PlanetEye

Staying in the Overberg region of the Western Cape we just had to travel all the way over to the most southerly tip of Africa.

Cape Agulhas can only be described as rugged, windswept, beautiful and remote. After having an eventful and hilarious journey (but that's an article for another time). We travelled on gravel roads and we got stuck in the presidential convoy but finally entered the little coastal town of Cape Agulhas and it took our breathe away.

The Cape Agulhas National Park is one the Western Cape's little treasures. One of the main features in the park is the Cape Agulhas lighthouse that dates back to 1847 and is the second oldest working lighthouse in South Africa. It was built to assist the ships that were on route to and from the East via the Cape, because the coastline is very rough and to this day ship wrecks can be seen all along this coastline which is within the the national Park. Today there is a lovely restaurant in the lighthouse and after a meal you can work off the kilos by climbing the seventy one steps all the way to the top for one of the most amazing views. Its also interesting to pop in at the lighthouse museum where you can see remains of an ancient stone fish-trap that was used by the Khoisan, (indigenous people who lived along this coastline).

This is the region where the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet however it is not something that can be seen from the shore or can be pinpointed to an exact point as the currents move. But you can take a photo of a landmark that gives you the co-ordinates of the official southerly point of the African Continent 34° 49' 58" South and 20° 00' 12'' East.

No fires are allowed in the National Park as the landscape is covered in Fynbos that only grows in the Western Cape region. We spent a day driving around the park viewing birds, small wildlife and of course the ocean with its many whales.

This a place that has captivated many explorers throughout time and somewhere we would definitely recommend. Keep an eye on Planeteye to find out more on this region...