They were staying overnight at Grootbos Nature Reserve in the Overberg region and the days prior we had been exploring this beautiful part of the Cape, including the very unique Kogelberg reserve. This is an area of such natural beauty and floral diversity as to be recognized as one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hot-spots. Size for size, the 1,000 square kilometer UNESCO designated Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is home to the most complex biodiversity on our planet with more than 1,880 different plant species. The next richest is the South American rainforest with just 420 species per 10,000 square kilometers!

But I will delve into all of that on another day. I want to talk about the amazing natural beauty that is the West Coast National Park, especially now Spring is in full swing!

As mentioned, they were staying at Grootbos, so it was an early start to make the two-and-a-half hour trip east to pick them up before heading back towards Cape Town and then north up the coast. We first made a lunch stop at the excellent Beaumont Family Wines in the gorgeous little town of Bot River. This is truly a family business, as virtually every member is involved somehow and we were taken through their wonderful wines over delicious cheese and meat platters, with all locally made or sourced ingredients and products.

There is actually quite a lot to see and do along the R27 route through to Langebaan, and whilst we slowed down during a little bit of Friday afternoon traffic, we were treated to large flocks of both the greater and lesser flamingos, the latter although seldom seen in Cape Town is the more numerous of the two – about two million strong. Despite this, the lesser flamingo is classified as ‘near threatened’ due to its declining population and low number of breeding sites, some of which are being adversely affected by human activity.

One can also stop in at the !Khwa ttu San Culture Centre, where you can experience the ways of one of the oldest cultural groups in the world and the oldest in Africa and take a journey into their history, traditional knowledge, skills, language and customs.

We also pass Africa’s only nuclear power station, Koeberg, which is owned and operated by South Africa’s national electricity supplier, Eskom, who also own the 3000 ha nature reserve that surrounds it. Koeberg contains two pressurised water reactors and ranks amongst the safest of the world’s top ranking PWR’s of its vintage. Koeberg was one of the first nuclear power stations designed to be specifically resistant to earthquakes. The reactors at the Koeberg nuclear power station were built on the basis of a mid-1970s hazard study to withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake. The largest recorded earthquake in the Cape Town area was a 6.5 magnitude at Jan Biesjes Kraal (now Milnerton area) in 1809.

Probably the most fascinating area to visit outside of the national park, however, is the West Coast Fossil Park. It was through the exploitation of the sedimentary rock formations in the area for commercial mining in the 1940’s that one of the greatest discoveries of the West Coast was made on a farm which was being mined for phosphate near Langebaan. One of the workers uncovered fossils which he passed on to the South African Museum. Little did he know that he had uncovered the biggest collection of tertiary vertebrate fossils in the world. These fossils are of early mammals that lived here two to five million years ago or were washed down the Berg River to its mouth. The river was then closed off by a sand bar, thus preserving an extensive graveyard. These animals lived at a time when the climate was changing from a warm, humid period to a cool, dry period. During this process, the landscape changed to grasslands and riverine forests. Some of the most exciting of these ancient animals are the large mammals that resemble, in part, their modern counterparts but on a much larger scale. These include short-necked giraffe, sabre-tooth cat, bear (yes, there were once bears in Africa!), elephant with four tusks, giant pig and many more, unique to this location.

My guests were staying on one of the houseboats on the Langebaan Lagoon, so we dropped them off at the yacht club for them to be ferried over, and my colleague and I drove into the reserve where we were staying at one of the self-catering cottages. It was almost dark by the time we got there which meant many more of the animals that would otherwise be resting out of the sun during the day, were out and about. We passed a large herd of Eland, some common duiker, bontebok, even a little Steenbokkie.

The next day we rose early to pick up our guests from the yacht club again, and spent the whole day exploring the West Coast National Park, taking in all the beauty of the wild flowers and animals. We also saw more antelope, ostrich, Cape grey mongoose, Cape mountain zebra and angulate tortoise.

(Top tip: when visiting the WCNP during the wildflower season, enter the park from the Langebaan Gate as opposed to the West Coast main gate off the R27. The reason being is you will be driving through the park with the sun mostly behind you, so the flowers will facing directly towards you!)

The Postberg section of the park is the prime flower and game viewing location and is at its colourful best during August and September. It’s actually only open to the public during those two months, when the ground beneath your feet explodes into a dazzling display of vibrant and varied daisies, vygies and sporries. Colour patterns change from one week to the next, as some varieties fade, and others pop up in their place. We had a lovely picnic lunch overlooking the ocean and more beautiful flowers at Plankiesbaai.

The birdlife throughout the park is also magnificent and actually hosts a total of over 300 bird species annually – over a quarter of South Africa’s total. The 40,000 ha of the WCNP provides a safe haven for thousands of seabirds, who roost on the sheltered islands and pristine beaches. Bird species like Curlew Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Red Knots journey 15,000km every year from their breeding grounds in Siberia to the northern winter (our summer) feeding grounds in Langebaan Lagoon, which was designated as a wetland of international importance according to the Ramsar Convention criteria in 1988. Other sought-after species for avid birders include the vulnerable Black Harrier (which we saw on this trip), White-throated Canary, Grey-winged Francolin, Karoo Lark, White-backed Mousebird, Karoo Prinia, Karoo Scrub-Robin, Grey Tit and many more.

Finally, if you’re a water baby like me, there is plenty of opportunity for your watersport of choice, from kitesurfing and waterskiing to fishing, kayaking, snorkelling, SUPing, boating – and, of course, swimming in amazingly still, crystal-clear waters. This group was not exactly that way inclined (some were in their 90’s!), so I will have to come back again soon, now that we are getting fully into our summer season. I look forward to taking you with me!

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We met our incredible guide, Kenneth who started out at Parliament as a messenger 25 years ago and is now a senior member of the Public Education department, and brought the intricate inner workings and history of it all to life for us.

We first visited the original parliament building, which was designed in a Neoclassical style, incorporating features of Cape Dutch architecture. These buildings now house the National Council of Provinces. We sat in the gallery during one of the sessions whilst our Deputy President, David Mabuza was giving oral reply to questions from members. In the short time we were there, we actually witnessed live what was later written about in this article.

We then moved on to the old House of Assembly, where for decades exclusively white MPs passed the country’s draconian apartheid laws. Kenneth told us about the reaction of many people, especially pensioners, when they enter here, “People come here and are simply overwhelmed,” he said, gesturing to the green leather benches of the room that is now the ANC caucus chamber. “Some weep, and break down. Others say a prayer.” He also pointed out the seat where Hendrik Verwoerd, often referred to as the architect of apartheid, was stabbed to death by messenger Dimitri Tsafendas. My guest is also a big fan of Helen Suzman, so was delighted to see the benches from where she used to fight against the apartheid governement. As the sole voice of South Africa’s oppressed, Suzman became known for her strong public criticism of the governing National Party’s policies of apartheid at a time when this was unusual amongst white people. She found herself even more of an outsider, as she was an English-speaking Jewish woman in a parliament dominated by male Afrikaners.

I had earlier been talking to my guests over lunch about past and present political figures, leaders of the various political parties, and they asked me about Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the 91 year old veteran who recently stepped down as leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party after 44 years at the helm. Halfway through our tour of Parliament, who was to walk straight past us but none other than Chief Buthelezi himself!

Our next and final wow moment for me and my guests was sitting in the public gallery of our National Assembly whilst Parliament was in session. We could see Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s oldest grandson and current head of the Madiba clan. We saw the current Minister of Human Settlements, Water & Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu, daughter of revolutionary leaders Walter and Albertina Sisulu, debate a topic on land reform with opposition parties. We witnessed the banter, jibes and witty insults flying across the floor that is synonymous with parliaments the world over. Kenneth explained this to us a bit later, “It is only because they all care deeply about their jobs and country that things get so heated in here. If that is all you see, of course you’d be tempted to think that Parliament is a constant battleground. What people don’t know is that the MPs are highly professional. Opposition MPs don’t hate each other. They have friendly and cordial relationships outside this room”.

As a beacon of constitutional democracy, Parliament contains its historical contradictions. A statue of Boer general and statesman Louis Botha is the first thing visitors see as one approaches in Roeland Street. A flame of remembrance to the country’s fallen soldiers, on both sides of the Bush War, burns perpetually in the courtyard. The old national flag is still on display at the National Council of Provinces. These relics appear along with the new bust of Nelson Mandela. A spokesperson of Parliament once explained these seeming contradictions, “They are representative of Madiba’s vision of reconciliation and coexistence. Once you and I settled our differences over the barrel of a gun. Today, we do so through public participation and parliamentary debate. This is the wonder of Parliament and South Africa.”

Before this day, I would not have thought of including a tour of our houses of parliament in a city tour of Cape Town. This experience, however, was an uplifting one, capturing the uniqueness of South Africa’s complicated past as well as giving one hope for our future. We have one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, and when we are at our best, we can be an example to the rest of the world on how to set aside differences and actually unite in our diversity.

South Africa’s motto, as displayed on our coat of arms: !ke e: /xarra //ke is written in the Khoisan language of the ǀXam people and translates literally to “diverse people unite”.

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Now picture the following kind of week I had, shortly after returning to touring after 3 years back in hotel management. This is not intended to make one jealous, but rather to illustrate how much fun one can have and the adventures you can experience in the Western Cape of South Africa.

This was in July in Cape Town, the middle of our winter and supposed to be the rainy season. Although we had been in a bad drought for 3 years and still a water scarce region, the families with which I was touring ‘lucked out’ with the weather. We had some truly magnificent days of sunshine, no rain and no wind for which the Cape of Storms is renowned.

The week in question started on a Wednesday with a lovely family of 7 from Iowa, and this day was all about Great White Sharks. To break up the two-and-a-half hour drive from Cape Town to Gansbaai, we stopped in the gorgeous town of Hermanus, the land-based whale watching capital of the world. The season for the Southern Right and Humpback Whales that come to our shores to breed and calve is predominately in August and September, but we still enjoyed the beautiful coastal walk ways with an ice-cream from the family-run gelateria, which has the most flavours of artisan gelato in South Africa. We then met up with the team at Marine Dynamics for our shark adventure and whether you were in the cage under water or on the decks of the boat, we all saw 6 individual Great Whites, the biggest being 4.5m in length. Truly remarkable animals!

The next day we turned the itinerary upside down and the family split up with the majority only wanting to visit the African Penguins and spend the rest of the day shopping in the V&A Waterfront. So I ended up spending the majority of the rest of the day with the eldest son and his fiancé to whom he proposed on safari only a few days prior. Before making it all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, with a stop at Boulders Beach to also see the penguins, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly snorkelling with Cape Fur Seals out of Hout Bay. After overcoming the initial shock of plopping into the cold Atlantic, the thick full-bodied wetsuit complete with hoodie and booties quickly took effect and the thrill of being in the ocean with these cuties was all that mattered. It was incredible to swim alongside such proficient swimmers and the seal pups were so inquisitive, when I took a deep breath and dived down as deep as I could, they would follow and chase my stream of bubbles, eyeing me with their marble-like eyeballs.

Next up for the week was another family keen on adventure, from Florida, and with 4 teenage boys we had to make sure this was jam-packed with adrenaline! Our tour of the Cape Peninsula included all the top highlights; Chapman’s Peak Drive; the most south-western tip of Africa, Cape of Good Hope; all of the beautiful coastline and nature. However, what topped this particular day was exploring the False Bay coastline in Kayaks in the vicinity of Simonstown and getting up close to the breeding colony of African Penguins at Boulders Beach and Foxy Beach. Paddling in the cool, clear waters past the granite boulders and kelp forests, one can truly appreciate how majestic the penguins are underwater as they gather near the shore in their hunting groups before heading out vast distances to find the limited resources of sardines that is their staple diet. Being paired in kayaks as a large family will no doubt bring out the competitiveness in all and with the open sea as our playground, great fun was had as the waves picked up and we raced each other back to the shore.

Day two with this lovely group was not based around a fixed itinerary but they did have a few items on their wish list to accomplish. The idea for this day was exploring the city and surrounds and a hike up Lions Head was on the cards. The day started off with Lions Head in the clouds so we first picked up our Dutch-style, single speed, back pedal city bikes and enjoyed the gentle bike ride from the V&A Waterfront along the Promenade through the three Points – Green, Mouille and Sea! By the time we dropped off the bikes at the Sea Point Pavilion, the family was completely undecided what they wanted to do for the remainder of the day as Lions Head was still covered by clouds. Shortly before we had just about exhausted all possible suggestions of activities to do that would please every member of the family, I look up at the rapidly clearing mountains above us and see the first of many parachutes floating down from Signal Hill, heading our way. I point up at them and look at the dad with excitement in my eyes; “Why don’t we all do that?” – Oh hell yeah! The day is saved! The added bonus of this is I have been wanting to Paraglide off Signal Hill or Lions Head for so long, so I finally get to tick this one off my bucket list! Check out my awesome pics here. As amazing a hiking up Lions Head is, floating almost over it wins hands down every time!

This action packed week was broken up by a rest day in between, but the next day with the same family was adrenaline thrills all the way once again. We drove over Sir Lowry’s Pass into Elgin and into the Helderberg nature reserve where we started our zip lining adventure through the canyons. With a total of 11 ‘flights’ from platform to platform, zigzagging on our zip line, the thrill never seems to end. And the views are just incredible, from double waterfalls to the biodiverse flora surround us. After lunch we got stuck in to all the ball sports we brought along, comparing the similarities and differences between American football and rugby. The kids even challenged me to multiple sprint races, the last of which they eventually won thanks to their abundance of teenage energy.

The next day, a Wednesday, was supposed to be another break in the days of touring with the Florida family, but I ended up on a hike up Table Mountain…in the clouds! It was a one day tour, with the main focus of hiking to the top of Table Mountain, and ending the day with a wine tasting in Constantia. The fact that the Cable Car was under annual maintenance (meaning we would have to hike down as well) as well as the mountain being hidden completely by thick clouds, did not deter this fit and energetic family one bit. My Usain Bolt-like efforts from the day before weren’t exactly kind to all the muscles in my legs, so it was probably one of the toughest hikes up Platteklip Gorge I have ever done, and I have done this hike many times. Nevertheless, we made it and could just see each other clearly enough in the mist of the clouds to accurately land a successful high five to seal the achievement!

My final day with the family from Florida was spent in the Cape Winelands. It was very much not about wine for them, but rather more adventure! And the adventure part of this day was an exhilarating downhill decent on non-motorised scooters propelled by gravity, through the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, just outside of Stellenbosch. Stunning views, majestic mountains and endless downhill slopes was what this activity was all about. We ended the day (and week) together with a lovely lunch overlooking the mountains surrounding the Franschhoek valley.

All said and done, this was hands-down the most action-packed week I have ever had in my working life. The most exciting part is that this is just the beginning! Summer is around the corner and I can’t wait to do all of the above all over again, and experience all the other adventures to be had in what is essentially my office, the natural wonders all within reach of my home, Cape Town.

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