The Cape of Good Hope

Table Mountain National Park and Cape of Good Hope

Cape Point is situated in the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and is accessible via the Cape of Good Hope entrance. The Cape of Good Hope itself is located at 34°21’29"S, 18°28’19"E. It is on the southwest corner of the Cape Peninsula, about 2.3km (1.4mi) west and a little south of Cape Point.

The TMNP encompasses the incredibly scenic Table Mountain Chain, which stretches from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south, as well as the seas and coastlines of the Peninsula. The narrow stretch of land, with its beautiful valleys, bays and beaches, is surrounded by the cold Atlantic Ocean to the west and the warmer waters of False Bay and the Indian Ocean to the east. Two prominent global landmarks lie within the park’s boundaries: the majestic Table Mountain and legendary Cape of Good Hope.

The park is recognised globally for its extraordinarily rich, diverse and unique fauna and flora. With its rugged cliffs, steep slopes and sandy flats, the TMNP is a truly remarkable natural, scenic, historical, cultural and recreational asset. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and rich biodiversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area: the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.

The TMNP also forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site comprising eight protected areas and covering 553 000ha. The Cape Floral Region is one of the richest in the world. It encompasses less than half a percent of Africa, but is home to nearly 20% of the continent’s flora.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Centre, the Cape Floral Region “displays outstanding ecological and biological processes associated with the fynbos vegetation, which is unique to the region. The outstanding diversity, density and endemism of the flora are among the highest worldwide.”

Scientists closely examine the Cape Floral Region’s unique plant reproductive strategies and how they adapt to fire, as well as patterns of seed dispersal by insects, endemism and adaptive radiation. For more information on the World Heritage Site, visit www.whc.unesco.org.

The TMNP manages the Buffelsfontein Visitor Centre, where visitors have access to artefact displays and audiovisual presentations. The centre is manned by staff and volunteers and is open seven days a week, from 08h00 to 17h00. For more information, contact +27 (0)21 780 9204.

Accommodation options within the park include the Olifantsbos Cottage, which is situated near Olifantsbos Beach. This self-catering cottage has a master bedroom with a queen-size orthopaedic bed, two additional bedrooms, each with two three-quarter beds, and a bathroom with a bath and shower. A fully equipped kitchen with a gas stove and fridge opens onto the lounge area, which has a gas fireplace. The annex can accommodate a further six people and has its own shower and toilet. The entire facility is solar powered.

The Eland and Duiker Cottages, 10 minutes’ drive from Olifantsbos, are ideal for families. Eland, bontebok and zebra graze on the front lawns of these cottages, which can each accommodate six people. Each cottage has a master bedroom with a queen-size orthopaedic bed, two additional bedrooms with three-quarter beds, and a bathroom and toilet. The self-catering units are fully equipped and guests need only bring their own food. The cottages are also equipped with gas fireplaces and have outside braai areas.