TRAVEL WRITING CHALLENGE

My Southernmost Destination in the World — The Cape

The A to Z of my favorite travel destinations

The Cape or as the locals call it “die Kaap” is the South African region surrounding Cape Town and its magnificent landscapes. Endless rugged coastline, sandy beaches, rocky mountains, and lovely vineyards are just some of the features of its nature.

Thinking of a place or city with the letter “C”, I quickly fell onto Cape Town, just that, well, yes, I’ve been twice to the city. But what I love most about the Mother City is actually the mountains and coastline around it.

I’ve written an article on Cape Town before and one feedback I did receive was that my essay wasn’t really about the city but more about the Western Cape in general.

I decided to learn from my mistake and write now about the Cape instead. The Cape Province got renamed in 1994 and is today split into Western, Eastern, and Northern Cape.

While I would love to see more of the region, so far I’ve driven down the Garden Route, covering a long stretch of Western Cape’s coastline and I’ve spent several days in Cape Town itself.

These are the places I’ve visited along with the photos I’ve taken in 2015. From my second visit down to Cape Town in 2018, I have no pictures left. They all got lost on some transferring actions from one hard drive to another. Things happen…

Plettenberg Bay

I was on a two-week road trip with a stranger driving from Johannesburg all the way to the Cape. The first town entering the Western Cape was Plettenberg Bay.

I don’t remember much of it except for walking down the beach. I saw beautiful sand castles, dolphins built of sand and just loved the summer vibes.

Knysna

In Knysna, in comparison, I would have loved to stay longer. The town is located inside a lagoon. Stunning hills with rugged coastlines are surrounding the place. Sharp cliffs are to be found all around and amazing viewpoints offer breathtaking views across the Knysna Lagoon.

While I did focus on nature and the surrounding cliffs, we also did go into the city for lunch. It was very touristy or at least where we were heading to.

However, It’s the town I’ll always remember from this trip.

The name is also quite unique, at least for me as a German since you don’t pronounce it as it is spelled. Just ignore the first letter and try to say the rest. Then you’re pretty close.

Cango Caves

For the adventurer of the two of us, we headed a bit inland to find the Cango Caves. I don’t know what I expected but I did book the action tour and must admit I wasn’t always feeling completely comfortable.

It was a very fun tour through these fascinating caves but nothing for people with claustrophobia. At one stretch I was squeezing through a gap in the caves that was about 5 meters long and as big as me. If I would have been any fatter, I would have been stuck right there and then.

Swartberg Pass

And since we were there already I decided to drive up the Swartberg Pass. No, we didn’t go down on the other side since we were heading to the coast but it looked like a fun mountain pass on the map and so we did the little detour.

The views across the Swartberg Mountains were spectacular and so was nature up there.

Mossel Bay

Arriving back on the coastline we hit the town of Mossel Bay. I know it’s pretty popular among tourists but I don’t remember we’ve actually done anything.

We did stay the night and ate at some funky restaurant but the rest is a forgotten memory.

From today’s perspective, I can tell you, that you can skydive in this city. It’s where friends of mine started their skydiving careers.

Cape Agulhas

Now, this is the southernmost point in the world I’ve ever been to. Cape Agulhas is Africa’s southernmost point and it was somehow a special feeling for me once I got there.

After traveling for months through western and southern Africa, I got the feeling of having arrived. No, I did not have a destination. The journey was my destination. Yet, being so far south on the globe, I knew my journey was soon to be over.

From Cape Town, I was flying back home again.

But until then I had a few more days to enjoy the beauty of this coastline.

Cape of Good Hope

And these are the two places many get mixed up. The Cape of Good Hope is more popular than Cape Agulhas, also due to its proximity to the city of Cape Town but the southernmost point isn’t here.

The Cape of Good Hope is the most southwestern point of the African continent.

It’s where ostriches run along the rocky beaches or on the road and where you might get blown off the cliffs if not careful. On my second visit down here, I experienced some insane winds. I had just hair all over my face not being able to see the sea.

And yes, this is where I’d love to do some hiking.

With more time. And the right companions.

Penguins at Boulders Beach

Yes, there are penguins to be found on the African continent. You can find them actually as far north as Namibia but here was my mission to see them down in the Cape.

I was on my way to Boulders Beach not just looking for these lovely creatures but for a pretty coastline too. My pictures of the scenery were far better than the blurry penguins, so this is all I’m sharing with you.

But there were penguins.

Chapman’s Peak Drive

While I would have surely loved to do more hiking in the mountains next to the city, my companion wasn’t into too much workout, therefore we settled on driving along the stunning coastline.

Chapman’s Peak Drive is surely a scenic one that you won’t forget too soon. Take your time and stop at most of the scenic viewpoints but be aware of the dangers. The road is narrow and you shouldn’t stop outside of assigned parking lots.

Table Mountain

Of course, I can’t leave out Cape town’s most iconic landmark. Table Mountain is not just any mountain. It’s the mountain that overlooks the city. On my first visit, I took the cable car to the top since my companion wasn’t into hiking.

On my second visit, I didn’t care my friends weren’t interested in hiking.

I hiked that mountain solo.

It was an amazing adventure and I would do it again.

The view wasn’t just spectacular from the top, the entire route was offering scenic outlooks.

Sunset from Signal Hill

There are more mountains to hike around the city and each one offers a different view. Signal Hill is popular among locals and foreigners alike. Especially for the sunset.

Cape Town at night

Now, we're getting to the city. Cape Town at night. It’s a university city. It’s the region’s capital. It’s a tourist attraction. There goes your plan of going to bed early.

I’ve had some epic party nights in Cape Town. When the lights go on is when this city comes alive.

The vineyards

Of course, don't forget the wine route. Yes, you can take a road surrounding Cape Town to visit all the vineyards. For wine lovers a dream. South Africa is known for its quality wines and this is where you can taste them.

While overlooking the vineyards with spectacular mountains in the background, those wines taste even better.

Don’t worry about drinking and driving. Just get a hop-on hop-off bus ticket and it will take you all along the route. From one vineyard to the next one. You don’t need a car to get here.

The Mother City

It’s one of many nicknames the city has. Cape Town is the Mother City. It’s not the capital of South Africa even though many think so. It’s possibly the most popular among all universities in South Africa — for foreigners. You’ll find here a large ex-pat community.

As I told you before, I’m not such a city person and that’s why I also don’t really have pictures from inside the settlements. I love nature, breathtaking views, and rocky coastlines.

But the city is one of the few I’d stay in again.

“Surely, of all the wonders of the world the horizon is the greatest.” — Freya Stark

If you’re interested in more stories from the Cape, check out Zoë Poulsen’s profile. She lives down there, takes amazing photographs of the stunning nature, and writes about it. “A winter walk on Elsies Peak” was her latest one.

This is a writing prompt response started by Sam Millichap and continued by Adrienne Beaumont. Read their stories with “C”.

“Cologne is for Cathedral, Carnival and Christkindlesmark” and

“So many C places I’ve loved”

More about Cape Town:

And these are my first two stories of the writing challenge:

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