Western Cape Road Trip in South Africa

The Western Cape of South Africa is home to some of the Africa’s most awe-inspiring scenery. Defined by its wildlife-rich coastline, its towering flat-top mountains, and its vineyard-clad valleys, it is a place where exploration and relaxation go hand in hand.

Cape Town justifiably gets much of the area’s tourist attention. The city is one of the most dynamic and scenic in the world. It is steeped in history, pulsing with nightlife, encircled by beauty, and inhabited by a diverse population.

But the area’s charm’s don’t end with the confines of the bustling Mother City.

For beyond Cape Town, the coastlines and mountains of Africa’s southwestern corner invite whale watchers, wine-lovers, adrenaline junkies, and all in between.

 

THE WESTERN CAPE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Our Western Cape road trip began and ended in Cape Town. From the Mother City, we traveled the wild and scenic coastline, toward the unmissable Cape of Good Hope, before continuing eastward to the cage-diving mecca of Gaansbai.

After facing our fears and coming face to face with Great White Sharks, we continued to Cape Agulhas—the southernmost point in Africa.

Then, after strolling along one of Africa’s longest beaches and taking in the sunset from the end of the continent, we returned to Cape Town via the idyllic and vineyard-speckled Franschhoek Valley.

 

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

One of Cape Town’s greatest advantages is its proximity to the dramatic coastal scenery of South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Even for travelers with limited time to spend in the Western Cape, a visit to the landmark stretch of coastline is an absolute must.

As Dan and I left Cape Town, we followed the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive toward Boulders Beach for a chance to spot the colony of penguins that inhabit the sandy cove.

• BOULDERS BEACH

Boulder’s Beach is an undeniable highlight of the Western Cape. The beautiful stretch of snowy sand is strewn with large rocks and littered with seemingly thousands of sunbathing tuxedo-wearing birds.

Penguin-spotting on Boulder’s Beach is one of the top things to do along South Africa’s Western Cape. The adorable penguins are everywhere—swimming in the ocean, lounging on rocks, frolicking on the sand, and hiding under nearby shrubbery.

 

• THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

From Boulder’s Beach, we continued onward to the Cape of Good Hope—one of the top attractions in the Western Cape, and a location that is wrongly associated with being the southernmost tip of Africa.

Despite being mired in misinformation, the Cape of Good Hope is historically important, scenically wonderful, and entirely worth visiting.

 

GAANSBAI, SOUTH AFRICA

I’ve never been much of an adrenaline junkie, but when Dan mentioned his desire to cage dive with the Great White Sharks, I cautiously agreed.

The little sleepy fishing village of Gansbaai, South Africa is a well-known launching pad for cage diving with the Great White Sharks. The bay is situated strategically between two islands that house large colonies of African Penguins and Cape Fur Seals. These animals draw thousands of sharks from the surrounding area into a narrow channel that is commonly referred to as “Shark Alley.”

• CAGE DIVING WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS

At around seven in the morning, after a breakfast and short briefing on what to expect, our boat full of anxious passengers set off in preparation for a face-to-face encounter with the Great White Sharks. We put on our wetsuits, goggles and booties and took turns cautiously descending into the metal cage that was attached to the side of the boat.

In order to draw the sharks toward our boat, our guide concocted a mixture of fish innards and blood called “chum” and tied it to the end of the line. “Chumming” has drawn a significant amount of criticism in recent years for drawing sharks toward people without feeding them. Yet, despite the criticism that many shark-diving tour groups have faced in recent years, there is no doubt that the mixture of fish guts is a powerful draw for these keen-sensed creatures.

We visited Gansbaai at perhaps the worst time of year for spotting the Great White Sharks, since many of the deep sea predators had migrated elsewhere, to more plentiful hunting grounds.

Nevertheless, merely minutes had passed before the first shark—a massive four meter long female—moseyed up to the line, gave it a tug and then retreated back into the opaque waters. Within minutes, a handful of other sharks began tugging at the line and surrounding our boat.

It was utterly terrifying, but so, so worthwhile.
 

CAPE AGULHAS

The thrill of coming face to face with Great White Sharks in Gaansbai, propelled us to continue onward, toward the sleepy town of Stuisbaai in Cape Agulhas. We took the scenic road to Struisbaai and arrived at the Cape Agulhas Backpacker Hostel in time for an evening stroll by the beach and a lovely seafood dinner.

There is a common misconception that the southernmost tip of the African continent lies at the Cape of Good Hope. In reality, however, it sits nearly 300km to the East—where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans collide at Cape Agulhas National Park.

• THE CAPE AGULHAS STINGRAYS

The beach at Struisbaai is one of the longest white sand beaches in the southern hemisphere and its waters were dotted with fishermen, kite-surfers and holiday-makers.

Dan and I spent very little time at the beach, however. Our main objective in visiting this tiny fishing village, was to swim with the giant stingrays. And, while our first few visits to the harbor proved fruitless, we returned before sunset just in time to see a large dark patch in the water drift toward us.

The waters around Cape Agulhas National Park are blessed with a unique array of marine species due to the confluence of the cold Banguela current to the West and the warm waters of the Indian ocean to the East.

Initially, I kept my distance in order to avoid the stingers. Eventually, however, I realized I could have probably relaxed. Nobody else seemed concerned at all. In fact, some children even bought raw squid at a nearby shop and fed the stingrays out of their hands.

• THE SOUTHERNMOST TIP OF AFRICA

After wading in the crystalline waters with three meter long stingrays, we decided to cap off our day by standing at the tip of Africa and watching the sun set behind the silhouette of a shipwreck off the cost.

Watching the waves lap against the skeleton of the rusted ship was nevertheless a hauntingly beautiful sight.

Cape Agulhas is beautiful—a tiny gem overshadowed in many ways by the much more well-known and touristy Cape of Good Hope. We would have loved to spend a few more days enjoying the beaches of Cape Agulhas National Park but, due to our upcoming flight to Johannesburg, we continued our road trip back to Cape Town via the Garden Route.

 

THE GARDEN ROUTE

The Garden Route is high on most South Africa bucket lists for good reason. After all, who can resist verdant valleys,  towering mountains, and some of the world’s best wine?

Running parallel to the coastal road, it passes through some of the country’s most spectacular inland scenery. The towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are among the most popular stops along the Garden Route. Our itinerary didn’t have enough days to include visits to both cities, so we decided to spend time in Franschoek and forego visiting Stellenbosch.

• FRANSCHHOEK WINE COUNTRY

Franschhoek—which translates to “French corner” in Dutch—seems like a cross between Europe and America, plopped right in the southern part of Africa. The city has a stunning setting in the shadow of jagged, green mountains, and its streets are lined with quaint coffee shops, bakeries and gastropubs. The town is replete with fine dining options, but it is most famous for the many wineries that can be found throughout the entire surrounding valley.

With only one day in Franschhoek, Dan and I strolled the town’s pretty streets, admired the surrounding mountains and sat down for a tasty, delicious meal. Then, we pick two of the wineries in the city and pretend we knew a little bit about sampling wines.

I admit I know very little about wines, but the wine and cheese pairings at the Franschhoek Winery were delicious and, with the million dollar view from the terrace of the Dieu Donne winery, I immediately understood why people so often fall in love with the area.

 

*****

Our Western Cape road trip contained equal parts adventure, exploration, and relaxation. It gave us the opportunity to discover the beauty of South Africa’s rocky coastline, admire its diversity of marine life, and revel in the seductive beauty of its winelands.

With our return to Cape Town at the end of our road trip, Dan and I closed the chapter on the first part of our South African itinerary and geared up for phase two—a thrilling road trip through the national parks of Eastern South Africa and Swaziland, that would once again bring us face to face with some of the wold’s most intriguing animals and breathtaking scenery.