African Penguins:
Cape Town has become famous for its African penguin colony located in Simon’s Town. These quaint flightless birds are of one of the main eco-tourism attractions in Cape Town. You can view the penguins at close range from elevated boardwalks or for a more intimate experience, head to Boulders Beach where you can swim with the Penguins! African penguins are a vulnerable species and each September a Penguin Festival is held in Simon’s Town to raise funds for their conservation.
In 1982, 2 breeding pairs of African penguins arrived in the sheltered beach arrive of Boulders, the colony has grown to 4000 in recent years.
Scientific Name: Spenicus Demersus
Common Name: African Penguin, jackass, Cape Penguin
Height: About 50cm
Body Weight: 2.1 – 3.7kg
Breeding Season: mostly February – March, but all year
Conservation Status: Numbers decreasing by 2% annually
International and SA Red Data Book: vulnerable
Cape Fur Seal:
Thousands of Cape Fur Seals inhabit Duiker Island off Hout Bay and Seal Island off Simon’s Town. The Fur Seals are named because they have very thick pelts, unlike true seals which only have a thin covering of hair. Seals prefer breeding on rocky ground, hence the abundance of seals on both these islands. Their natural habitat provides a great opportunity to take a boat trip out on the water from either town to view these fascinating animals at close range.
Birds:
The Cape Point Route is host to a variety of naturally diverse habitats which host a great number & variety of bird species. There are forest and mountain Fynbos regions; ocean and shorelines; streams, lakes and wetlands and lowveld areas that support endemic species of birdlife. Cape Town is birding heaven and the Cape Point Route is an ideal base for birdwatching. Two weeks in Cape Town could yield sightings of over 400 species, including 47 of the country's 58 endemics and near-endemics!
Some of the birding hot spots are: World of Birds, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Point Ostrich Farm; Boulders Penguin Colony, The Kom.
Chacma Baboons:
Chacma Baboons are seen with regularity on the Cape Point Route. They are fun to watch, with human qualities and make fabulous subjects for photographers. The species is unique as they feed on shellfish! They have earned controversial status in the area due to ongoing conflict situations between man and baboon. This has resulted from the decrease in space of their natural habitat and the baboons are forced to forage in “human territory” to survive. Due to high mortality rates and threatened extinction, the Chacma Baboon troops in the Cape Peninsula are the only protected population of this species in Africa.
Allow yourself to be guided across the mountains around Cape Town on a Walk with Baboons with a qualified eco nature guide and spend time with the last remaining Chacma Baboons in The Cape Peninsula. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe these naturally social creatures and help their protection at the same time.
Southern Right Whales:
Whale watching on the Cape Point Route is one of the regions best kept secrets. Southern Right Whales abound during breeding season from June – November, with the peak period between September – November. Southern Right whales are the main migratory species but Bryde’s whales and Humpback whales are also found in the bay. There are great land based whale watching sights along the entire Cape Point Route Coastline with hot spots at Glencairn, Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay and Muizenberg on the False Bay side and Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak, and Cape Point on the Atlantic side. It is truly memorable to experience a whale breaching in the waters in front of you- especially over lunch and a glass of wine at one of the ocean fronted restaurants. Take a boat trip to experience these gentle giants of the sea from the water.
Great White Shark:
Cape Town is famous for the great white “flying sharks” in False Bay - a term used for the highly athletic breaching and hunting behaviour of the Great White Shark. Despite the proverbial “fear factor” invoked by these phenomenal animals, there are opportunities to see and learn more about their natures and habits on an eco chartered boat trip. For adventurous travelers, one of the “must do’s” when visiting Cape Town is a shark cage dive from Simon’s Town. One can also view the natural predation from the surface and leave with a unique encounter that is seldom experienced elsewhere on the planet.
Cape Fynbos:
Cape Fynbos is a wonder of the world and is recognised as a Hot spot of floral diversity with more than 2285 species of plants. It is the smallest floral kingdom in the world in size, (there are 6 in total) but it contains more plant species than the entire British Isles and New Zealand. Fynbos means fine bush in Afrikaans so you will see very few large trees but lots of scrubs, bush and some sensational flowers depending on the season. There are three main plant types: large, leathery-leafed proteas, Cape reed or restiose grasses and small-leafed, heath-like ericas.
Hot spots for floral experiences are Silvermine Nature Reserve, Rondevlei Nature Reserve or Cape Point Nature Reserve. Base yourself on the Cape Point Route for walks and hikes in Silvermine – a great way to see the details and diversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom.
More Wildlife:
Escaping into nature is a relative term as the whole Cape Point Route region is a smorgasbord of mountain and sea, plants and animals. There are some unexpected animals to find in the area if you keep your eyes open.
The highly endangered Leopard toad (also called the snoring toad and the August Frog!) breeds in the Silvermine River Wetlands area for only 10 days each year in August. They are the largest South African Toad and have beautiful distinctive chocolate coloured patches and although they are dry land creatures they migrate to the wetlands to breed.
The Cape Clawless Otter is, as its name suggests, clawless and often seen in the mornings in Kommetjie. They are a delight to watch as they chase each other, play with sticks and stones and indulge in mock fights. They frolic in the water and enjoy sunbathing, sprawled flat on their backs.
The African Crested porcupine, found on the Cape Point Route, is rarely seen as it is a nocturnal rodent. Porcupines are vegetarians, so they dig around for roots and bulbs at night. You may hear them snuffling around before you see them as they are noisy eaters. They are easily identifiable by their black and white quills that they use to “stab” their enemies when threatened. The quills are more readily seen than the animals themselves, as the markings are great for souvenirs and interior décor items. In Afrikaans the porcupines are called ystervark (iron pig).
Cape Town visitors are often surprised to find out about the hippopotamus here. Hippos were indigenous to the Cape but were exterminated within a hundred years of the first Dutch settlers arriving. Rondevlei is now home to the resident Cape Town hippos which were reintroduced in 1981 to control the alien grasses and now feed on natural buffalo grass. The ecosystem has stabilised to make way for many other species of birds, small mammals and plants. Rondevlei lies next to Zeekoevlei (which was named after the herd of hippos that used to wallow there).
Keep your eyes peeled when visiting the Cape Point Nature Reserve for small antelope like klipspringers, duiker, grysbok and steenbok. They may not be as exciting as the big 5 but they are indigenous to the area and integral to the ecosystem of the park. Larger antelope like red hartebeest, cape mountain zebra and eland can also be found in the park so get your check list ready and scan the horizon. Take some time to explore the roads less travelled or plan a hiking trip in the hopes of spotting some of the shyer mammals like the Cape fox, genets, polecats, molerats, porcupines and mongooses. You may be lucky enough to see a tortoise or some of the reptiles (22 snakes, lizards) or even some frogs and toads.
