Western Cape – Cape Peninsula, Klein Karoo and Garden Route

(Originally published November 2010)

I left Cape Town on the coastal road via Camps Bay heading to Hout Bay. The fantastic Chapman’s Peak drive was over far too quickly (it’s only about 10km) taking me over to the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. Onwards past Muizenberg, where the sand dunes nearly engulf the road and over Sir Lowrys pass.

The weather changes pretty fast in the Cape but on the eastern side of the pass it seemed we were in a different season altogether. Obviously the strong winds were keeping the clouds at bay!

I was soon in Hermanus, which is apparently the best land whale watching location in the world… A bold claim but they may have a point! There’s not much in Hermanus but the attraction lies just offshore… Southern Right whales happily come within a few metres of the coast and the best vantage point is perched on the small cliffs looking down. It’s very easy to spend several hours sat there enjoying the sun and observing. What makes Walker Bay so popular with the whales is the fact that the sea bed suddenly drops to 20m deep only a few meters offshore, providing a safe environment for them to mate and breed.

After Hermanus the main road crosses an area referred to as the Little Karoo. This is ostrich country! They line the countryside and are quite inquisitive and during the waiting periods for roadworks (the curse of single lane carriageways) they will wander over and stare at you.

At George the road becomes coastal again and here starts the Garden Route. The vegetation change is immediate. This is a coastal system of sand dunes and salt water lagoons, backed up by a thick indigenous forest. Behind this rises the Tsitsikamma mountain range. This geographical barrier separates the lush coastline from the inland plains and, further north, the Great Karoo.

I based myself in Plettenberg Bay for 3 nights. It wasn’t quite beach weather so I explored the coastal area with some walks in the Robberg Nature Reserve and Tsitsikamma National Park.

Plettenberg Bay

I headed off on Monday morning on my way back west. Short coffee stop in the sleepy town of Wilderness on the edge of Wilderness National Park and a lunch stop in Heidelberg on my way to Cape Algulhas – the southernmost point of Africa. That evening i ate dinner at the (self proclaimed) southernmost restaurant in Africa – a quite delicious Kudu fillet! The restaurant and the village seemed stuck in a bygone era which may explain the 80s playlist on repeat… Then again maybe not!

Cape Algulhas

The Tuesday i had a leisurely drive as I’d covered most of the distance on the previous day. I had lunch in Stellenbosh and nearly stayed there but decided to head to Simon’s Town, taking the ‘as far as the eyes can see’ vista of the Cape Flats townships. Not only could I pay the penguins on Boulders beach a quick visit but I would be closer to the restaurant where I’d managed to get an evening reservation. I was dining at La Colombe in Constantia (see separate post for foodie account).

Today (Wednesday 3rd) it’s back to Cape Town and the car has been returned… With 150km more than the 1400km I was ‘allowed’, but who’s counting. My fantastic time in South Africa is coming to an end as I will be leaving the Cape and heading north to Namibia.