When Monique Marais, Marketing Assistant from Cape Town, Private Safaris SA, was offered a trip to the Cape Peninsula, she jumped at it! Judging from her bubbly account, it turned out to be a wonderful day, a happy journey through some stunning and spectacular surroundings. But let her tell you all about it herself!
“Even though I had been living in Cape Town my whole life, I had never done much exploring or sight-seeing of any of the popular tourist attractions. When I was offered a chance to go on a tour of the Cape Peninsula…. well, let’s just say they didn’t have to beg me to go! My day of fun exploration started when I was picked up at work and taken to the meet-up point in Cape Town where I would join other tourists who had also booked this tour for the day. Before departing, our lovely tour guide, Basil Brown, ran us through our itinerary for the day and all the sites we’d be visiting. Thus, our adventures began!
Our first stop on our journey along the Cape Peninsula was a brief stop at Clifton and Camp’s Bay. It was cloudy all throughout the morning but cleared up slightly throughout the rest of the day. Make no mistake, the lack of sun did nothing to prevent the tank top tan that still made an appearance that night (sunblock is warranted)!
From there on we made our way to Hout Bay where the optional activity of a boat trip to Seal Island was included. Of course I jumped at the chance to get close to thousands of Cape Fur Seals having the time of their lives on their little island. The trip did not disappoint!
On the way to our next destination came the lovely scenic drive that is Chapman’s Peak. The views were just utterly breathtaking. Naturally, I could not stop whipping out my camera for photos. So much sightseeing was done already and by this time it was only eleven o’clock !
Finally at the tip of the peninsula, we entered the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where we drove through the nature reserve and toward the Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope landmarks. After arriving at Cape Point where instead of taking the funicular, I opted for rather taking the 20 minute walk up to the lighthouse, and let me tell you, I definitely felt that in my rear for three straight days. So if your looking for a great cardio workout, I suggest taking the walk up. When I reached the top, I decided it was the perfect place to sit, rest and eat my lunch while staring out at the beauty that is Cape Point. The walk down went much quicker, and soon after we were making our way to the Cape of Good Hope landmark.
Afterwards, on the route home, we made a quick stop at Boulder’s Beach to do some penguin viewing and can I just say that they were the cutest things I have ever seen. Watching them waddle through the sand or relaxing under the foliage of the trees is quite a sight to behold! I still can’t decide if that little guy in the far right image is sizing me up, ready to take me down, or just really photogenic and loving the attention of my camera!
Finally, we concluded our little adventure with a relaxing stroll through Kirstenbosch Gardens. The sun was near setting and the warmth of the day lingered in the gardens as we made our way through and toward our little tour bus that would take us home. All in all it was a majorly successful day!”
