South Africa – Penguins and Great Whites

I went to South Africa!

Day 1: Travel Day to South Africa

This day I spent the entire day traveling from Nairobi to Cape Town, South Africa, with a layover in Johannesburg. A pretty uneventful but necessary day. I stayed in an airbnb in the Greenpoint section of the city and were super excited to take my first hot shower of the trip!

Day 2: Shark Diving in Gansbaai South Africa, Bo-Kapp, and Green Market Square

This morning I got up super early to make the 4am shark diving trip out of Gansbaai. As this had been another bucket list item for me, it was nothing short of incredible. The guide even made a video for me, which for $25 USD I was able to keep as a cool memento from the day.

After the shark diving, I made my way to the historical Village of Bo-Kapp. Bo-Kapp is a part of town with beautifully painted colored houses. After a few hours in Bo-Kapp, I made my way to Greenmarket Square, which was another market with many different and unique trinkets, many different than what I had seen back in Nairobi.

Day 3: Table Mountain Hike and Dinner at V&A Waterfront

Our second full day in Cape Town had me hiking up Table Mountain. I had gotten some sandwiches at a deli near the airbnb and planned to picnic for lunch once I reached the top. Don’t be fooled by the fact the hike is only two hours; it is an intense two hours of basically being on a step climber the entire way. Once I summitted I enjoyed the picnic with some killer views! Though incredibly worth it and beautiful, my legs were sore for about a week, but I was happy I did it and definitely recommend. If you still want to see the amazing views (and you should!), but hiking really isn’t your thing, there is a funicular to bring you up to the top. The funicular was actually closed when I was there but I was planning on hiking anyway so it ended up not being an issue. I try and hike whenever I can on vacations as I really feel it adds to the experience – pushing yourself and then being rewarded with an awesome view. 🙂

After the hike, I freshened up for dinner. I went to a great restaurant on the waterfront by the name of Harbour House. After dinner, I went for a ride on the ferris wheel which was fun as well. I got some cool views of Cape Town being lit up at night.

20190711_200852 Day 4: Penguin Colony at Boulder Beach

My last day in South Africa consisted of a 2 hour train ride to Simons Town, where nearby there is a penguin colony on a beach, called Boulder’s Beach. Seeing the South African penguins was a treat, especially since there are not many penguins found outside of Antarctica (other than in zoos and aquariums). The train ride is a bit long and bumpy but the scenery along the way is beautiful and certainly the penguins were delightful, so I recommend. Just make sure you carve in a window of extra time as the trains tend to be delayed in and out of Simons Town.