Cape Peninsula

We spent a day touring the Cape Peninsula, a beautiful drive with amazing scenery.

Above, a rock formation that is part of Table Mountain, known as the Twelve Apostles.

 

 

Hout Bay from a viewpoint along Chapman's Peak drive.

A shark watcher standing watch high above the swimming beaches. He posts a different colored flag depending on what he sees: green - all clear, red - sharks seen, black - water is too dark to see whether sharks are in the area, and yellow - caution.

There are several wild baboon troops in the cape peninsula area. This is one we encountered in the Cape Point Natural Reserve. The troops are accompanied by human guards, who make sure humans do not feed them.

Ostriches in the Cape Point Natural Reserve.

Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern point in Africa.

Two breeding pairs of African penguins arrived at Boulders in 1982, and the colony has grown to over 2,000 in recent years. The species is listed as endangered, with only 10% of the 1910 estimated population of 1.5 million remaining at the end of the 20th century.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is dedicated to the indigenous plants of South Africa. The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of 7 plant kingdoms in the world, occupying the smallest geographical area of all the plant kingdoms. It was given to the nation in 1902 when its last owner, Cecil John Rhodes died. He had purchased it to protect the eastern slopes of Table Mountain from urban development.

 

Peter Hesse, our great guide in South Africa.

 

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