Cape Point Nature Reserve

The name over the entrance is "Cape of Good Hope," and while that is one of the three promontories within this vast protected area at the southern tip of the peninsula, visitors are really here to see Cape Point, which is also where most of the key points of interest are situated. Previously its own nature reserve, this section of Table Mountain National Park covers more than 19,000 acres. Much of the park consists of rolling hills covered with fynbos and laced with miles of walking trails, for which maps are available at the park entrance. It also has beautiful deserted beaches (you can swim at some of them, but note that there are no amenities or lifeguards). Eland, baboon, ostrich, and bontebok (a pretty-faced antelope nearly hunted to extinction in the early 20th century) are among the animals that roam the park, but you may also see zebras and other wildlife. A paved road runs 12½ km (8 miles) to the tip of the peninsula (Cape Point), and a turnoff leads to the Cape of Good Hope, a rocky cape that is Africa's most southwestern point. A plaque marks the spot—otherwise you would never guess its significance.

The park has some excellent land-based whale-watching spots. From about June to November, whales return to these waters to calve and then nurse their newborns. You're most likely to see the southern right whale in False Bay, but humpback and Bryde's whales do occasionally appear. When the water is calm, you may even be lucky enough to see a school of dolphins looping past. The Rooikrans parking lot is good for whale-watching, but there are a number of lookout points. It's just a matter of driving around until you see the characteristic spray or a shiny black fluke.