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Published: December 11th 2012
After a night during which we woke up a few times to the braying of penguins both in front and behind our room we went out to the nearby terrace restaurant where we had our free breakfast. The view was nice and the food was good but the most interesting encounter was the hotel cat coming and sitting in our laptop case. We had to use the laptop here given that the Wifi connection was not working in the room but at least we got as a prize a black cat. The cat was very friendly and did not want to leave the laptop case until the server decided to take her away. Afterwards we went to the nearby gift shop which had quite a few interesting gift ideas most of them related to penguins and sharks.
The plan for the morning is to visit the nearby Boulder and Foxy Beach and the area between them that is supposedly full of penguins. The whole area is part of Table Mountain National Park and our hotel is right next to it so we simply walk to Boulder Beach after paying the entrance fee. To our surprise and delight immediately we see three penguins exit the water and waddle next to us up towards the bushes. There are also Egyptian Gooses which seem to ignore the penguins and just sit on some boulders.
The beach is pretty small so we decide to go towards Foxy Beach on the raised boardwalk. While returning towards the boardwalk we meet an unsure penguin that is stuck on the paved trail; in the end he decides to jump in the bushes where we notice other hidden penguins and birds.
The boardwalk has a fence to avoid people going into the penguin area and while at first we don't notice any penguins after a bit of walking we start to see more and more. It is fun to see penguins in a forest it is not something that we expected but they seem at home between the trees. On the other side of the trail there are beautiful gardens and what we think are really expensive houses.
There are a few overlooks where we can see Boulders Beach from above and the penguins playing in the water and outside. The views of False Bay are quite nice and we enjoy stopping and just looking at the view.
And then suddenly we notice there are plastic barrels on the penguin side. Initially we think that it might be some bad littering but then we understand that they are artificial burrows for penguins as we see penguins entering and exiting them and chicks standing at the entrance of a few of them. We notice also a few natural burrows but they seem at a premium and that might be the reason why the barrels were added.
And yes to our surprise there are penguin chicks around and we see quite a few both in the forest and on the beach later. It seems not all of the penguins know when the breeding period is...which is just fine with us.
After the 1h walk on the boardwalk through the forest we arrive at the second beach, Foxy beach. The ticket from Boulders Beach also works here and we enter first the visitor center and then move on to the beach. First there are a lot of bushes which seem to teem with penguins but they are difficult to spot...not so difficult to hear though.
The beach is full of penguins further away but there are also quite a few close to us some of them with chicks enjoying the beach and the sun.
The penguins are not the only birds on the beach though. There are quite a few oystercatchers on the boulders and some Egyptian Geese hidden between the bushes.
Some of the penguins play near the water, they enter it, swim a bit around and then run out of it. It is really funny and there are quite a few photographers trying to capture a special picture of the penguins.
After returning back to the hotel we take the car and drive it to the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. The ticket from Boulders Beach does not grant us entry here so we have to pay again for entrance. The park is quite busy but not on our first stop, a short nature trail near the road. It is quite a nice trail through a rocky area and a good chance to get acquinted to the flowering fynbos in the area.
But in the end the vast majority of the visitors are driving to the Lighthouse area and that is what we are also doing. But on the way we stop a few times to marvel at the views of the cliffs and the multitude of the flowers and fynbos near the road.
The lighthouse area is the developed area in the National Park with a few gift shops and restaurants. We decide to eat a pizza as late lunch and it is quite good. There are a lot of signs about the danger of the baboons trying to get to the food but we do not see any.
And we understand why there are no baboons as soon as we start a short hike on a nearby trail... there is an electric fence around the visitor area which keeps them out. Outside we feel more exposed but we do not see any baboons. What we see are birds and lizards and some beautiful views of the coastline. There are also flowering fynbos everywhere.
After leaving the lighthouse area we stop at a whale viewpoint. While it is the whale season we do not see any but we enjoy the views of the cliffs and fishing boats in False Bay.
And then it is off towards the Cape of Good Hope which is another branch of the road going down the peninsula. However we get detoured by what seems an out of place sighting as we see ostriches walking near the ocean. And not only one but a whole group of ostriches seems to be eating right next to the Atlantic Ocean.
And then we arrive at the Cape of Good Hope sign and understand where all the tour buses are as the area is chock full of visitors. Most of them take only a picture at the sign which makes it really busy but the surrounding area looks still wild and untamed and you can understand how the Portuguese felt when they first arrived here and assumed that they are at the southern tip of Africa (which actually is not true).
As we return back north from the southernmost point of our trip we stop at a roadside parking lot to take a short hike to the ocean and view some tidal pools. The trail is beautiful with a vigilant ostrich near the trail and lots of fynbos on both sides of the trail.
There are interesting rock formations to see and flowers to smell as well as interesting tidal pools to explore so we enjoy the area and take picture after picture of the different landscapes.
And what is a day without dassies? Here we have our last look at some dassies who look at us with their patented look of indifference and disgust.
As the sun starts to fall towards the horizon we have to return to the gate as the park closes at sunset. But on the way we stop at a few historical sites including the two crosses in the honor of two well known Portuguese navigators who discovered the way to Asia around Africa.
As we turn around to get to the exit gate we also see a male ostrich dancing which is quite interesting and funny.
After returning to Simon's Town we take a short stroll through downtown and even though most stores are closed on Sunday we find an open grocery store to buy some provisions for the remaining days in South Africa. Downtown has a lot of good looking houses but looks a bit beaten down.
In the evening we prepare for our move tomorrow to the last accomodation in our trip near downtown Cape Town and try to understand how many rand we still have and whether we still need to exchange some for the last couple days. Of course we also exit a few times to see the penguins overnighting in the hotel courtyard and behind the hotel who give themselves away through the constant braying which we are starting to get used to actually and does not disturb us at night.
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