When leaving Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope we had only traveled half the distance for the day. We still had the whole way back to Cape Town ahead of us before the tour with Carlos would end. The main stop on the return route was Chapman’s Peak Drive, another place that certainly offers great views.
Cape Point Ostrich Farm
As we left the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve we soon turned off the road. Carlos had decided that we should see the Cape Point Ostrich Farm along the road. A nicely situated Cape Dutch-style building met us and we were soon surrounded by enclosures with ostriches. The short stop was our possibility to see the ostriches up close and actually feed them.
Carlos walked up with us to one of the enclosures and showed us how to behave with the birds. It was essential to keep the palm of the hand open and fingers together to make sure that the birds wouldn’t try to eat any fingers or peck the side of the hand. Then it was just to wait until the giant bird had his head high, once more to make sure that it wouldn’t take the hand instead. With its head high, the ostrich has a better angle to the food. Then it was just to hold up the hand and a blink of an eye later the ostrich had pecked the food from the hand. Another blink of an eye was needed to check that all the fingers were still there, luckily they were.
Susann decided to stay behind the camera at a safe distance. Swans are usually something she considers large enough to stay away from. So these birds had her respect and she kept her distance.
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Chapman’s Peak is a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula. Along the mountain with a great view towards the Atlantic Ocean is Chapman’s Peak Drive. Along this toll road, the mountain rises on one side and there is a steep fall down to the sea on the other.
We made a few stops along this road and the view really is stunning. There is the sea, of course, but looking in either direction along the coast it is possible to see the steep hills rising from the ocean. Later on, it was also possible to see the beaches of Hout Bay in the distance. It is also in Hout Bay that Chapman’s Peak Drive ends and we were back to the normal road leading us back towards Cape Town.
The End of the Cape Point Tour with Carlos Links
Back in Cape Town our tour had come to an end. Luckily the adventures for the day were not yet over. We agreed with Carlos that he would drop us off at Table Mountain. There were still a few hours left before the mountain would close and we wanted to take the opportunity to also see this famous sight.
The day with Carlos had been better than we could have expected. The flexibility offered when taking the detour for some wine tasting at Groot Constantia gave us a great experience. All the recommendations given at Mariner’s Wharf, Boulders Beach, and Cape Point were really valuable. It all created a tour that we could enjoy without a worry about time and Carlos’s recommendations made sure that we didn’t need to queue at each attraction. This was the result of us doing it all in a different order compared to the larger tour companies. All in all, if you end up in Cape Town and are looking for a tour, keep your eyes open for Carlos. If you are lucky, you might find him at V&A Waterfront and he will show you all the gems of this fabulous city and its surroundings.
Join Us in Exploring Southern Africa
Here are all the posts belonging to the series about our trip to South Africa and Namibia. Read the parts by clicking on the links below:
- Part I: Doha, Qatar
- Part II: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Part III: Traveling To Namibia
- Part IV: Otjiwarongo, Namibia
- Part V: Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
- Part VI: Etosha National Park, Namibia
- Part VII: Omaruru, Namibia
- Part VIII: Okahandja, Namibia
- Part IX: Windhoek, Namibia
- Part X: Cape Town, South Africa
- Part XI: Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
- Part XII: Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, South Africa
- Part XIII: Two Oceans Aquarium, South Africa
- Part XIV: Mariner’s Wharf, South Africa
- Part XV: Groot Constantia, South Africa
- Part XVI: Boulders Beach, South Africa
- Part XVII: Cape Point, South Africa
- Part XVIII: Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
- Part XIX: Table Mountain, South Africa
- Part XX: Swellendam, South Africa
- Part XXI: Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
- Part XXII: Birds of Eden, South Africa
- Part XXIII: Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Part XXIV: Good Bye Africa!
- Part XXV: Trip Summary
Join us as we explore Southern Africa
