Escape to the Cape

Continuing our journey across Cape Town, on early Sunday morning, David and I boarded a boat for our Big 5 Marine Safari.  

After driving for three hours from Cape Town to Gansbaai, we met our captain and were given a short safety briefing.  This included what to do if the boat capsized, because apparently that happens sometimes.  What?!  I was more worried about falling into shark-infested waters than actually drowning!

The Big 5 of the Sea in SA are the dolphin, whale, African penguin, seal, and Great White shark.  Unfortunately we didn’t see any dolphins or whales, as the waters were too choppy and it wasn’t really whale season, but we spotted the other three.

And lots and lots of birds!

First up were the African penguins on Dyer Island.  The African penguin is also called the Jackass penguin because of the donkey-like braying sound it makes.  The penguin population here has greatly decreased in the last 100 years due to increased fishing and the removal of guano to use as fertilizer.  The penguins used to nest in the guano, but now they are completely exposed to the elements and predators.

To help out the little guys, David and I purchased some real estate on Dyer Island – a cozy little abode for a penguin and its family.  

These dog-house looking structures are used by the penguins to keep comfortable while nesting, and shield their young from birds while the parents hunt for food.

In South Africa, seeing a Great White shark is practically guaranteed.  The waters between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock are known as Shark Alley because the Great Whites patrol the channel in the hope of catching one of the 60,000 seals that inhabit the area.

So many seals!  

Some were playful, watching our boat and swimming around us.  Others were sleepy and stayed on Geyser Island, sunbathing on the rocks or this plank of wood from an old shipwreck.

The sharks weren't hungry on Easter morning, and did not go on the hunt for seals while we were out, but we were able to catch up with a cage-diving boat, and the sharks were all over that area!  We saw a few circling the boats beneath the waves, and they were just as huge and terrifying as we imagined they would be!  The largest one we saw was about 10 feet long and could've easily swallowed me whole!

After the marine safari, we drove back along the coast to Cape Town.  As we briefly stopped in Hermanus, I felt like I was in California again, but this time at a sunny beachside town.  Hermanus was beautiful – full of quaint rental cottages, outdoor cafes, and scenic views of the sea.  In the summer months, whale watchers flock to this area of the coast.  The animals often come so close to shore during mating season that boats aren't necessary to do any whale-watching. 

We continued our tour of wild Africa on Monday with a drive around the Cape.  We started off at Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West. 

The cheetah population in South Africa is under threat.  Farmers are setting traps and killing cheetahs and other wild animals to protect their livestock.  In order to educate the farmers and prevent unnecessary deaths, the outreach facility breeds Turkish Anatolian Shepherds to place on farms.  Cheetahs do not like confrontation, so the dogs will scare them away.  Hand-raised cheetah cubs are also raised at the center, and travel all over the world to act as ambassadors.

David and I arrived hours before the complex opened to walk two of the cheetah cubs.  This was a really special opportunity, and we were treated with a behind-the-scenes look at how the animals are cared for. 

You are probably asking yourself, ‘How do you walk a cheetah?’  We found that it’s like walking Kirby, but even trickier.  They are huge, even the cubs, and incredibly powerful and fast.  They do pull on the leashes, and because they are so fast, carers are stationed around them with bowls of raw meat and toys to distract them, or tempt them back if they try to run away.  Luckily, there were no incidents while we were there.  It turned out to be a fun walk with a couple of rambunctious nine-month-olds.

This one kept staring down David.  We think it was confused by the Go-Pro.

During the walk, the cheetahs would often just plop down on the ground for a rest (they are lazy cats, after all).  At this time, David and I were invited to get up close and personal, and even pet them. 

After walking two of the cubs, we met Uncle Joe, a twelve year old cheetah.  We were able to compare the difference in the bodies and fur of the adults versus the cubs.  The adults were much leaner, and their hair was softer.  And their claws were huge!  The cubs had coarser fur because of their baby scruff and less oils, and of course their nails were not nearly as long.

We were also able to meet a few other small predators living at Cheetah Outreach, including a couple of jackals, some meerkats, a serval cat, a caracal cat, and a family of bat-eared fox.

I didn't think I'd ever seen a caracal cat before.  Its ears looked like horns from further away.

From there, we drove along the sea, past a township that stretched for miles, and then through various coastal towns to Boulder Beach to watch the African penguins waddle out of the ocean and rest in the sand.

They were so adorable!  I wanted to take one home with us!

Then it was off to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.  Here, we were greeted by a few friendly baboons before taking the funicular called the Flying Dutchman to the top of Cape Point.  We took in the views, snapped some photos of the lighthouse, and then drove back through the reserve.

On our way back to Cape Town, Riaz from GoCabz took us on a fantastic tour of the cape and its beautiful beach towns.  We did the Chapman’s Peak Drive, which is considered one of the most scenic roads in the world.

After a long day, we entered Cape Town from Camps Bay and Clifton Beach, as the sun was setting over the 12 Apostles.

On our final day in Cape Town, we wandered through the city.  We walked from the waterfront up Long Street, which reminded us of New Orleans with its eclectic mix of hotels, restaurants, and shops.  We strolled through the Company Gardens past a number of museums, and then circled back down Government Avenue to the Castle of Good Hope, built in the late 1600s by the Dutch East India Company as a military stronghold.

After making our way back to the Westin, we quickly changed into nicer clothes for our afternoon tea booking at the Mount Nelson Hotel, otherwise known as the Pink Palace.  We felt like early explorers in the historic hotel, enjoying our tea in the gardens in the shadow of Table Mountain.  It may seem silly to go to afternoon tea in South Africa, coming from London, but the Mount Nelson afternoon tea was recently voted best in the world. 

We drank the Mount Nelson blend, and were free to help ourselves to the savory and sweet goodies laid out on a huge banquet table in the tea room.  The table was full of our usual favorites – tea sandwiches like rare roast beef with rocket, cream cheese and cucumber, and scones with clotted cream and jam.  But there were also some new goodies to try like samosas stuffed with savory mushrooms, quiche, Sacher torte, angel food cake, and the local delicacy, milk tart. 

It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.  Cape Town is an amazing city, so it was easy to see why the New York Times named it the #1 travel destination for 2014.  Our only regret was that we didn’t have more time to spend there.