So we have been hiking in Cape Point again, we went to take a look at the places that we have hiked before… The weather was crisp and windy and perfect after a summer of really warm hikes, we could feel the change in the season.
This hike was almost immediately after the fire… and were glad that there were still a couple of hikes available that weren’t devastated by the recent fires.
A couple of months if not weeks from now these plains will be covered in fresh shoots of green sprouting. Previously when we have hiked through a burnt area we discovered that there is a lot of life in an area that looks somewhat devastated from afar.
While the West Coast side of the park is burnt out for now, the False Bay side is good for hiking. There are two hikes on the False Bay side that we have done before. The one is a hard hike, doable and fun… but it long; and the other a really easy family friendly hike…
The Most Family Friendly Hike
We asked a couple of friends to joins us on this hike that begins at the Whale Look out. It is not quite whale season, so no whales in sight but the rocky cliffs and waves below are quite impressive enough.
Looking South you can see Cape Point…
And to the North… adventure awaits.
The Route
You need to park a car where you intend to finish your hike, either Buffel’s Bay or Bordjiesrif and then get a ride to the start at Whale-watch Viewpoint. It is a fairly short and easy hike, with plenty of great spots to stop and play along the way. The hike begins with a quick and easy descent down to just above the water’s edge, and that is hardest part of the hike. (Imagine a hike where a quick and easy descent is the hardest part… gotta love it!!!). The hike starts off fairly rocky, but once you are at the coast it is grassy all the way, until almost at the end where there is a sandy beach to cross.
Down at the coast there are good spots to stop and have a picnic…
Lunch always tastes better in the great outdoors…
Take the time for a game of tag…
And some folk always wanted to explore a whole lot more…
If you sit quietly above these rocky outcrops you will see dassies come out and sun themselves, but quietly is not always an option with a dozen kids…
Just beyond the rocky descent there are some sandy slopes…
Turns out the path takes you through piles of ancient sea-shells…
And there are lots of treasures to take a peak at…
Looking for Wild Animals
When you are walking through a nature reserve, you are highly likely to bump into some wildlife…
If you hope to see wildlife then you have to walk together and you have to walk without too much shouting and leaping around. Learn to look out for signs of wildlife… spot them and make sense of them.
On this hike we spotted tortoises and plenty of impressive birds…
Take Plenty of Breaks
The thing about hiking with kids is that you want them to finish the hike with plenty of enthusiasm, with the idea that they have had a good day out and that they would like to go back and to more of the same. The trick to keeping kids happy on a hike is plenty of stops. Make sure you have lots of time to for breaks, just to play and look around. A quick march is only fun if you are playing at marching… and the child that is terribly tired of walking and cannot walk another step will have a complete revival if they are told that you are taking a break and they can play for a couple of minutes. We stopped to play with the waves…
Then we did something creative…
We firmly believe in finishing strong… so we keep a great snack for close to the finish, and a last play and hunt for treasures on the beach…
Before getting to the finish as a team.
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
- Dias Beach and Venus Pools at Cape Point.
- The ShipWreck Trail and Beyond…
- The Easiest Hike in Cape Point by Far
- 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.
Sounds like a wonderful hike – so many different things to see!
You know, my happiest memories as child of our family were the hikes we did. And I love your approach of keeping it enjoyable with fun and stops in between, especially for the little people.
I am all inspired all over again!
Hay Corli, hiking together is possibly the best thing for us all to do together. Something for all ages to enjoy and it is free. Not to mention these kids will get me fit eventually!!! Hope you are having a fun weekend!!!
I love reading your hiking posts… I really should take our kids on one sometime soon. We’ve been doing a lot of bike riding together the last six months but road traffic leaves us a little limited on where we can and can’t go locally. Hiking doesn’t have that problem!