Travelling back to the Coast and Hiking

One of the things about South Africa is that it is made up of beautiful landscapes. The inland is green and hilly and the coast is rugged. The hiking is amazing if you don't get lost. I have couple of great stories about hikes where I get lost, rip my shorts, run into a bunch of baboons and get my car stuck trying to leave the park. These pictures are from Knysna, Storms River and Tsitsikamma.

The Ostrich

Oudtshoorn

From the coastal garden route I took a bit of a detour inland and went to the ostrich capital of South Africa, Oudtshoorn. Now my main reason to go here was to go up the beautiful Swartberg Pass but due to snow, yes snow I was unable to go over the pass. I did go to the Cango Caves which were interesting and a great way to cure anyone with clausterphobia. The real reason to go to Oudtshoorn is to see and ride the ostrich. These are a very weird looking bird and very curious. They are a delicious bird to eat and very healthy for you as they are low in fat. Fun to ride but a bit crazy as they run around with no real sense of direction.

Hermanus

I loved Cape Town but knew at some point I would have to leave to see more of South Africa. I decided to do the what I thought would be easier method and rented a car. Leaving Cape Town was difficult but I decided to take the Garden Route and travel up the coast. My first stop was Hermanus which is know for incredible whale watching. I only stayed for a night and it was cold and wet but the whales did not disappoint. The reason it is known for whales is because you can stand right along the edge of the bay and see the whales quite close by.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

My visit to Cape Town would not have been complete without a visit to the Kirstenbosch. This is a world reknowned gardens known mainly for the collection of Protea. It was a beautiful place to visit set behind table mountain. Of course it was still spring so the rains got me but the plants were beautiful.