Cape of Good Hope - Boulders Beach

Advancing south, we finally reach the Cape of Good Hope, the southwestern-most point in Africa. Once believed to be the southern most tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, it was rounded (in modern times) in 1488 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, which was a milestone in the attempts by the Portuguese to establish direct trade relations with the Far East . He named it Cabo das Tormentas, "Cape of Storms", for the notoriously bad weather, which can blow up quickly. An explorer named John II of Portugal later renames is as the "Cape of Good Hope" because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of this new sea route to India and the East.
And because when you put "torment" on the label, it just makes for bad marketing.

In fact, the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about 150 kilometres to the east-southeast. The currents of the two oceans meet at the point where the warm-water Agulhas current meets the cold water Benguela current and turns back on itself—a point that fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point.

The whole crew at the Cape of Good Hope

As a part of Table Mountain National Park, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve offers an abundance of natural beauty. It is home to 250 various species of birds, including one of the two mainland colonies of African penguins. It is the habitat for several mammals, including antelope, baboon, ostrich and zebra. The Southern right whale is the species most likely to be seen in False Bay between June and November. Other species are the Humpback whale and Bryde's whale. Seals, Dusky Dolphins, and Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, may also be seen.

Ostrich at the beach? You gotta a problem with that?

If you ever feel like roughing it out here, there are (cottages) accommodations available. With gas-fueled kitchens and solar powered lighting, it's not so rough, considering.

King Protea (by Travis Baker, 2011)

The Cape of Good Hope is an integral part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom , the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. This comprises a treasure trove of 1100 species of indigenous plants, of which a number are endemic (occur naturally nowhere else on earth). Some of the most striking and well-known members belong to the Proteacae family, of which up to 24 species occur. These include the King Protea (pictured above), Sugarbush, Tree Pincushion, and Golden Cone Bush.
(I didn't have enough time to get a picture of all  most any flora, so I searched googled far and wide for the above photo of a King Protea, which by the way, was not in bloom while we were there.)

Run, Forest, Run!

"Baboon monitors" are employed to prevent baboons from entering residential areas as well as to move baboons out of human-frequented areas before conflict occurs. Baboons are among the most behaviorally flexible, adaptable, and intelligent mammals. If they are fed by humans or otherwise learn that they can obtain food from them, baboons will decrease their efforts to find natural foods and will become increasingly daring in their attempts to get an "easy meal." The end result is that baboons will turn aggressive, will be identified as "problem animals," and will be killed.

Cafe Penguino? Can I get a grande half-caf penguino, hold the whip?

Simon's Town (Afrikaans: Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown is home to the South African Navy. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. Just a few kilometers south is Boulders Beach.

The Boulders of Boulders Beach

No smoking, drinking, campfires, petting, loud music, or partying with the penguins.

Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is also commonly known as Boulders Bay. It is a popular tourist stop because of a colony of African Penguins which settled there in 1982. Boulders Beach forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

Penguins ahead!

Penguin facts

African Penguins, also known as the Black-footed Penguin, is a species of penguin, confined to southern African waters. It is also widely known as the "Jackass" Penguin for its donkey-like bray.They typically grow to 68–70cm (26.7–27.5 in) tall and weigh between 2 and 5 kg (4.4 and 11 lb). They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. African Penguins forage in the open sea, where they pursue pelagic fish, such as pilchards and anchovies and marine invertebrates, such as squid and small crustaceans. A penguin may consume up to 540 grams of prey every day, but this may increase to over 1 kg when raising older chicks.

Frank, does this dress make my butt look big?

The African Penguin is monogamous. It breeds in colonies, and pairs return to the same site each year.

In 1983, a pair of African penguins were spotted on Foxy Beach at Boulders and in 1985 they began to lay. Since then the colony has grown rapidly, increasing initially at about 60% a year. Birds have probably come to False Bay because of the good fishing available since commercial purse fishing has been banned in the Bay. Boulders Beach still remains the only place in the world where one can actually swim amongst the penguins as they have continued to invade more beaches. They are remarkably untroubled by people but one should avoid harassing them by getting too close or chasing them. 
Beware!! They have a vicious bite.

Penguin Condos

Fred & I at a very windy Boulders Beach.