Cape Town & Garden Route Sharks!

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Cape Town & Garden Route Sharks!

Posted Nov 29 2012 by badmin

Known for its colorful colonial houses and laid-back cosmopolitan feel, Cape Town has long been a magnet for international travel in South Africa. One of the last places to be segregated during apartheid, the racial divide is not as noticeable in this coastal city and it’s rich on history. Home to the South African Parliament, one of the presidential homes, the Anglican archbishop’s (Desmond Tutu’s) residence (although he keeps his original home in Soweto just down the street from Nelson Mandela’s original home in Soweto as well), and the long walk of history that accompanies Robben Island, Cape Town has much to offer the visitor, but its activities go beyond that and families will find fun and adventure along the shores of Cape Town and the nearby Garden Route. Cape Town has some of the worlds best white sand beaches lined with outdoor cafes and huge homes. It’s is backed by stunning Table Mountain which is reachable by a near vertical cable car.

We start our visit in Cape Town as many tourists do – with a visit to Robben Island. This “Alcatraz” of South Africa was home to hundreds of political prisoners during apartheid, the most famous of which, Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned there for much of his life. Our tour starts from the Waterfront where a boat whisks us the 45-minutes (the new, fast boat was broken – it only takes 20 minutes) across the bay to the island. We are met by an ex-political prisoner who walks us through the cells telling his personal story of living on Robben Island. We are shown Mandela’s cell, which is only about 8-feet wide by about 7-feet across. There is no bed – just a mat on the floor and it is wicked cold – with winter winds racing across the island. To think that the black prisoners were given shorts and sandals as their uniforms (a step up from the “Indians and Coloureds” who were given long pants, socks and shoes) sends a chill through me as we are dressed in multiple long-sleeve layers and are still shivering. The kids find it interesting that prisoners communicated “illegally” by hiding messages in tennis balls and hitting them over the fence and that Nelson Mandela hid his manuscript – what would become his book “A Long Walk to Freedom” in a hole in the garden.

Nelson Mandela Cell Robben Island

Much of the new constitution was secretly written in a cave in the quarry yard where prisoners broke apart rocks. They visit other cells which they can go inside, closing the gate behind them, for a feel of what it would be like to live inside. Nathan’s favorite is Tokyo Sexwale’s cell – who is currently running for head of ANC, and South Africa’s next president. The cold, rainy winter day sends us running for cover, but lucky for us, back on the Waterfront dock is a mall with movie theatre and an outstanding aquarium where the kids have fun watching the penguin and shark feeding.

In the afternoon we head for the hills with Downhill Adventures for a new sport that is gaining quite a following in South Africa – sand-boarding. In contrast to the “cold feeling” you get while watching penguins on the cape, the dunes just north of Cape Town are reminiscent of the famous desert farther north on the continent. But these silky, white hills don’t just look pretty here…they provide filtering for the area’s water supply and recreational activities like ATV rides, four-wheeling and sand-boarding. So what is sand-boarding? It’s like snow boarding, but on sand. We all strap on snow boarding gear – boots and board – minus the gloves, hats, ski pants, etc, and head to the top of the dune. Then it’s fun, fun, fun as we jet down the dunes. We are joined by an Israeli family on vacation as we trudge up and down the hills together and slide back down – giggles abounding. I have to admit the kids last longer than us…there are no lifts…but we all have a ball and enjoy watching the dunes change to a golden orange as the sun sets over the Atlantic Ocean! Dinners a spent at a local italian pizza bistro packed with Cape Towners and travelers. The restaurant is just like any we’d find in California, even better!

Our second day in Cape Town had us exploring the surrounding areas. Just south of Cape Town is the Cape of Good Hope – often thought of as the southern most point in Africa, but actually the Southwestern most point..southern most point going to Cape Agulhas farther east. Along the road we spot rambunctious baboons, one with a small baby riding top side, feeding on insects and worms in the grass. At the point the kids have fun watching giant waves breaking onto the rocky coastline – spraying white water high into the azure sky. Along the east coast of the cape, we encounter Boulders Beach, home to a colony of 3,000 African penguins. The kids laugh as the penguins waddle out of the water, shaking their chubby bodies, flapping their slender fins. Many of the penguins are youngsters covered in a soft, tan downy layer of feathers and huddling together.

It’s unthinkable to ponder who could hurt such a cuddly creature, but up the coast at Save Our Seas Centre, we find out great whites and humans are their main predators. The Centre also teaches us that the Great White Shark has been vilified by movies like “Jaws” and while it is a fish to be respected and can cause significant damage, it is not the stalker it is made out to be. We decide to test the theory out a bit further down the coast in the town of Gansbaii…famous for its massive Great White Shark populations. We head out with Marine Dynamics for a close-up encounter with this mysterious creature from the deep.

Marine Dynamics first lets us know that Great White Sharks are gentle creatures with a bad rap. They offer the statistic that you are “more likely to be killed by a toaster than a shark bite.” Some surfers along the coast may not agree..saying shark bites have increased in the last ten years. Some blame it on chumming by companies doing shark cage dives, some blame it on more people in the water and less fish. Whatever the reason, Great Whites are to be respected, so make sure you choose a licensed company if you want go out and meet them fin to face. Marine Dynamics does not feed the sharks – as then they associate people with food – and runs a foundation for the protection of sharks and marine life. So, we head out on their boat and don full wetsuits, with hoods and booties (the water is a shocking 60 degrees!) and feeling much like Jaques Cousteau and Valeri Taylor, we hop into the shark cage amidst circling sharks – some as big as our 40 passenger boat – and take a look. We watch as the sharks glide by…just feet from our cage. Some move slowly, their black beady eyes checking us out. Some dart toward the wooden decoy seal they float in the water, exterior pulled back to reveal gums littered with teeth as they go for the kill (their main food source is a nearby island covered in seals). Snuggled next to the boat behind the thick steel of the cage, I never feel in danger. In fact, I feel quite safe and exhilarated by these amazing creatures. At no time do I worry about the sharks…in fact what I do worry about is the freezing water as Seamus shivers nearby. But, he is determined to watch for his entire 15 minutes in the cage, so we pop our heads down when they say “Shark down left” and then re-surface for a breath before the next shark meanders by.

We warm up by the fire back at our lodge at Grootbos Nature Reserve where we consume dinner with the voraciousness of a Great White Shark! The six-course dinner is filled with gourmet delights, and when the kids lose interest they are welcome to go to the game room and play pool, foosball, board games or watch a movie with friends we meet from Canada. The next morning we take a horseback ride through the incredible fynbos vistas – yellow, purple and white flowers blooming all around us, heaven for our horses. Back at the stables, the kids befriend bunnies and name their favorites “Puffy Fluffy” and “Nelson” in honor of Nelson Mandela. Caves down on the beach, which are currently under excavation for human artifacts dating from thousands of years ago provide a small distraction, but they boys are keen to get back to their bunnies. The kids also get to help local farmers pick vegetables on a farm set up by Grootbos to teach locals about farming, self employment and business.

With penguins and sharks, history and adventure, the Cape Town area and the start of the Garden Route along South Africa’s southwest coast provides an amazing family getaway.

For more information on this family travel experience contact Tour D’ Afrique at http://tourdafrique.co.za/

Also visit Destination South Africa DSA Vacations http://www.dsavacations.com/