Cape Peninsula

Birds: 7/10
Scenery: 10/10
General tourism value: 10/10

The route:

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Chapman's Peak Drive, Kommetjie, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Boulders Beach, Strandfontein Sewage Works.

Overview:

Covering a range of habitats, this tour offers a comprehensive introduction to the diversity of birds in the Western Cape and the scenic splendour of the whole Cape Peninsula. You will get the chance to see 5 of the 9 Cape fynbos endemics and several Benguela-endemic seabirds amid a variety of other seabirds, fynbos, forestandwetland birds.The Cape Peninsula, a spectacular 1 km high and 70 km long mass of sandstone mountains, is surrounded both by the City of Cape Town and one of the stormiest oceans in the world, but it holds more species of wild flowers than the British Isles. We begin at the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where a mixture of Cape fynbos endemics, such as Orange-breasted Sunbirds, Cape Sugarbirds, Cape Siskins, Cape Bulbuls and Cape Francolins, and a variety of forest birds, including the elusive Knysna Warbler can be observed at close quarters.

We then wind along the spectacular Chapman's Peak Drive on our way to the lighthouse at Kommetjie, where we will stop to look for most of the Benguela-endemic seabirds, including African Black Oystercatcher, Hartlaub's Gull, and Bank, Crowned and Cape cormorants. In winter, the ocean swells can be scanned for the many southern ocean pelagic species that occasionally venture inshore. White-chinned Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Cape Gannet and Subantarctic Skua are regulars, while cruisers such as Shy or Black-browed Albatross are occasionally seen.

We continue to follow the scenic coastline via Misty Cliffs andScarborough to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Here we continue the search for fynbos birds and additional seabirds from the high cliffs at Cape Point, with the added attractions of game viewing and whale watching. Rounding the peninsula to Simonstown, we stop at Boulder's Bay to mingle with a large breeding colony of African Penguins. Our final stop is the Strandfontein Sewage Works, a series of settling ponds on the northern shore of False Bay, which supports a remarkable variety of waterfowl, including the endemic South African Shelduck and Cape Shoveller, and, in summer, many waders.