The Cape Peninsula – Gateway to the West Coast: Part 1

– Words and photos by Janet-Lynn Vorster, Globerovers Southern Africa correspondent, Cape Town, South Africa.

Posted on August 1, 2018

By Janet-Lynn Vorster. Table mountain is a highly visible and well-recognised landmark internationally. It is as spectacular as any other world-renowned landmark. If you don’t recognize it at a glance, your travels and general knowledge of the world are sadly lacking.

The Cape Peninsula, which stretches from Gordon’s Bay to Blouberg Strand, is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. It lies at the southwestern tip of Africa, not quite as far south as Cape Agulhas where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet though.

The Cape Peninsula, incorporating Cape Town, is flanked by the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean. This current wells up, bringing cold, mineral-rich water from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, which surfaces along the west coast of Southern Africa and then flows northwards.

It is difficult to explain to people who have not experienced this city, how one can drive for hours within Cape Town, a small city by world standards, and have at least 30 different beaches to visit, a national park, and many mountains to climb. This is due to the irregular coastline that juts out into the Atlantic. These jutting out areas, known as the peninsula, including Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Both lie side by side at the tip of the peninsula.

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine July 2018

Janet-Lynn Vorster is a numerologist by profession, and journalist, editor and photographer by hobby. She is the proud mother of three grown children and granny to three grandchildren. Janet-Lynn is the Southern African editor as well as Chief Proofreader for Globerovers Magazine.