Cape Peninsula

The Cape Peninsula - on the South western tip of South Africa

The Cape Peninsula is the thin finger of land in the south-western most corner of Africa with the city of Cape Town at its head. As you travel south towards Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the land gets narrower until the great Indian and Atlantic Oceans combine into one vast southern ocean, with nothing beyond except Antarctica.

In 1578 Sir Francis Drake described the Cape Peninsula as “The fairest cape in the whole circumference of the globe,” and it still is. The rugged Table Mountain range meanders down the centre of the peninsula, and long white soft sandy beaches and little rocky coves, line the edges. The flora and fauna is unique to the area and brightly coloured birdlife is prolific. Numerous scenic drives are so spectacular they require an unhurried approach to appreciate their stunning beauty.

The Cape Peninsula can be divided into the Atlantic coast on the west (including the City of Cape Town) and the False Bay coast on the east. While on the west coast the water is rather chilly at an icy 8°-13°c, it does have an enviable ocean sunset. To take advantage of this nightly spectacle, it is traditional to take a bottle of Cape sparkling wine to the top of Signal Hill or down to the beach. False Bay has the advantage of having warmer water (13°-20°c), safer swimming beaches and a rail link to Cape Town.

With nothing but water all around the Cape Peninsula, the weather can be a little unpredictable and the wind can whip itself up into a fury. Luckily when it is howling on one side it is normally quiet on the other, so you can always find a sheltered spot.

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