The tip of Africa

Our last full day in Cape Town was set to be a lot less dramatic than the day before...although just as interesting and beautiful. We had booked ourselves on a tour of the Cape, taking in Hout Bay, Simon's Town right down to Cape Point.

We were travelling via the Baz Bus - a bit studenty but a good price! Our tour guide's name was Robbie and he was entertaining but a flirt with the (non-married) ladies! We started our visit driving through the beaches and bays south of Cape Town, including Camps Bay which looked perfect for a sundowner - pity we didn't have the time. We arrived in Hout Bay, a lovely fishing port, in time for a cup of coffee. Some of the group headed off to seal island but we had already seen a seal (old news!) so relaxed on the waterfront taking in the local craft stalls and barber shop singing bands. We then travelled down the coast to Simon's Town and stop in at Boulder Bay, home of the famous (and noisy) Jackass Penguins. They were litereally everywhere, strolling around the sand with their comical walk. The camera went on overdrive and we got some great shots of penguins on rocks, penguins in burrows, penguins swimming, big penguins feeding little penguins...you get the idea!

We then drove on down to the Cape via great view points over Muizenburg and Fish Hoek. We could see locals taking their surf boards out to sea and chilling by the water. It really looked the life and prompted a few 'what if' conversations about moving out to Cape Town!

We then travelled on as far as the most south westerly point of Africa - the Cape of Good Hope. As with all these places, it's really just a signpost and a great view but it felt exciting and a bit like the official start of our African adventure - starting from the most southwesterly point at sea level and ending at the highest point on the continent at 5900m - Mt Kilimanjaro!

A walk up to the lighthouse and a chance to spot a few baboons sitting on cars (http://gallery.mac.com/guypattison) closed off the day and our tour. We were ready to move on and explore more that this incredible continent had to offer...