The southernmost tip of Africa is a less popular holiday destination when compared to other hot spots in the Western Cape, but it is a trip that is well worth the travel; visitors will find much to see and do in this historical, charming corner of the Cape.
If you’re planning a late holiday, or even a short weekend escape from the city, here are a few reasons to visit Cape Agulhas:
1. Visit SA’s second-oldest working lighthouse
Located close to the southern tip of Africa immediately to the southwest of the town of L’Agulhas, you will find the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, the country’s second-oldest working lighthouse and the third ever built in South Africa.
A self-guided tour to the top of the centuries-old structure will cost you R30 per person and not only provides visitors with a seriously interesting climb up a series of old wooden staircases and ladders but also a stunning view at the end.
2. Grab a great gift or memento at Suidpunt Potpourri
If you are planning on visiting Cape Agulhas and wondering where you can enjoy a fantastic breakfast, stay or even where to get gifts or mementos from, consider Suidpunt Potpourri, which has all three.
Grab a great breakfast that will prepare you for a day of activities and browse the vast collection of interesting items in Potpourri’s curio store.
If you’re looking for the perfect place to stay, Potpourri also has accommodation right across the road from the store.
3. Have a swim in some warmer waters
Take a dip in water that is a little warmer than the Mother City’s bracing seas in Struisbaai, near the Cape’s southernmost town, L’Agulhas.
Waters near Agulhas tend to be warmer due to being so close to the beginning of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and because of the warm Agulhas Current that flows south along the east coast of Africa.
Visit the tranquil beach in Struisbaai for a less crowded and chilly swim.
4. Visit the HMS Birkenhead shipwreck
Many a ship has found its final resting place among the needle-like rocks along the Cape Agulhas’ shoreline.
The Meisho Maru 38 is one of the more famous of these. The ship ran ashore in 1982 and you can visit her iconic wreck in Struisbaai.
Snap a picture or two with this historic monument when you get the chance, as it is a matter of time before the waves claim its withering structure for good.
5. Stand between two Oceans
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Visit the official spot where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans famously meet right at the southernmost tip of Cape Agulhas.
Follow the long winding wooden walkways that lead the stone monument that marks the exact spot where the two oceans meet.
It is worth visiting just to snap a photograph and say you’ve been there.
Picture:DiscoverCapeAgulhas