While the Western Cape Peninsula features the province’s largest cape, it also features at least another eight similar, yet smaller extensions of land jutting out into water elsewhere in the region. Because of the naturally spectacular surroundings of most of these capes, it also provided excellent viewpoints where lighthouses were built as far back as the early 19th century, from where ships received timely warnings in poor weather conditions.
The best known of these Cape’s, located in the two most southerly positions off the Western Cape coast, are the well known capes of Cape Point and Cape Agulhas. These also remain the subject of ongoing debate as to where exactly the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Although remotely situated, capes make for brilliant adventure sport and mountaineering, which not only attracts tourism, but also offers a relaxed lifestyle popular with investors seeking tranquility in nearby suburbs. As a result, limited property development over time has mostly been contained to small villages, that has preserved its unspoilt character and charm.
One such Cape Town suburb is located at the popular surfing beach of Scarborough, next to Misty Cliffs and just kilometers away from Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope. Scarborough is known as a laid back seaside village with only dirt roads and no streetlights, where property owners commute fair distances to schools and the city.
Other capes lying further out toward the most southern tip of Africa are the lesser known Cape Hangklip near Pringle Bay, and Cape Infanta at the Breede River mouth near Struisbaai. The famous Cape Agulhas is located further along, past Bredasdorp and Arniston, about three hours drive from Cape Town where the villages of L’Agulhas and Suiderstrand have gained popularity as holiday home destinations. It is at this point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet where the Cape Agulhas lighthouse was built in 1849, that has since been declared a national monument and heritage site.
The Southern Cape coast features its own spectacular Cape in Mossel Bay, named Cape St Blaize, where a masonry lighthouse tower was built in 1864. In the Eastern Cape, in the vicinity of the Great Kei River Mouth is Cape Morgan at Morgan’s Bay with a 12 metre aluminium lighthouse that was built in the early sixties.
In addition the Garden Route features Cape Seal near Plettenberg Bay that is situated along this popular coastal route to where thousands of visitors flog every holiday season. Cape Recife is located in Algoa Bay, formerly known as Port Elizabeth that has a large harbour and serves as one of the countries major transportation points.
One of the Eastern Cape’s best kept secrets is the magnificent coastline of Cape St Francis, where the famous surfing spot and lighthouse Seal Point attracts international surfing enthusiasts. Construction of Seal Point lighthouse, a 27.5 metre masonry tower started in 1875, and has since become a national monument and provincial heritage site.
Across to the Cape West Coast is Cape St Martin in the location of St Helena Bay, in a northerly direction towards Velddrift, that falls under the Saldanha Bay local municipality.And last but not least is the spectacular Cape Columbine in the Cape Columbine Reserve, that is a close neighbour to the picturesque West Coast villages of Tietiesbaai and Paternoster.