Se7en Take a Walk through the Wildlife in Cape Point…

Another week and another hike through the Cape Point countryside. It is spring in our part of the world and the fields of flowers are magnificent… we really wanted to take a closer look. We weren’t the only ones out enjoying the warmer weather and we managed to spot dozens of animals that we don’t normally see when we are hiking around…

The Hike

We had done parts of this hike before but not all of it and it turned out to be a really pleasant walk all the way… crisp cool weather helped, and after the initial fifteen to twenty minute uphill it is pretty much flat and easy walking. We went up above Olifantsbos… the path splits inland towards Sirkelsvlei or seaward towards the old submarine lookout, we headed towards the Submarine Lookout, along the top of the rocky slopes and overlooking the Atlantic ocean… it is about an hours walk until the path turns downwards and you can join The Shipwreck Trail and head back along the beach towards Olifantsbos.

Always take your time to look out for wildlife. They are well aware of you… but it is quite easy for us to walk right by them, blissfully unaware. We were totally surprised by wildlife, it was an exceptional day out for us… and as much as we saw… so we were being watched.

There is nothing easy about beach hikes, nothing at all… if you have to hike on a beach with kids then choose a wind free day. Children are short and get the brunt of the sand blowing in their faces. Even if it is wind free, beach hiking is difficult… either you are rock hopping which requires careful attention all the way or you are wading through sand… if you are wading through sand then a top tip is to find the paths the animals take and follow their footprints… they are good at finding the slightly harder ground and following in their tracks always proves to be the easier route as well as fun, especially for little legs.

Otherwise take the time to stop and look at the sights to see and if you have a good map then you will know exactly what you are looking at and you may be able to find out a couple of details to expand the story of it all and to explain what you are looking at.

Take a rest…

Have a play…

Before heading home…

The Fabulous Flowers

It is the season for fields of flowers and you don’t have to go too far to find them… there is something quite magical about endless fields of flowers, that becomes fascinating when you get up really close to them… not only is each flower quite unique but they are all microworlds, their own little miniature habitats… filled with bugs and creepy crawlies. There is a lot more to fields of flowers than meets the eye, so we set out to explore them.

The Wonderful Wildlife

The Eland

And every family has one… that dares to be a little different…

The Zebra

The Bontebok

And their baby…

The Baboon

And their babies…

The Ostrich

The Gallery

Se7en’s Family Guide to Hiking in Cape Point