Not too many Americans venture along the coast east of Cape Town, preferring the engaging busy-ness of the city and the magnificent wildlife in the safari camps. Not to say that it is not a popular area….. but many of the people venturing across the semi-arid Klein Karoo and along the coast and the “Garden Route” are locals seeking weekend escapes.
The town of Hermanus is popular, with whale watching and rocky beaches. We watched the lunar eclipse from there…..
Then continued past a protected penguin colony at Betty’s Bay on our way to the southernmost tip of Africa….
Nearby De Hoop Nature Reserve includes land animals – bontebok, eland, ostrich – with sand dunes along a breath-taking marine area.
The most spectacular sight was the pod of right whales that were just off the beach….. spouting, rolling, leaping…. we spent two full afternoons entranced by constant activity just a few hundred yards away. Unfortunately, whale sightings do not make great opportunities for the amateur photographer…
The Klein Karoo is inland, featuring the Swartberg mountains, fruit orchards, valleys, and lots of ostrich farms……
Here we participated in preparing a potjiekos, the South African stew that is made over a fire in a special pot, with meat and vegetables layered and slowly cooked…. it was tasty, but overcooked a bit.
Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands 