Road Trip From Cape Town To The Shark Capital Of The World
This past Tuesday, the Tours Africa team took a day's road trip from Cape Town to Gansbaai. For those of you who are not familiar with Gansbaai (I'm sure most of you already know about Cape Town), it is the hottest spot in the world for shark diving experiences!
If any of you have taken a road trip from Cape Town, through Hermanus to Gansbaai, I don't need to tell you that my endorphins are still rushing 2 days after the trip. If you have not yet experienced this drive, I can only attempt to convey the absolute wonder I experienced.
We left Cape Town at 09h00. It was a clear and sunny day - a perfect day to blast some music on the radio and go on an adventure! We stopped at a quaint farm restaurant in Grabouw to get some snacks and drinks for the road.
Leaving the city behind us
Hello countryside
PJ and I had various chats as we set off but eventually I could no longer maintain a conversation as my eyes were so busy absorbing all forms of beauty. Oh my gosh, the forests! Jeeeewizz, the MOUNTAINS! I had driven this route a while ago but I didn't remember such astounding beauty.
The mountains we drove past, known as The Overberg Mountain range, boasted outstanding folds and contours. Just after we passed Hermanus, PJ pulled off on the side of the road to show me 'the pig's snout'. It was a piece of mountain that scarily resembled the snout of a pig.
Do you see the resemblance?
Eventually we arrived at our destination in Gansbaai, which is quite a cute harbour village. The reason for our trip was to see how things were going at the establishment from where we sell some of our shark cage diving tours, such as this one and this one.
When we arrived there, we first visited the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary where injured seabirds are rehabilitated and treated, with a special focus on the African penguin because they are endangered, until they are ready to be released back into the wild. It was in the most beautiful setting, with colourful wildflowers scattering the landscape every which way we turned. There were also surrounding mountains that were just glorious to say the least.
Welcome to the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary
Wildflowers
PJ and a penguin statue
As soon as we stepped into the building, we were met by EVERYTHING penguin. It was awesome. There were paintings of penguins on the wall, a chandelier of penguins, and a gift shop with the most beautiful penguin jewellery and cutest penguin toys.
The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary is open for the public to visit where they can sit down for coffee and snacks, browse the gift shop, and get to see penguins and other seabirds through a tinted window. It is an absolutely great way to put efforts towards marine conservation! On top of that, seeing the cutest penguin toys and fluffy birds waddling around, you will leave the sanctuary with your heart full of love and smiles.
After a little while of browsing, we headed to where the shark cage dive tours were taking place. As we got there, a large group of visitors were sitting down for a briefing before the dive, which I hurriedly ran up to join.
The briefing was done by a friendly and knowledgeable marine biologist who educated the group about Great White Sharks and what to expect on the tour. Some people looked nervous while others grinned from ear to ear with excitement.
Once the briefing was done and the group headed out to get ready for the trip, we sat down for lunch. There was a huge Southern Right Whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling, along with two dolphin skeletons. The food was delicious - I had a gourmet Cajun chicken sandwich.
After lunch, we decided to head back home as it was starting to get late. The drive back was just as breath taking, if not more, as the drive to Gansbaai. We decided to take the Clarence Drive route, which is the scenic coastal road that runs along Pringle Bay to Gordons Bay. I've driven this route various times but the beauty never ceases to amaze me.
As we were nearing the end of Clarence Drive, I spotted a pod of dolphins swimming through the bay. The view was surreal. We excitedly pulled off on the side of the road while I tried to get some snapshots. Unfortunately the dolphins were camera shy. Every time I got my camera ready they would disappear, only to start jumping out the water when I least expected it.
After arriving home, I was left feeling elated and refreshed. If you are ever in the area of Cape Town, please, please, PLEASE take a day to do this road trip. If you'd like to include a shark dive into your road trip itinerary, you can book online here.
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