Springbok to Cape Town

August 18

After leaving our Blue Diamond Lodge accommodation, we went to the Geogap Nature Reserve. We saw oryx, a black eagle, the rare Cape Mountain Zebra and lots of wildflowers. As we had to be there first thing in the morning before heading to our next stop down the coast, many of the flowers had not woken up. It had been hoped to get there yesterday afternoon, but we had another coach problem which delayed our arrival in Springbok. The colours are evident in the pictures. 

We were extremely lucky to see a number of groups of this endangered zebra

A carpet of yellow flowers

A solitary oryx resting in a carpet of orange

Lots of quiver trees here

Driving through Namaqualand we see swathes of wildflowers

 We arrived at Lambert’s Bay late afternoon and quickly checked in. Then we headed out to visit the colony of gannets. This is the main attraction of the town and what an attraction it is. There is also a group of cormorants nesting nearby and a small information centre. The gannets were marvellous to watch from the hide. Still difficult to get the right pictures, but I kept clicking away!

Now we are in South Africa housing changes quite a lot. These are Mandela homes which are gradually replacing the slums

As well as a gannet colony, Lamberts Bay has a colony of cormorants.

Then there are the random groups of Cape gulls. A much larger gull than we see in Australia

Such beautiful birds. Each dramatic movement has a meaning in the social order of the colony

Ready for take off!

A sculpture at the colony site made from driftwood and other flotsam

August 19

Off to Cape Town for our last two nights in Africa. When we arrived it was blowing a gale so the cable car up Table Mountain was closed. We had a short visit to the castle, the oldest building in the city. However, it was undergoing refurbishment so much of it was closed. Then we visited the V&A Waterfront for a short lunch stop before checking in to the hotel.

Major works being undertaken to raise this dam wall

The mountains so typical of the Cape starting to come in to view

Some more Mandela homes

This icon of Cape Town can be seen from about 50 km away

despite the poor living conditions, satellites abound

This is a lovely museum. We only had a short time there so it was not too bad that much of the facility was under renovation

After we checked in we went for a walk through the suburb of Bo Kaap where lots of the houses are coloured. This is also the Muslim quarter and there are some very old mosques in the area too. Views up to Table Mountain were also very interesting because the wind was bringing the ‘table cloth’ over the top of the mountain.

The 'table cloth' started to roll over the mountain during the afternoon

The cable car remained closed

Lovely decor in our well positioned hotel

Dinner at the hotel

All our wonderful friends

August 20

A calm, clear day so we raced off to the cable car. After a short wait we were on our way to the top. Our guide decided it was a better option to try first thing rather than in the afternoon after our visit to Cape Point, when the wind could return and close it down again.

The views from the top, needless to say, were spectacular. It was not as cold as we had anticipated either. Although I had on several layers, these were gradually peeled off during the day.

The new gondola style cars carry 800 people every hour to the top and back

Devil's Peak to the left and Robben Island in the distance

Certainly windy up there

Fancy walking? There are other routes to the top

Then again you can always go straight up!

This is why early is good. The parked cars snake down the road below

One of the former styles of cable car cabin

The drive to Cape Point is one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world. We took the full coastal road driving through the expensive suburb of Camps Bay and then joined the now toll road which takes the route around Chapman’s Peak. Fortunately in winter the traffic is light as there were some delays with road works securing the cliff faces! Rock falls are common.

After a photo stop at the Cape of Good Hope sign, we went up to Cape Point for lunch before tackling the walk up to the lighthouse. It’s still a great view from here and although windy, it was not too cold.

Another weird castle looking building built on the side of the mountain

A covered section of roadway to help with land slips

A beautiful surf beach

Eland and other antelope can be seen but this park is known for its dramatic landscape

The essential group photo

The Atlantic Ocean

Cape Point

On our way back to Cape Town we stopped in at the African penguin colony at Simons Town. It was lovely seeing these lovely birds close up. They are different to our little penguins – bigger and land based during the day – so it was lovely to simply gaze on them going about their business.

Our final day was rounded off with a group dinner at the Waterfront. A fitting end to what was a wonderful, amazing, astonishing trip.

My favourites:

v All the lions – of course

v Buffalo Springs and Samburu game parks in Kenya

v Ngorongoro Crater – what an amazing day that was

v The Sosoussvlei dunes

v The Fish River Canyon

So many great experiences, coming in close behind, Maasai Mara (for the sheer experience), Lake Nakuru (for the rhinos), Tsavo East (for the red dust elephants), Chobe, Mazambala (for the huge herd of elephants), Ndovhu Lodge (for the river and land safaris with special sightings).

A lifetime of memories.