South Africa

Garden Route Adventures: Day 6

/ Emily / Leave a comment

We started our day with some delicious breakfast at our guesthouse. Our host was very talkative and had lots of advice for us about fun things to do along our route as well as interesting things to say about South Africa as a whole. We enjoyed chatting with her before heading out for our first adventure of the day.

The rain had stopped, so we enjoyed getting some photos from the deck of our guesthouse before taking off. 

We started by going to an attraction in Mossel Bay itself, the Dias Museum. 

The museum helps tell the history of Bartolomeu Dias and exploration around the southern tip of Africa. In 1488 Dias became the first European navigator to round the cape. 

Most interesting in the museum is the replica of Dias’s caravel, the ship that carried him and his crew. The ship was built in Portugal and sailed on the same route to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of the original trip. So though it is not the original, it at least made the same voyage. It’s definitely not a large ship, so impressive to imagine sailing it all that way. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the museum, walking around the grounds as well, which allowed me to spot a couple of new birds I hadn’t seen before. We also stopped in the shell museum which was part of the complex. 

Finished up at the museum, we headed back to the guesthouse to get our car and then took off down the coast.

This part of the coast is known as the Garden Route, and is definitely as beautiful as the name suggests. We enjoyed coastal views before arriving in Knyssna, our first stopping point.

We walked out to Thesen’s Island, intending to stop at a bakery for lunch. Unfortunately the bakery was closed, but it was still an enjoyable walk out along the water.

Back in town we found another bakery called All That Jazz to grab a couple of things to eat and then picked up some drinks at the grocery store nearby. 

After finishing our lunch, we headed back to our car and back down the road again. We stopped for the night in Plettenburg Bay where we stayed at the Dolphin Circle Bed and Breakfast. We dropped our things off before taking off to go get in a hike before the sun set.

We headed to Robberg Nature Reserve and paid to go in. We only had a short time before the gates closed and the sunset, but we opted to do a short loop as it was a beautiful location. 

Most spectacularly, there were hundreds of fur seals jumping in the surf. According to a local with the storms recently a lot of their resting places had been disturbed by the abnormal waves. Regardless it was an amazing sight. 

We did the shortest loop of the park and then headed back to our car as the sun was going down. Back in Plettenburg Bay we walked down to a restaurant called Nineteen 89. We shared some Tempura Prawns and Fried Halloumi with beet and avocado hummus, balsamic, and figs. Both were delicious. I had a burger for dinner and a berry mojito for a drink. All in all a tasty and delicious meal! 

Back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest. Then off to Gqeberha the next day! 

Off to Mossel Bay: Day 5

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We woke the next morning to a rainbow, a lovely sight after all of the rain the day before. Our hotel served a delicious breakfast that we thoroughly enjoyed before taking off for the day.

We did a short walk along the coast again hoping to see more whales, but sadly only saw more rock hyrax. Still it was a pretty morning, and was fun to stroll along the water without being soaked like the day before!

One member of our party wasn’t feeling great, so we opted to stop at the mall in Hermanus to have a more relaxing morning. It actually worked out well because I’d realized I hadn’t packed enough long sleeve shirts for the weather, so I opted to buy one at a cheap shop. 

After a bit we took off to head to our next destination, driving down along the coast towards Mossel Bay. 

I did make a stop because I had to continue a grand tradition of mine of getting pictures next to fun wildlife crossing signs. I started this in Colombia next to an anteater one, and I’m definitely going to make it my goal to get more! 

Needless to say, we had to laugh because right after my pictures next to the sign we spotted a troop of baboons heading across the road.

Our drive continued for a bit. We stopped to grab some snacks and then had a picnic in a little park in the town of Swellendam.

After that we kept driving until the evening when we reached Mossel Bay. We were staying at New Stone Manor, a cute little guesthouse with only a couple of rooms. Our host was very friendly and kind in welcoming us. 

We walked down to the waterfront and enjoyed the beach briefly before the sunset. It was definitely a bit of an adjustment for us as our sun was setting well past eight in our home town, but with South African winter it was somewhere closer to 6. Nonetheless we enjoyed seeing a little of the town and the beach before heading to get something to eat. 

We ate at the Kingfisher. Unusually for me, I took no pictures during our meal, partly because it wasn’t quite as interesting as some of our others. I had chicken schnitzel for something different and a strawberry daiquiri.

After our meal we used the free shuttle service in town and had a driver take us back to the guesthouse. Our host had said she thought that would be safest after dark. With that we settled in to sleep, ready for a more fun day ahead.

Less of an exciting day, but there should be plenty more fun adventures to share about going forward!

Down to the Cape: Day 4

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We started our morning off with looking for penguins once again. We didn’t even have to venture too far, as the parking lot near our hotel had a few for us to enjoy.

After getting a few more penguin photos, we headed back into Simon’s Town to get some breakfast. As we’d loved the Lighthouse Cafe for dinner the night before, it seemed like a great idea to stop there for breakfast.

It was a beautiful day, so at first we thought about sitting outside, but we soon caught sight of baboons in the area and opted to not take our chances. We sat in the windows enjoying looking out but at least feeling a little more protected. 

I had a cappuccino and eggs benedict. It all tasted really good and we were happy with our choice. We did see some bikers sit outside and they weren’t bothered by the baboons, so it might have been okay, but we still felt a little more secure inside. 

After breakfast we took off to drive towards the Cape of Good Hope. We opted to go ahead and pay to go into the National Park to be able to drive all the way down to the point. 

As we were coming into the park we spotted something large and dark on the horizon. Sure enough as we got closer we spotted our first ostrich! It was the first larger animal we’d spotted, so we were definitely excited. 

We continued to enjoy the gorgeous landscape and good weather. A little further into the park we spotted some zebra hiding under a tree and then down along the coast we saw some Eland (a type of large antelope). We were so excited to see so many new types of animals on our drive. We saw a couple of bontebok (darker antelope) in the distance before heading to the coast to stop for a quick walk. 

It was a beautiful sunny day, so we enjoyed some time along the water. I unfortunately managed to slip hopping on rocks, but other than a cracked phone screen and some wet shoes was thankfully alright. My mom came to the rescue with some extra shoes. 

Then we went to see the point. We opted to ride the funicular up the hill and enjoyed spectacular coastal views and the fun lighthouse. It was very windy at that particular spot, so clear why some wanted to initially name it Cape of Storms instead of Cape of Good Hope. Still, it was sunny and beautiful that day, so we enjoyed it to the fullest.

Back at the car we opted to stop briefly at the visitor’s center before heading on to our final destination of the day. I got a couple of fun photos outside the visitor’s center.

We started making the drive back up the point and along the coast. We stopped for some snacks at one point, but otherwise just continued on the road. 

We arrived in Hermanus in the late afternoon and the weather was turning. It began to rain as we were taking our bags out of the car and heading into our hotel. We stayed at the Nautilus Guest House, a charming bed and breakfast style place along the coast. 

After settling into our rooms, we threw on rain jackets and opted to brave the bad weather in hopes of seeing Hermanus’s main attraction.

The town is called the Whale Watching Capitol of the world. It is supposed to be a perfect place to see Southern Right Whales, especially in South African winter (June-August). 

We didn’t bother booking any kind of boating excursion, instead opting to just walk along the coast and see what was visible. The rain was coming down pretty hard, but we just bundled up to cope. 

Sure enough, after a while of walking, we finally spotted what we’d been looking for. A Southern Right Whale was leaping out of the water, doing spectacular moves to show off. We enjoyed watching for a while. Such an amazing sight to get to enjoy, even on the shore. 

At long last, soaked to the bone, we headed back to the hotel to get a little rest and dry off before dinner. 

That evening, we again ventured out into the rain. We had bad luck on finding a restaurant initially. One of the places we’d thought about trying we saw along the coast while walking, and as they had primarily outdoor seating, they were closing up for the day. The second was closed as well for renovations or something. So we settled at the Fisherman’s Cottage. 

It was a super cute little restaurant. As the name suggests, it was originally a fisherman’s house in the 1800s but was turned into a restaurant in the late 1990s. They had a fire going which we actually appreciated after all of the rain and cool weather of the afternoon.

We shared some arancini and a vegan beetroot Tarte Tatin to start. Everything tasted amazing. I had the Moorish Mutton Curry, which was absolutely delicious. Perhaps one of my favorite dishes of the trip.  We finished off with an apple Tarte Tatin, also vegan with coconut ice cream. All in all a fabulous meal in a great location! 

Finished up with our food, we walked back to the restaurant. I finished the day with a soaky bath and some rooibos tea, the perfect thing while continuing to listen to the rain outside.

Watch for Penguins: Day 3

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Our morning started out finishing up our time in Cape Town. My father ran to get our rental car while my mother and I opted to do a little more birding. I’d really enjoyed getting to see some new species in the park we’d walked through, so I asked to go through one more time before we left. 

After managing to add a couple more birds to my lifer list, we met my dad at the hotel to get in the car and begin our journey out of Cape Town. 

We drove out of town a ways and made a stop at Hout Bay Beach. It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed dipping our toes in the water and enjoying the good weather.

With our beach break done, we headed up Chapman Peak Drive, enjoying the gorgeous scenery along the water. We stopped at a lookout for some photos and then continued on. 

We’d driven for a while and decided it was time to make a stop. We took a break at Imhoff Farms, a cute little original Cape farm dating back from 1743 with little shops and animals. We had fun walking around for a bit before grabbing some food from the shop and having a picnic. We enjoyed some fresh goat cheese made from the local goats and a nice loaf of bread. The place was a very serene and fun picnic location.

Finally we hopped back in the car to make our way to our final destination. We were staying in Boulders Beach at the Boulders Beach Hotel. As we pulled into the parking lot we had to giggle as there were signs asking you to check for penguins under your car. 

Of course, going down to the point we knew there was a chance we’d get to see some penguins. Some people I’ve talked to about my trip are a bit surprised I got to see penguins, in Africa of all places, but honestly it is far enough south they do have a species called African Penguins that only live along the Southern Africa coast. A bit different than what people traditionally think about when it comes to these adorable birds.

After checking in, we immediately took off down a nearby boardwalk, hoping to spot some penguins. Sure enough we soon came across a couple, even some nesting not too far away from the walk! It was so fun to get to see this new species. As a birder I was especially excited for this new and unique lifer to add to my list.

We enjoyed getting some photos and also admiring the Dassies (Rock Hyrax) chewing on leaves and climbing in bushes nearby. After a bit of a walk we arrived at the Boulders Visitor Center where we could pay to go down to the beach to get an even better view of penguins. Though we’d seen plenty on our walk, including lots of chicks, we thought it would be fun to get to see them hopping in the water.

Down at the beach we indeed had plenty of great views of the penguins going out to feed and just hanging out on the sand. They are remarkably smelly, and quite loud (sometimes known as Jackass Penguins due to their noises). It was still just an unbelievable experience and definitely one of my favorites of the trip.

After plenty of time admiring the penguins we headed back to the hotel before dinner. For dinner we opted to drive into the nearby Simon’s Town to find someplace to eat. 

As we came out to our car, however, we found out the signs in the parking lot might not be as silly as we initially found them. I jokingly went to look under the car for penguins, only to see a group of them coming right towards our car. I tried to block them from coming any closer, which only spooked them and caused one to dart right under our car. I ended up managing to get him out and then directing my father, the driver, as to when the path was clear. Penguin wrangling wasn’t something I had on my 2024 bingo card, but nonetheless it happened. 

In Simon’s Town we ended up wanting to try The Lighthouse Cafe, but they were very busy and would require us to wait. As no one was starving it seemed like a good idea to just walk around town a bit and come back when our table was ready.

As it turned out, walking around town proved more of an adventure than we really realized. 

There was shouting and we turned to see people in bright vests with flags running across the street. To our surprise there had been a robbery. But not by a human.

A large baboon had run into a nearby store, grabbed something and taken off outside to see if it was edible. We watched in amazement as the creature tore off the wrapper of whatever snack he’d grabbed and proceeded to eat it. 

The people in vests were apparently simply there to keep an eye on the baboons, preventing people from getting too close or otherwise causing problems. A local woman was locking up her shop and remarked to us that they are a big nuisance in town and unfortunately with their protection it makes things difficult on locals. 

I think it definitely shows our society still has a long way to go to figure out the best balance in living with other creatures. For so long we’ve dominated their territory, so it does feel right that they get to have a turn, but at the same time I did sympathize for locals who find their behavior difficult to cope with at times.

We enjoyed exploring a bit of Simon’s Town, reading some signs about the history, stopping down at the wharf to see a statue of Just Nuisance, the only dog to ever be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. 

Finally we headed back to the restaurant to check on our table and found out it was ready to go. We went inside and enjoyed the fun restaurant atmosphere. My stomach had been a bit off that day (got to love traveling), so I settled for the pecorino chicken breast. For dessert we tried the traditional Malva Pudding and an apple berry crumble. It all tasted very good. As our hotel didn’t serve breakfast we went ahead and looked at the breakfast menu as well, figuring we might stop by in the morning. 

Back at our hotel, my dad and I opted to do a night walk along the boardwalk to see what other animals might be awake. We had some grumpy penguins get a little upset to see us so late at night, but otherwise weren’t seeing much. We did spot two otters down in the surf, which was very fun. 

With our busy day completed, we turned in for the night.

Exploring Cape Town History: Day 2

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After a good night’s sleep trying to stave off jetlag, we rose and grabbed some breakfast at our hotel. They had a nice self-serve spread of bread, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit, pastries, and coffee. 

Once we were finished we took off walking three kilometers to head to the District Six Museum. 

Though our trip took place in late May going into June, South Africa was heading into their winter, so we did see some not great weather. It had rained hard all night, but thankfully was starting to clear off come morning. We enjoyed various fun buildings on our walk over to the museum.

Once we arrived at the museum we bought our tickets and began looking around. Unfortunately we had arrived too late for a guided tour unless we wanted to wait for more than an hour. We opted to just tour by ourselves. 

The history of District Six is definitely heartbreaking, so it was good to get to learn a little more. It started out as a primarily black area. Due to the laws in the area it essentially became a ghetto as regulations made it impossible to do any kind of improvements. However, as Cape Town began to grow, white South Africans began to want to live in the area closer to the center of the city. For that reason it was declared a whites only area and the black families were forced out to the townships and their homes were torn down to modernize for new owners. 

Like any tragic period of history, it was hard to read some of the stories, but definitely meaningful to understand more of South Africa’s history. 

After we finished exploring the museum we headed over to the Company’s Garden. The Garden is the oldest in South Africa, started by the Dutch East India Company to be able to raise produce to sell to passing ships along the Cape. 

We wandered for a bit before heading over to Motherland, a local coffee shop where we had planned to catch a free walking tour. We had opted to do the 11 o’clock Historic City Tour, hoping we might get a better overview of Cape Town. Free walking tours are one of my favorite things to do in a new city. They are tip based, and thus far I’ve only had a couple I didn’t like. 

We had a coffee from Motherland while waiting for our tour to begin. It was delicious and just the thing to get us energized for some more walking.

Our guide Tim took us and one other tourist who joined a bit later on a walk around the area, pointing out various places and giving general information about the history of South Africa as a whole and Cape Town specifically. Though I know I learned some South African history in school, it was definitely minimal, so I appreciated getting more insight into the country. 

We walked by the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town City Hall where Nelson Mandela made his speech, the old Dutch Reform Church, and the parliament. We ended back in the Company’s Garden again and this time were surprised to see some albino squirrels. We did another walk through the garden, admiring some Egyptian Goose goslings. 

We decided to mosey back to the hotel as our energy was beginning to wane. We opted to walk back to our hotel, but this time detour through the Bo-Kaap neighborhood. 

Bo-Kaap is a beautiful neighborhood known for their brightly colored houses. The weather had truly become gorgeous by that point, so we enjoyed walking around and snapping some pictures before making the trek back to the hotel.

We took a little time to just relax in the afternoon and rest before taking off a little before dinner time. Since we’d arrived back in the hotel earlier, we opted to head out a little earlier, giving us some time to explore the waterfront. 

So we meandered down to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront to walk around a little. We admired the beautiful views and took plenty of pictures. It was especially fun to get to see the Cape fur seals lounging on the piers. 

Finally we were getting hungry so we stopped to get some dinner at Den Anker, a Belgian restaurant along the water. I felt inspired by the scenery so had some poison et frites (fish and chips). 

We finished the meal off with some delicious chocolate mousse. Satisfied with the amazing day we headed back to the hotel. It was our final day in Cape Town, but there was plenty of adventure left to be had.

Welcome to Cape Town: South Africa Day 1

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I’m finally ready to get back to writing about my current travels now that I’ve wrapped up my account of Thailand. 

This summer I had the pleasure of joining my parents on a trip to South Africa! I always get questions of how I choose my destinations, so let me break it down for you. 

Though I do enjoy returning to countries occasionally, I’m always looking to try something new and different. With the benefit of not traveling solo, I knew this expanded my options as well. My family and I discussed doing another trip together. We are all three in teaching so do have summers off together. So we agreed it might be fun to try somewhere new like Argentina or South Africa. South Africa ended up winning out as a destination that sounded new and fun to try.  

Getting all the way over to South Africa can be tricky, but thankfully we managed to get airline tickets from our city directly to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Cape Town (roughly a 15 hour flight). Though it’s still a long journey, only having two flights was a nice way to break it up and we didn’t at any point feel we were backtracking. 

Mom and me before the 15 hour flight
Views flying into Cape Town

We arrived late our first day and simply grabbed an Uber to get to our hotel. We stayed at the Altona Lodge. We headed down the road to a German restaurant our host recommended called Cafe Extrablatt. As we were tired and jetlagged we didn’t invest too much time into finding a good restaurant and instead opted for something quick and easy. 

After a good night’s rest we all managed to grab some breakfast at our hotel before heading out for the day. The hotel manager had warned us it was election day in South Africa, and therefore she advised sticking to more touristy things to avoid running into any conflicts or closures. We therefore opted to do the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus. We also felt it would be a good choice as it was supposed to rain the next couple days, so would give us a chance to see the famous Table Mountain. 

One of the things I’d always heard about Cape Town was about the beauty of the dramatic landscape of mountain overlooking town right on the edge of the water. So our family felt Table Mountain was a big priority in our time. For that reason, we opted to take the bus up to that stop and get off there first to prioritize it.

On the way over to the bus stop, we passed through Green Point Park.  Anyone who knows me well is aware I’ve become a birding enthusiast in the last couple years. Walking through a beautiful green space like the park provided views of all kinds of amazing birds. As we had plenty of time before the bus left, we spent a bit of time admiring the park as well as its feathery occupants.

After some birding and admiring the ocean, we did finally catch the bus. We rode up to Table Mountain, enjoying the views on the upper deck and enjoying the comfortable temperatures. The bus provided free earbuds to be able to listen to some information about the city as we drove.

Up at the stop we headed to buy tickets for the cable car to the top of the mountain. For any looking to visit Cape Town, you can hike up to the top, but if you’re out of shape or limited on time, the cable car provides a fast option to get up. 

Up at the mountain top, we admired the gorgeous views of Cape Town. We had been warned by our host that it might be rainy the next couple of days, so we were glad to get such good weather for this important activity. 

After a bit of hiking around admiring the various flora that grows on the rocks and looking for little rock hyraxes (small rodents the locals call dassies), we opted to head back down and catch the bus back around. 

At the final stop in the bus we got off and switched over to the blue line bus this time heading out to the beautiful Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. 

At the gardens we stopped for a quick snack lunch at the cafe before heading into the gardens to wander through the various paths. Once again, I had the opportunity to do some birding, but also to admire the beautiful plants that grow in abundance in South Africa. 

We wandered for a couple of hours, though the wind was picking up. After a bit we did grab the bus back towards the center of Cape Town. We had some beautiful ocean views as the sun was going down, before getting off and heading towards our hotel for a bit of downtime before dinner.

That evening we walked down to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront to find some dinner. 

We decided to try a restaurant called Mozambik on the waterfront. It’s a chain with locations in a couple of African countries and considered an Afro-Porto (African and Portuguese) fusion restaurant. We figured it sounded good. 

I had a pina colada as well as a delicious steak with coconut rice and roasted vegetables. It really hit the spot after such a busy day! 

We walked back to the hotel to get some good rest for the next day. Stay tuned for more South African adventures!