape of Good Hope you climb up and up and up until you reach the top of a cliff that offers breathtaking views of the coast either directions. The water is deep blue yet crystal clear. Willem told us about the time they saw a whale from the top lookout point swimming close to the coast. With the water so clear it would be hard to miss!
On our way home we got to drive one of the most spectacular drives I have been on, Chapman’s Peak Drive. The car drives along a small road tracing the coast along the side of the cliffs, if you are scared of heights sit on the inside of the car and don’t look down. You will be inspired to stop many times along the trip to take photos, the views in every direction are spectacular!
We ended the drive through the elite neighborhood, Clifton. All of the buildings were dressed in white and the palm trees stood tall lining the beach. The area reminded me of Miami but with winter the droves of beautiful people weren’t combing the beach. We didn’t spend the day in this suburb, but hearing Willem talk about the crowds that pile onto the beach in the summer made me want to return in warmer weather.
Our day with Willem and Tsiba Tsiba tours was well-organized and we enjoyed relaxing and passing over the keys to someone else for a change. Although we could have easily rented a car and driven ourselves to all of the destinations we visited, we loved hearing the history of the city and seeing Willem’s enthusiasm as he showed us around the city he obviously has a passion for.
What? You say you want more penguin photos?
Ok, one more pic for the road…
Check out more photos from our day of exploring the Cape Point.
If you are looking for Cape Town or Stellenbosch wine tours check out Tsiba Tsiba Tours, and you can also follow them on Twitter.
Disclosure: We were sponsored guests of Tsiba Tsiba tours. As always, all opinions are our own.
Hi Josh and Caroline, Thanks for the kind revue ! It was a great pleasure showing you around the beautiful Cape .I am keenly following your adventure around the world . Very jealous !
We really enjoyed it Willem, thanks for following!
those are some amazing photos. the crystal clear water, green mountains, and penguins.
Three things that obviously go together… 🙂
Cape Town and the surrounding area just looks beautiful. Some of your photos, especially the cliff and ocean photos, remind me of Hawaii. Nice to hear there’s a shark spotter looking out!
The shark spotter was really cool. They have an abnormal amount of shark attacks there, so I suppose it’s warranted. It was such a beautiful place, the whole country!