Category Archives: Table Mountain National Park

Our 2024 in Pictures

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Join us as we reminisce about the places DeWetsWild visited while exploring Southern Africa’s wild places in 2024!

May 2025 be a year to remember for all the best reasons. Happy New Year, everyone!

Chalet 4 at Boschkop, on the shores of the Vaal Dam, January 2024

Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Skukuza Bungalow #210, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Skukuza Safari Tent #316, Kruger National Park, January 2024

Cliffhanger Lodge

Leopard Rock Lodge

Recce Lodge

Sunrise at Rietvlei

Camping at Elephant Sands

Elephants drinking from the waterhole in Elephant Sands Lodge

Camping at Domtshetshu Pan

Camping under the stars on Sua Pan

On the horizon lies our campsite on Sua Pan, surrounded by emptiness

Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Campsite #19 at Senyati Safari Camp

Elephants at the waterhole seen from the deck above Senyati’s restaurant

Game-viewing by boat on the Chobe River

Elephants making their way to the Chobe River

Victoria Falls

Lilydale Unit#1, Mokala National Park, June 2024

Sunset Kudu at Mokala

Buffelshoek Safari Camp, Manyeleti Nature Reserve, June 2024

Two of the Kambula Lions at Manyeleti

Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel, Boardwalk Shopping Centre and Bertha’s Restaurant

View from my room at the Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel

African Penguin

Ostriches on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Kirstenbosch Spring Annuals Display

Table Mountain cableway

Big old elephant bull between Satara and Olifants in the Kruger National Park

Jamie Mulhovo Guest House, Skukuza, October 2024

Sunset scenery around Skukuza

Research Camp Chalet 5, Skukuza, October 2024

Buffalo at sunset

Research Camp Guest House, Shingwedzi, October 2024

Elephant cow walking past Shingwedzi Camp’s entrance

Gariep N1 Chalets in the Great Karoo

Camping at Karoo National Park, December 2024

Karoo Scenery

Camping at Aloe Canyons

Aloe Canyons

Entrance to Bontebok National Park

Bontebok National Park scenery

De Hoop Vlei

Agulhas Lighthouse

African Penguins on the boardwalk at Betty’s Bay

Camping at Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp in the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park

Wilderness

Camping at Storms River Mouth

Rough seas at the Tsitsikamma coast

Snaps on Tour: At the top of Table Mountain

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Earlier in October I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia Broesder and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park.

The iconic Table Mountain looms large over the city of Cape Town, rising to over 1km (more than 3,500ft) above sea level. Millions of people from all over the world visit the mountain annually, traversing it along the well planned network of pathways (always hike in groups!) or using the aerial cableway to get to the flat topped buttress in cable cars with rotating floors, which is the option we went with for our afternoon visit. While we were fortunate that the mountain was not covered in a table cloth of clouds the weather turned rather sour while we were waiting to ascend and it was rather chilly and windy when we got to the top, curtailing our exploration somewhat.

Table Mountain cableway

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain – Robben Island in the distance

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain – Robben Island in the distance

Viewsites atop Table Mountain

I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of Cape Town’s natural attractions and the rest of South Africa for you as well.

Snaps on Tour: The most beautiful Cape in the world

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Earlier in October I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park.

On our first day together I spent quite a bit of time with the Steiners and Broesders exploring every corner of the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. We took the funicular up to the lighthouse at Cape Point, had lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant, and took in all the scenic sights and interesting wildlife from the excellent road network.

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

The lighthouse at Cape Point

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Bladder Grasshopper

Ostrich on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Cape Fur Seals

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Ostriches on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Hadedas

African Oystercatcher

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Kelp Gull

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Da Gama cross

Bontebok ewe and lamb

Bontebok at the Cape of Good Hope

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Snaps on Tour: Penguins galore, and much more, at Boulders

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The very first destination I took the Steiners and Broesders to was the Boulders Penguin colony just a few blocks down the road from the Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel where we stayed. While the Penguins are of course the main attraction there’s many other animals and birds and spectacular scenery as well that makes Boulders a must-see on any visit to the Mother City.

Dassie, aka Rock Hyrax

Brimstone Canary

Cape Grey Mongoose

African Penguins

African Penguin youngster

African Penguin

African Penguins at Boulders Beach

African Penguins

Cape Wagtail

African Penguin

Touring Cape Town – 2 October 2024

Touring Cape Town – 1 October 2024

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I am currently touring some of South Africa’s most beautiful spots with someone who has been a great friend of DeWetsWild for many years, and what a privilege it is! We’re currently on the Cape Peninsula where we’ve based ourselves at the Quayside Hotel in Simon’s Town and today made excursions to the Boulders Penguin Colony and the Cape of Good Hope.

First light over Simon’s Town harbour this morning

African Penguins at Boulders Beach

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Eastern Grey Squirrel

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Sciurus carolinensis

The Eastern Grey Squirrel is not indigenous to South Africa. It was imported from North America to the city of Cape Town, by way of Great Britain, in the late 1890’s. Thankfully it has not spread much further than Cape Town’s suburbs and surrounding towns in the years since, as it relies on the nuts of plants like oaks and pines that also are not found naturally in this country. In addition they’ve been recorded feeding on cultivated fruits from orchards and gardens, fungi, insects and eggs.

Eastern Grey Squirrels are usually encountered alone or as small family groups. They nest in holes in trees or construct their own nests – called dreys – in the forks of branches. While they’re very agile in trees they often forage on the ground. They’re also well known for hoarding food stores by burying it for later consumption. Litters of 1-4 kits are born at anytime of year and leave the nest when they’re about 2 months old. In the wild they may live to about 8 years old, though most die within two years of birth. Adults weigh around 550g and measure between 40 and 50cm in length, of which the tail accounts for roughly half.

Eastern Grey Squirrel at the Tokai Picnic Site (photo by Joubert)

Eastern Grey Squirrel at the Tokai Picnic Site

One of the very best places to see these critters locally are in the Tokai Plantation, a spacious picnic area managed as part of the Table Mountain National Park.

Cecil John Rhodes, the man responsible for establishing the Eastern Grey Squirrel (and Chaffinch and Common Starling) in South Africa, is a controversial figure. A staunch proponent of British imperialism, he amassed an enormous fortune here at the southern end of Africa. As this isn’t a political blog we won’t delve into his legacy any further, but whether you despise or admire the man you cannot help but be impressed by the magnificent memorial erected for him on the slopes of Devil’s Peak (inside the Table Mountain National Park) in Cape Town after his death at the rather young age of 48 in 1902.

Rhodes Memorial

Cape Fur Seal

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Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

The Cape Fur Seal is the only seal that is native to the continent of Africa, being found from Namibia’s Atlantic coast to Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast (rarely further east to East Londen). They live in coastal waters, roaming up to 160km from the coastline, and prey mainly on schooling fishes like sardines and mackarel, octopuses, chokka (a type of squid), crabs, lobsters and other invertebrates. While hunting the seals can dive up to 200m deep and stay submerged for up to 8 minutes!

Cape Fur Seal breeding colonies are usually located on rocky islands and shores, though there are a few on sandy beaches. Bulls establish their territories from mid-October in preparation of the cows arriving about a month later, first to give birth to a single pup and then to mate with the “beach master” – the bull in control of that territory and the harem of cows in it – about a week later. The harems break up by end of December when all the females of reproductive age have been mated. The pups can’t swim until they’re about 3 months old and are prone to drowning after being struck of the rocks by freak waves or being caught by land-based predators like jackals and hyenas. Adult bull seals, at 2.4m in length and up to 360kg in weight, are much bigger than the cows who weigh up to 115kg. They may live to about 18-21 years of age in the wild, though even adults may fall prey to sharks and killer whales.

Cape Fur Seals

Seal solony on offshore rocks at Cape Columbine

Cape Fur Seal playing offshore at Yzerfontein

Young Cape Fur Seal on the beach at Tsaarsbank

Cape Fur Seal swimming in the Langebaan Lagoon

Seal colony at the Cape of Good Hope

Cape Fur Seals in Hout Bay harbour

Seal colony on Duiker Island

Seal colony on Duiker Island (photo by Joubert)

Seal colony on Duiker Island

Seal colony on Duiker Island (photo by Joubert)

Cape Fur Seals in Hout Bay harbour

Cape Fur Seal in Hout Bay harbour (photo by Joubert)

Cape Fur Seals

Cape Fur Seal tearing a drowned cormorant chick apart

Several operators use the Hout Bay harbour near Cape Town to conduct sight-seeing tours of about an hour to the large seal colony at Duiker Island. During our December 2022 tour of the Western Cape we booked ourselves on the Calypso operated by Circe Launches for one such trip, and found the company a thoroughly professional outfit that we’d gladly recommend and certainly use again ourselves.

Hout Bay from Chapman’s Peak Drive

Hout Bay and harbour

Hout Bay harbour

Jellyfish in Hout Bay harbour

Kelp Gull

Cape Cormorant

Calypso

Duiker Island from the Calypso

Seal colony on Duiker Island

Open ocean

December days at the Cape of Good Hope

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Cape Town is a city more richly endowed with scenic splendour than most others in the world, and almost all of the most beautiful spots in and around the city are protected in the Table Mountain National Park. And while Table Mountain itself is undoubtedly worthy of its spot among the wonders of the natural world, it is in the Cape of Good Hope section of the national park that visitors can get the most authentic taste of the Cape Peninsula’s other natural wonders, of which there are many!

Bordjiesrif

Da Gama cross

Bordjiesrif

Small waterhole on the way to Bordjiesrif

Buffels Bay

The Flying Dutchman Funicular is a convenient way to travel up to the Cape Point lighthouse

Cape Point

Cape Point – just look at that clear water!

Cape Point

Looking out over the Cape of Good Hope

Olifantsbos beach

Platboom beach

Ostrich on the Platboom beach

Smitswinkel Bay at sunrise

Herd of Bontebok at Olifantsbos Beach

Monterey Cypresses (exotic) on the Cape of Good Hope

The Cape Peninsula is world renowned for its rich variety of unique plants – about 2,300 species are found here and many of them occur nowhere else on earth.

Bontebok lying in a sea of Cape Snow

Cape Snow

Kelp

Pincushion

Sour Fig with Honey Bee

Vygies

Mimetes species

Unidentified species from the genus Psoralea

Unidentified Fynbos blooms

Cape (Pink) Everlasting (Phaenocoma prolifera)

More than 300 bird species have been recorded in the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park is an excellent place in which to search for most of them.

African Oystercatcher

Pied Avocet

Cape Bunting

Cape Canary

Cape Spurfowl

Cape Sugarbird

Familiar Chat

Common Greenshank

Grey-winged Francolin

Hartlaub’s Gull

Karoo Prinia

Kelp Gull

Red-winged Starling (photo by Joubert)

African Sacred Ibis

Swift and Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Tern

Speckled Mousebird

Swift Tern

Swift Tern (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Plover

There may not be any of the famed “Big 5” African animals roaming freely over the Cape Peninsula these days, but there’s still a very rich and diverse population of insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals that inhabit the area along with all those birds.

Baboon

Black Girdled Lizard

Bontebok

Bontebok on the beach at Buffelsbaai in the Table Mountain National Park

Seal colony at the Cape of Good Hope

Common Dotted Border

Eland

Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko

Red Hartebeest

While exploring the Table Mountain National Park and Cape Town during December 2022, we based ourselves at the Eland Cottage inside the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park. Eland Cottage has two lounges, a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, bathroom, three bedrooms, outside shower and lapa! In addition to Eland visitors to this part of the Park can also book the Duiker Cottage, similar to Eland, and Olifantsbos House – a luxury unit with an exclusive setting right on the beach. DeWetsWild will gladly assist you with bookings in these units, other accommodation options in the Table Mountain National Park, at one of five hotels in metropolitan Cape Town or at the Goudini Spa in the Cape Winelands if you are planning a visit to Cape Town and surrounds.

Welcome to Eland Cottage

Eland Cottage, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park, December 2022

Eland Cottage’s “backyard”

Pincushion bush and a setting sun

Sunset at Eland Cottage

At Simonstown, just a stone’s throw north of the Cape of Good Hope, is the Boulders Beach where African Penguins breed right at the urban edge. Have a read here if you’d like to know more about this special place. While we again spent a few moments with the penguins at Boulders during our December 2022 trip to Cape Town we will soon tell you more about another colony of these charismatic birds that you should seriously consider also including in your visit to the Western Cape.

African Penguins at Boulders beach

African Penguin at Boulders beach

Our 2022 in pictures

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Join us for a look back at the wonderfully wild South African destinations we visited during 2022. May 2023 be a blessed year for you and your family, memorable for all the best reasons.