Raydoll Tours and Travel Ltd

Situated at the junction of two of earth’s most contrasting water masses – the cold Benguela current on the West Coast and the warm Agulhas current on the East Coast, the Cape of Good Hope is popularly perceived at the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. Geographically, however, the Indian Ocean joins the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas.

The local authority proclaimed the area a nature reserve in 1938 and it was incorporated into the Cape Peninsula National Park in 1998. It encompasses a large area of varied flora and fauna and its 40 kilometre coastline stretches from Schuster’s Bay in the west to Smitswinkel Bay in the east.

The cliffs at the southern point, towering more than 200 metres above the sea, consist of three clearly defined promontories – Cape of Good Hope, Cape Maclear and Cape Point.

In the 15th century two Portuguese explorers, Bartholomew Dias and Vasco Da Gama, circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope and established the Cape sea route to the East. To commemorate their incredible feat round the tip of Africa, they erected two beacons which can be seen till today. Bairtholomew Dias called it the Cape of Storms ( Cabo Tormentoso) but the Kinfg of Portugal renamed it the Cape of Good Hope ( Cabo da Boa Esperanca)

DAY EXCURSION

RDL/CPT/02: CAPE PENINSULA TOUR WITH SEA KAYAKING
Today will combine a little adventure and nature. Drive from the city to Simonstown to meet the sea-kayaking guide for a safety briefing, then gear up for a couple of hours of easy paddling in twin kayaks along the False Bay Coast. The safe, comfortable kayaks require almost no balance or skill.

Paddle to Boulders Beach where a colony of African Penguins live, and and view the fascinating sight as they swim around and hobble up and down from the ocean to a ledge and then back again.

LUNCH

After lunch leave the kayaks where they are and drive into the Cape Peninsula National Park.
Take a drive off the main road to Olifants Bay. There is a herd of endemic Bontebok living on this side of the reserve and it is possible to see them on the beach and in the surrounding ‘fynbos’, South Africa’s indigenous floral vegetation with flowering species throughout the year.

Continue your drive to the tip of the Cape Peninsula and walk or take a cable car to the lighthouse at Cape Point with it’s beautiful views overlooking False Bay, so named as the early navigators thought they had arrived at Table Bay. Walk around the top which offers a fantastic photographic opportunity. Descend from the top and continue your walk along the coastline where you stop to pick up your certificate before starting on the drive back to the city where you arrive in the late afternoon.

Excursion Ends