In 1997 I was on a flight leaving Cape Town.  It was a magnificent day; the sun was bright and the sky was a deep blue.  Cape Town, a city of more than two million people, is situated on the Atlantic Ocean.  Approximately 60 km to the south lays the famous Cape of Good Hope and 150km to the east is Cape Aghulas, the southernmost point in Africa. Geographically this is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet; although the currents, water temperature and underwater wildlife suggest that the Cape of Good Hope is truly where the two oceans meet.  A view from a vantage point on the Cape on some days suggests this as well, as the Atlantic is stormy and fierce and the Indian is calm and gentle.

As the plane left Cape Town, it rounded the Cape of Good Hope on its way to Europe. With a window seat and the weather so nice and the view of the Cape so spectacular, I made up my mind that I would return one day and walk the whole way from Cape Town down to the Cape of Good Hope and back.  It took me eight years and in 2005 I returned to make my trek.

It was August.  I had three weeks to make my walk.  My attempts to plan my walking trip didn’t lead anywhere.  The websites I found were centered on commercial packages and tours.  Part of my planned trek was inside a national park and when I tried to contact the park via the internet and telephone, no one was able to give me any real useful information.  I decided not to worry about it too much; I’d surely be able to get information when I arrived at my destination.

I took the shuttle to the city centre.  The woman who drove was of Malay origin and Muslim.  I told her about my proposed trek and she just kept trying to get me to take the train to Simon’s Town from where the walk to the Point would be much shorter.  I guess in her mind a person would only walk because it was the cheapest way.  She just wouldn’t be convinced that I really preferred to walk.

She told me that the night before it had snowed very lightly on the top of Table Mountain.  I knew it was the astral winter but I certainly wasn’t expecting snow!  The day was cool but sunny.  It was about 30 minutes to the city centre.  I didn’t have any accommodation reserved; so I had her drop me off on Long Street where there are many backpacker hostels.

The flight was during the night so by the time I got a room, it was still early.  I headed straight for the tourist office.  But I was frustrated because even there I was not able to get any useful information about how to walk down to the Cape.  I just decided to buy a map and make my own way.   I spent the afternoon walking around the city.  I only walked about 10 km, but by the time I returned to my room I was tired!  I thought only 10 km, this is maybe going to be a tougher walk than I had anticipated.

It rained during the night and in the morning there was still some drizzle.  But by the time I readied my pack, it was dry.  My pack weighed 10kg.  I had my camera, three sets of t-shirts, socks and underwear, a sleeping bag, one pair of waterproof pants, a sweater, a waterproof parka and some chocolate bars.

From Cape Town, I headed south down the Atlantic coast.  I spent the first few nights in Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Noordhoek, and Scarborough, averaging 15-20 kilometres per day.  The first day was sunny, but afterwards I hit a lot of rain, mostly in the afternoons, which wasn’t too bad… I’d start my day dry and fresh; by the time I was soaked, it was mid- to late-afternoon and time to quit.

The view of Hout Bay from the road at the base of Chapman’s Peak was particularly vast and impressive.  The 8km walk along the beach from Noordhoek to Kommetjie was very enjoyable, peaceful and serene.

I arrived at the entrance to the Cape Point National Park about a week after landing in Cape Town.  There are overnight huts which are normally available to hikers; however they were closed to the public for the winter.  My only choice was to sleep in one of the cottages located inside the park.  It was more expensive and luxurious than I wanted, but it was the only choice to be able to visit the park over several days without a car.  Originally I reserved two nights in the park, but when I discovered how little I could see in two days, I extended my stay for two more days.  Unfortunately for the third night of my stay in the park, the cottage was reserved by someone else.  Originally I was told that I must leave the park, but after I begged and pleaded that it wasn’t fair to make the National Park only available to people with cars, and that I had come 10000km to visit their beautiful country, the park personnel actually agreed with me and allowed me to stay in one of the overnight huts which were normally closed.

The overnight huts were leftover from WWII, when lookouts were posted for German submarines rounding the Cape.  The hut where I slept was perched on a hill overlooking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.  To say the least, the view was magnificent.  As the sun went down and I was plunged into complete darkness, I realized that aside from security personnel at the entrance gate, I was probably the only person inside the park.  Perched alone at night … the only sound the distant waves of the Atlantic crashing on the shore… the only light the moon reflecting off two oceans, it was an unimaginable serenity.

At the tip of Cape Point, I ran into the woman who drove me from the airport.  She was so surprised; her expression led me to believe that she never thought I would actually make the walk to the Point all the way down from Cape Town.

I covered 60-80 km on foot in the park, and I could have happily stayed another few days; it was simply amazing.  Unfortunately I didn’t have enough food to last longer.  The closest place to buy food was about 10 kilometers away.  Not being familiar with the area I wasn’t able to plan well.  To keep my pack light I didn’t want to carry too much food.

As I was ready to leave the park, one of the park employees recommended an unmarked trail toward Simons Town with an elevation gain of about 700 meters.  From the summit I could see Table Mountain 30km to my left, Cape Point 30km to my right and Simons Town 700 meters directly below, and an entire view of False Bay in front.  I was told the hike should take much less time than it actually took.  I had left early afternoon and I was afraid that I might have to spend the night on the mountain.  Luckily I arrived in Simons Town about 15 minutes before it was too dark to walk.

As I had rain again in Simons Town, I decided to take a rest day.  After leaving Simons Town I headed up the east coast of the Cape toward Muizenberg.  From there, I crossed the Silver Mine area to Constantia Nek.  And from there I headed up the back side of Table Mountain and back into Cape Town.  Once I arrived in Cape Town I had two days to “kill” before my flight back to Europe.  I spent one day on Robben Island and one day simply wandering around Cape Town.  My flight left in the evening, so on my morning of my last day in Africa, I had time for a hike to the top of Lion’s Head.

Although I carried a sleeping bag, it was intended for an emergency and I never did use it.  I spent nearly every night in B&Bs.  For 30-40 euros per night, I had a warm bed and a very large breakfast; so large that I rarely ate lunch, and only ate a light dinner.

As my trip came to an end, I felt in shape, and I wanted to continue walking.  If time permitted, I could have followed the coast all the way up to Mozambique (but I guess that would have taken at least two months).  I walked 350 kilometres in three weeks; I took two rest days (mostly because of the rain and not because I was tired).  I saw wild ostriches on the Cape of Good Hope; I saw baboons and tortoises, and lots of other wildlife that I wasn’t able to identify.  One beauty of walking is also the ability to appreciate the myriad flora and fauna around one’s feet.  I was amazed that I saw so few other hikers.  In the Cape Point National Park, virtually all the visitors came by car or bus and stayed just an hour or two.  Some “adventuresome” ones make the 45 minute walk from Cape Point to Cape of Good Hope.  On one hand it’s sad to see some of the world’s amazing scenery viewed as though it were a scene on a television screen.  On the other hand, maybe it’s not so bad these people stay in one place.  It left the entire rest of the park, hundreds of square kilometers, for me to appreciate alone.

It will be with much pleasure and anticipation that I will return to South Africa and to make the same walk again; knowing better what to expect will make certain things more enjoyable.  It was an experience too amazing for words.