Cape Peninsula Day Tour
Bazbus, Cape Town
I booked onto the Bazbus tour because the poster was looking at me during an idle moment in my hostel’s work room. I slightly upset the lovely member of staff by booking it myself - “why are you doing my job for me?” - but was forgiven. When booking, the online form ticks the optional activities (boat tour to the seals, penguin sanctuary, entry to park) for you which is useful and would have been done by the hostel. Others on the tour hadn’t had the option from their agent, and had to get out and pay manually each time - it’s fine, but slicker not to have to. It’s a great tour. I hoped for a minibus so as not to be overwhelmed by numbers, but it turns out that larger vehicles can’t go along Chapman’s Peak Drive, so a smaller group was guaranteed for this route.
Next, in Hout Bay, we hopped on a boat for a close-up view of the seals. Several boats make their way out to the seals basking on islands, timed to not interfere with each others’ view.
The weather is changeable at this time of year - mid April - but this was a warm day with clear skies and a cool breeze, such that people were wearing a range of clothing. Whether trousers or shorts, maybe a jumper or coat or just a t-shirt, you’d be essentially fine.
We drove down Chapmans Peak Drive, passing cyclists working their way up. The Two Oceans (Ultra) Marathon had come up here the day before - tough in any conditions. The views, though, are sensational.
We moved on to the penguin colony. It’s something more or less everyone seems to do, and that no one regrets. We had an hour there, which is a lot for walking down to the beach front viewpoint (we’re on an elevated walkway, away from the penguins) and along the rest of the walkway, but the time flew by. Just watching the penguins go about their business is absolutely fascinating, and the young fluffballs a highlight. We lost Dennis here, somehow, with our tour guide heading back to the centre from one way and the bus parking at the other end of the road to cut him off. We found him again, after a lot of joking about splitting up, which Brit would drive after the driver wandered off to check on the facilities and so on.
After lunch inside the National Park (after the toll gate), the final stop was at, or near, the Cape of Good Hope itself. There’s a lighthouse to walk up to for views, then a short drive to the photo stop at the Cape Sign. On the way there, you are likely to see ostriches grazing off to the side, and there’s a baboon in the park. We all got a good serious warning about going too close if she was in the car park, but we spotted her on the road, which was easier for grabbing pictures.
