You know we have that mid-week, longing for the weekend feeling when we pop a hiking post up in the middle of the week. After a year of hiking about and exploring the park we appear to have found our hiking rhythm. It is pretty much routine, sandwiches are made and we are packed and out the door. All the hikes we do in our game reserve are new to us, so we never quite know what to expect, as you all know what appears to be easy on paper is not necessarily easy on the feet. We did really want to do a hike along the False Bay coast and previously we had tried one and it had turned out to be quite a challenge. This hike was exactly what we were looking for, the easiest hike we have found and would make a great hike for a family looking for a little adventure, without too much effort for short legs.
Before the Hike
Hike day turned out to be wet and rainy, so we did a drive around the Park first to see if the weather would lighten up… and we were lucky enough to stop by our friends the Bontebok…
And good morning to this very wet ostrich…
Scavenger Hunt
All our hikes begin with a morning spent learning with a ranger… and the lesson was a scavenger hunt, how fun is that. Looking for natural factual treasures.
Everyone loves this sort of class…
Learning beside a glittering sea…
And here are the discoveries…
Up the False Bay Coast from the Whale Look Out to Bordjiesdrif
The hike begins at the whale-watch lookout…
It looked like a really rocky beginning…
But the weather cleared and it turned out to be a really easy amble along the top of the rocky outcrop…
The look out is high above the water and it is a great spot to sight whales… we weren’t to optimistic we aren’t the luckiest whale watchers (!!!)… and we were quite content to look at the beautiful sea crashing below us…
And then…
A southern right whale popped up to greet us…
After watching the whale for the longest time we got going with our hike…
Before long we could look back at Cape Point lighthouse…
It is a really easy walk along the top of the rocky outcrop and when you get to the signboard you can choose to go inland towards the visitor centre or turn down towards the coast…
Down we went… keep your eye on the path ahead, and you will quickly find your way wandering through soft springy grass…
Let’s say that again… and easy easy walk… if your kids are used to ambles then they can totally do that…
Looking back, the hike starts just above those rocky cliffs and looking back you can see that it is an easy wander down the slopes and along the coast…
We were rewarded with wildlife…
And a crashing ocean…
The highlight was the whale that swam the whole way alongside us…
There is something incredible about whales…
And along the rocky shore…
We stopped for a play, which is essential when you are hiking with kids…
And we wondered why we never made use of the cooking spots right on the beach – that is a definite future fun adventure for us.
Back to the glittering to sea…
Sandy beach and sea birds on the one side of us…
And grass on the other side…
Plenty of time for some exploring…
And a short walk across the beach…
Following footprints…
Finding treasures…
The birds chose to move along…
And before we knew it…
it was just a quick walk over the dunes to the end of our hike…
Looking back along the beach, we saw the baboons arriving and we were quite glad we had missed them…
And a last goodbye to this friendly ostrich… another hike under our belts…
Other SAN PARKS Hiking Posts
Hiking in the Cape Peninsula
- Se7en + 1 Tips to Great Hiking with Kids.
- Se7en + 1 Go Exploring in Newlands Forest.
- Se7en + 1 Climb Table Mountain to the Top…
- Table Mountain a National Park Right in the City Center
Cape Point and Outings with SAN Parks
- Se7en + 1 Hike the Burn at Cape Point.
- A Family Friendly Hike in Cape Point Nature Reserve.
- Se7en+1 Meet Up with the Cape Leopard Trust and More Hiking in Cape Point: KanonKop to Smitswinkel Bay, overlooking False Bay.
- Se7en + 1 Go Out Walking: The SirkelsVlei Walk at Cape Point.
- Se7en + 1 Steps to a Great Rock Pooling Outing… Venus Pools.
- Se7en + 1 Steps to a Beach Clean-Up.
- Under an African Sky, We Went to Meet the Bontebok.
- A fynbos Hike through Cape Point Nature Reserve.
- Se7en+1 Join an Amazing Race in the Cape Peninsula Region of the Table Mountain National Park.
Silvermine
- A Scientific Discovery, Silvermine River Study and River Pollution in Se7en Steps.
- In Search of Spring at Silvermine.
- A Sensational Hike – in Silvermine.
- It’s Silvermine Again.
- Se7en Visit Silvermine.
- The Wild Card and Potential Outings.
Oh gosh how I long for a wonderful day like this. And a whale to boot! Wow
What a fabulous hike. Your photos are wonderful and make me feel like I was with you every step of the way. Such an amazing place. Wow!
What a totally awesome day!! Beautiful pictures too!
Oh Cat, The whale… I have been dreaming of a hike like this for years and then we got to live the dream, how perfect is that!!! This is a great family hike, tell your family you have to get here just to do it!!! Hope you have a fabulous day!!!
Oh Cheryl, You would love this, in real life… can you imagine a whale following alongside us all the way – very magical, very fun and just a great day out!!! We are looking forward to another hiking adventure this weekend… it is time, before the summer heat sets in. Wishing you the best weekend… nearly there!!!
Hi Jacqui, it is absolutely stunning… all this hiking and this place has quite crept into our hearts. Favorite spot in the world and really nearly in our back yard. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have the most fantastic day!!!
SUCH amazing photos that captured all the fun. Now I can’t believe how big Hood 8 is looking – has he had a good stretching out over the last few months?!
Wow, your pictures are awesome. What a treat for us that haven’t traveled. I am excited to expand interest into areas I know nothing!!! South Africa is beautiful. And the cookbook on a more recent post, that sounds interesting too. Love the little meringues with the apricot jam.
Thank you Susan, this year has definitely been the year of the hike for us, it has been a lot of fun. To be honest we have done a whole lot of exploring and most of it is right here in our own backyard. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a great week!!!
Marcia, I think you are so right… he has literally shot in the last month and all his shorts that were long last summer suddenly reveal knees!!! I think summer arrived and suddenly almost every child I know has grown a head taller while I blinked through Spring. Hope you guys have a fun week!!!