Situated at the water’s edge of the Knysna Lagoon, this magnificent 6 Bedroom House, plus 3 sea-facing cottages, offers the very best location on the South African coastline.
South Africa: Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas or the "Cape of the Needles" is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the beginning of the traditional dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
It was a little chilly when we woke in our little shelter in the Platbos Forest. I lay in bed for a bit and then decided to leap into action. Firstly, I lit the donkey boiler to make sure we had some hot water for our shower. Once I had a roaring fire going there, I came back to the campsite and set a fire going there, which I thought we could enjoy with our breakfast. By this time Karen was awake and it was all go – we started packing up, preparing some snacks for lunch and getting breakfast ready.
Soon the coffee was ready – the first coffee of the morning is always the best and sitting and drinking it by a campfire cannot be beaten!
A little later than planned we pulled out of Platbos Forest – our first mission being to get some petrol for the journey ahead. We took the road out to the small town of Pearly Beach, which we’d visited on our first day in the area, thinking it would have a service station. Using the GPS, we went to a spot where it said there was a service station, but there wasn’t, but there was a security guard. After a bit of a row about my lack of willingness to ask for directions, Karen went and spoke to the security guard who directed us to a local shop by a resort. Unfortunately, when we got there, they had no power, as we were in a load-shedding period – so no petrol. The kind lady suggested we head back to Kleinbaai or Gansbaai where she thought the service stations there would have generators.
We decided to try Kleinbaai first, and right next to the Marine Dynamics building, where we had started our shark cage diving experience the day before was a service station which indeed have a generator. So, we filled up with petrol and set out for Oudtshoorn.
Our plan was not to head straight for Oudtshoorn (which was about 400 plus kilometres away) but to go via Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point in Africa, located in the small village of l’Agulhas – the most southerly village in Africa! It took us about 90 minutes to drive there, which luckily left enough time for the clouds to part and the sun to come out.
We entered the National Park and parked up alongside the rocky shoreline. Despite the sun being out it was chilly in the brisk wind. From the car, we headed along the boardwalk, which was surrounded by the low-lying plants of the coastal plains, which reminded us of the heather of the North York Moors in the UK. It was quite beautiful, especially with the backdrop of the rugged rocky shoreline and blue waters of the ocean. As we walked along the boardwalk I spotted a small tortoise feeding right next to where we were standing – Karen was so excited to see another tortoise.
Eventually, we reached the monument of the southerly point. Here the Atlantic Ocean meets with the Indian Ocean. We took some photos and headed a little way inland where there is an amazing carved stone map of the whole of Africa. The monument has a circumference of 30 metres and includes the shape of the continent and the design elements of a compass. Its scale is impressive! It was fun to see all the places we had visited on this trip.
It had been a little while since our last cup of coffee, so we stopped off in L’Agulhas at the ‘Chubby Pancake, where we had a cup of joe and a pancake.
About Cape L’Agulhas
The Agulhas National Park is a South African national park located in the Agulhas Plain in the southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southeast of Cape Town. The park stretches along the coastal plain between the towns of Gansbaai and Struisbaai, and includes the southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas. As of January 2009, it covered an area of 20,959 hectares (51,790 acres). Although one of the smallest national parks in South Africa, it boasts 2,000 native plant species and a wetland that provides refuge to birds and amphibians.
Planning your visit to Agulhas National Parl
How to get there
Agulhas National Park can be accessed via the N2 highway, which runs from Cape Town along the east coast via the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth, turning off at Caledon and passing through Bredasdorp when coming from the west. From the east, leave the N2 near Swellendam and pass through Bredasdorp to get to Cape Agulhas.
Alternatively, you can get there by scenic gravel road from the fishing village of Gansbaai via the rural hamlet of Baardskeerdersbos and the Moravion mission village of Elim. The nearest towns are L’Agulhas and the fishing village of Struisbaai.
| Website: | https://www.sanparks.org/parks/agulhas/ |
| Hours: | Main Entrance Gate: 07:00 – 19:00 |
| Fees: |
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Best time to visit Cape L’Agulhas
Cape Agulhas is a year-round destination, but on average, the warmest months are January to March and December, with the coldest and rainiest being June to August. The average maximum temperature is 20 degrees.
The best times to visit are from March to May and September to November, when the climate is beautiful, and temperatures rise
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