The Lighthouse walk at Cape Point
One of the “must do” day trips whilst you are in South Africa is a visit to Cape Point. Although now accepted as not the Southern most tip of Africa it is neverless an amazing place with dramatic and wild scenary and a rich history of discovery and adventure.
If you don’t have time to get off the beaten track, the beaten one still offers the chance of a bit of excercise with a hike up to the old lighthouse and then a hike down to the new one.
The old lighthouse at Cape Point
The first Cape Point lighthouse was built in 1860. It is found on a high vantage point overlooking the harsh rocks and ocean of the point. From the main carpark you can walk up to the lighthouse on a paved path. Although a short walk of under a km, it is steep and certainly gets the heart racing. Luckily on the way up there are several awesome viewpoints where you can get stop to catch your breath.
The road up to the old lighthouse
From the lighthouse itself the views are 360 degree and amazing. Look down and see the cormorants nesting in the cliffs below.
Although False Bay is not officially the Indian Ocean the difference in the sea on either side of the point is quite amazing. The False Bay side is usually calmer and a different colour. Just off the point you can see a rock where the waves continually break. This is the Bellows rock, the gravesite of the Lusitania which sank in 1911. It was following this disaster that the old lighthouse was replaced. Being so high up the light was often shrouded in cloud and so invisible to those at sea.
The old lighthouse
The New Lighthouse
To get to the new lighthouse take the steps down from the old one and turn right through the gate that leads to the old lighthouse cottages. Walk between the cottages and follow the path through a gate and around the False Bay side of the cliffs. It should take you about 15 minutes to get to the last view point.
The path is takes you steeply down initially and then levels out to lead you past some old world war 2 buildings.You are not allowed to drop the final distance to the present lighthouse but it is still well worth following the path just to escape the crowds and enjoy the views.
The New Lighthouse Cape Point
