At the Cape of Good Hope

Standing on the edge of a continent

Standing on the edge of the African Continent Looking South

 Today marked the day that Heidi and I stood on the far southwestern point of the African Continent. This point of land that juts out below Cape Town was known as the “Cape of Storms” for centuries before being given the much more endearing “Cape of Good Hope” title that we know it by today. This land marks the point where ships are finally able to start heading more north than south when trying to sail around the bottom of the African continent. The wild weather and storms still come frequently which wary sailors know to keep an eye on, but not on this day. 

Ostrich by the sea

Cape Point National Park

   We had beautiful weather with a touch less wind than normal for this spot. The end of the peninsula here is a national park, so our WILD card got us in for free. A lighthouse stands at the western tip while a marker denoting the farthest point of land southwest in Africa stands at the western tip. A fun hiking path connects the two or you can drive around. There are some animals in the park although the most likely suspects to show up are sea birds gliding on the wind hitting the cliffs and pushing them up or sitting on the rocks below. We also came across several ostriches which looked pretty odd and out of place with ocean waves crashing just behind them. 

Hiking up to the Cape of Good Hope

Made it an pointing south to future adventures

  Another interesting fact about Cape Point is that it is not the southernmost tip of Africa. That honor goes to a point a hundred miles to the west called Point Agulhas. This is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet, and where you could stand with one foot in each ocean.

Tourists lining up at the Cape of Good Hope Sign

Wild protea growing everywhere in the park

Local resident, a hyrax

Climbing high above the cape

Last of the climb to the lighthouse

Long way from anywhere