Exploring the Beauty of Cape Town: A Journey through Stunning Landscapes
Cape Town, the third-largest city in South Africa, is renowned for its breathtaking natural landscapes, thrilling sea excursions, and fantastic sightseeing tours.
Situated on a flat bay in front of the suburb of Simon's Town in southern Cape Town is False Bay. Dirk, who has been taking tourists on kayak tours in the bay for two decades, always sets out in these small boats to observe the animals that are likely to appear here in Africa.
After Dirk explained some safety guidelines, the tourist group began paddling to pass luxury yachts in Simon's Town harbor and the frigates in the nearby naval base.
Dirk leads the tourist group with two colleagues on three single kayaks. After a short while, a humpback whale appears a few hundred meters behind the kayaks, and the tourists watched the whale take a deep breath.
The extremely stable kayaks swiftly glide on the calm waters. Dirk guides the tourist group towards a prominent rock in the water, about 500 meters from the shore, where sunbathing seals can be seen during a break.
Birds are a significant attraction on the boat tour, where tourists can observe African penguins, which swim gracefully like fish. This unique penguin species settled on Boulders Beach near Simon's Town, with approximately 2500 penguins residing in the Table Mountain Nature Reserve.
These flightless penguins used to inhabit small islands off the coasts of South Africa and Namibia without disturbance for 2-4 million years. Their population was about 3-4 million birds in 1900. Now, their number has dwindled to 36,000, as penguins have migrated from the islands to the mainland coast due to human encroachment on their nesting materials and eggs.
Currently, the penguins and extensive areas of the Cape Peninsula coastline fall under the protection of the Table Mountain Nature Reserve. In Cape Town, marine animals have long been of great importance in the city's splendid waters.
The fur seals have also benefited from this protection, and tourists can see these marine animals a few kilometers west of the fishing harbor in Hout Bay on the cliffs of Duiker Island, where about 3000 fur seals congregate.
Observing these fur seals isn't limited to kayak tours; they can also be seen during guided diving tours.
Tour guide Jamie Marnitz pointed out that the best times to observe these animals are during March and April when fur seal pups begin to swim. These animals can also be enjoyed during the mating season in October and November. She added that tourists can witness intimate moments of these animals.
Tourists can also explore the nature reserve section located in the southwestern tip of Africa on an electric bike tour with a guide. The coast here often descends steeply to the east towards False Bay. In the prairie landscapes, tourists can spot eland antelopes, which can weigh up to one ton, as well as the smaller white-tailed sasabees.
The tourist group continues its journey on a winding road until reaching Cape Point. The old lighthouse, perched on steep slopes, still graces the postcards.