South Africa’s Cape West Coast: Part 2

By Janet-Lynn Vorster.  The West Coast Peninsula is an area that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 130 km from Cape Town. We visit the coastal towns: Jacobsbaai, Langebaan, Paternoster, Tietiesbaai, Saldanha Bay, and St Helena Bay, driving via Vredenburg, which lies in the centre of the peninsula.

Before leaving Cape Town, book a few nights at Bliss Boutique Hotel at Sunset Beach, Cape Town, near Blouberg Strand. This small hotel has direct access to the beach, and Jayson and his staff will take good care of you. Their meals are top class.

Close to the West Coast Peninsula, I have identified three options for visiting game- and national parks.

The West Coast National Park borders the lagoon at Langebaan, and can be accessed from the R27, or from the Langebaan side. Apart from seeing many of the birds and the fynbos that the area is known for, you will also find eland, red hartebeest, Cape grysbok, caracal and rock hyrax.

Also close to Langebaan is the Buffelsfontein Game and Nature Reserve, where you can see some of Africa’s greats such as lion, buffalo, white rhino and giraffe.

The Thali Thali Game Lodge, another reserve close to Langebaan, boasts a wide range of game like kudu, oryx, giraffe, sable antelope, eland, zebra, springbok, black wildebeest, duiker, bontebok, steenbok, ostrich, dromedary camel and emu.

The coastal towns in the region are known for their rocky and sandy bays, beaches and abundance of seafood. Kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, sea kayaking, diving, angling, whale watching, bird watching, and hiking are very popular and available in most of the villages, except Vredenburg which is inland. The flora in the area is a sight to behold in spring.

We will start at Langebaan and then travel to the other towns and villages along the coastline of the peninsula.

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Globerovers Magazine December 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.

Paternoster Beach.

At certain times of the year, tens of thousands of Cape gannets and white-breasted cormorants breed on Bird Island. Today was not a busy day!

Tietiesbaai is popular among campers.

Elands Bay beach and Baboon Point.

Jogging on the road between Paternoster and Tietiesbaai.

Adventure

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN
Globerovers Magazine December 2018

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