cape point tour

as amazing as cape town is, the surrounding scenery
is the show-stopper. if you visit you cannot miss
the famed cape point –> chapman’s peak –> boulders
beach penguin colony loop. there is much more to see and
do, but at the very least hit these basics. they blew us away.
because we only had one day open to see the cape area
and venture outside the city, we wanted to be sure to do
it the right way. we decided on a driven tour with WOW  
cape town tours. we chose the cape peninsula tour and
sort of tweaked it to fit what we wanted to do. they catered
the tour right to us and it ended up being absolutely perfect!
this was so much better than being on a group tour since it was
personal. if we wanted to spend 5 minutes at one stop and 5 hours at
another, that was fine! we loved that.  it’s so personal because it’s a
small family-run business … so you’ll get the owner rushdi or his family.
our itinerary was set to go from cape town –> southwest
along the coast past the gorgeous beaches of camps bay
–> down to hout bay and along the GORGEOUS chapman’s
peak drive (which is well worth paying the toll for) –> onto
stunning noordhoek beach –> then all the way down the
cape peninsula to cape point / the cape of good hope.
(that was definitely the highlight, but more on that below)
from there we looped up the east side of the cape to go through
awesome simon’s town and boulders beach for the african
cape penguins!! (SO cute). all along the way we were getting
the local inside scoop about the area, history, current status
today, and so much insight into the west cape province.
he took us by a local market to see seals, and we were
dying over these shark jaws! (don’t think they were real ;)
 i was also tempted to get one of these little timone
meerkats, because how cute? ha, lion king ruined us all.
we went and watched the seals with this funny
local man running some hilarious scams to get
people to donate to the seal. we paid him and he fed the
seal and had him do some tricks and flips! i want a pet seal.
we left and began the most beautiful drive.
behind us is the bay where we were exploring the market,
and seal island is just out of sight but right there! this  bay
actually has a lot of seals and whales. some times of year you
can see them clearly right from the shores! incredible.
we stopped at so many viewpoints thanks to our patient guide,
but we were definitely quick because at this point of the
morning it was chilly and windy! we weren’t dressed well!
the cape has very different weather from johannesburg
being right down on the edge of the continent. it was a
lot like san francisco with the fog and ever-changing weather.
these views!! ^^^^^
here we drove by noordhoek beach and our jaws dropped
at this long stretch of perfect white beach … with no one
on it! our guide said that it is a very quiet beach and
almost always empty. the locals like how pristine and
natural it is, and the location makes it so few visitors
come to use it. however, we learned that you can actually
rent horses and ride on this beach…so that is incredible.
^^ as we drove through the next town i glanced over and
saw our church! it was cool to happen upon it in a small town.
the amazingness continues ^^ look at the color
of that water. this photo isn’t even boosted/edited!
this was as we pulled into the glorious: 
cape of good hope! the best part.
we entered the area and first went straight to the tip
of cape point. even though they have since figured out
that there are some rocks and outliers that go further, in
general it is a pretty amazing thought to know you’re standing
at the very southwestern-most tip of the entire continent of africa.
the views as you climb up to the lighthouse point just
get better and better… and again with that water color!
the very tip of africa … far FAR away from anywhere else.
i was surprised at how cool it felt to be standing there. 
we turned off to see the cape of good hope
which was my very favorite. it was so beautiful
and truly feels like a historical, special place. i
love the name of it – named because it was halfway
along the route from indonesia up to europe, and rounding
the cape gave the sailors “good hope” as a stop on their long journey. 
and here we are!
i kept telling chase how happy i was to have made it here.
when you learn about the cape of good hope in school growing
up, it seems like the furthest-possible place away…almost as though
it’s made up. so to be standing there was the coolest feeling. i loved it.
after rounding the cape we headed up the eastern side
to boulders beach. i couldn’t wait to see african penguins!
…and they did not disappoint. by this time of day it was
boiling hot outside, and it was so bizarre to be seeing
penguins in a hot climate on the beach! they are a
different type of penguin and able to live in this climate.
look at this little guy!
so funny to see penguins on a white sand beach
with sparkling turquoise waters behind
them rather than in the arctic!
i love all of their little shed feathers in the sand ^^
from boulders beach we drove through darling simon’s town.
this was a definite highlight town. it’s so unique, being home
to the south african navy. right on the shores of false bay, it’s a
colorful and charming town with the best surrounding scenery.
after a long and beautiful day trip we made it back to cape town:
back to the pretty views, and ready for dinner! 
we walked down to the V&A hotel right on the waterfront.
it’s the same owner of the queen victoria hotel where
we were staying, so we wanted to visit & dine here.
oyo restaurant is a must in cape town. it’s so
lovely to eat outside on the waterfront patio.
we watched boats (and even rowers!) pass us by
as we settled in for the sunset and placed orders.
A for ambiance!
i got a cobb salad (haven’t had one in months)
and i’m still thinking about it. it hit the spot x 100.
cape town is a lot like san francisco,
especially in the way the temperatures
change quickly. this is why i was a baby
and had us move inside for dessert :)
still great views, and even better dessert to end the night.
we walked across the street and back up the hill to our hotel
taking in the loveliest of evening views. so cheery and pretty.
we packed in quite the day in the cape and loved every second!

xo