If you love stunning views and good hiking trails then Cape Point is the place for you. I’ve been there twice now and still haven’t seen all of it, but what I have seen varies from rocky mountains, to deserted white beaches. The main attractions are the lighthouse at Cape Point and the sign at the Cape of Good Hope which many tourists make a beeline for. However, if you are into hiking you can follow mapped out trails, along which you can see some of the old shipwrecks that met their end at Cape Point.
(View of the Lighthouse on Cape Point from the Cape of Good Hope)
If you do head up to the Lighthouse make sure you’re prepared for force 9 gales! The view is definitely worth it though.
At around lunchtime, at the Point, you’re likely to see baboons lurking around. Baboons are quite a common sight in many places in Cape Town, in fact they are mostly considered a pest. Signs line the sides of the road from Simon’s Town to Cape Point, warning you:
BABOONS
are dangerous WILD animals.
-DO NOT FEED-
Keep Doors Locked and Windows Closed
This, coupled with the baboon chasers stationed along the road, seems ominous and, whilst the signs are correct, baboons are wild animals and can get aggressive if they feel threatened, they are also incredibly cheeky. Many have learnt how to open car doors, so if you decide to stop along the side of the road and get out, to take a picture of the view, you could well turn around to find your car filled with baboons happily ransacking your possessions. This may seem bad enough, but for locals living in nearby Kometjie they are often met with this sight- but instead of their cars, it’s their kitchens.
One unfortunate tourist experienced first hand how cheeky baboons can be when one jumped from the roof onto his table and stole his sandwich. It then scampered off to sit on the roof of a car and, after a few bites, thoroughly enjoyed smearing its contents on the windscreen.
Baboons are perhaps the most common, but not the only wildlife you can see at the nature reserve. If you’re lucky you can also see herds of eland, mountain zebras and bontebok, ostriches and numerous lizards sunning themselves on rocks. It’s almost like going on safari. Almost.
Here are some of the views you can enjoy from various places in the reserve, I’ll let them speak for themselves.
