Greater Cape Peninsula

There can be few natural global icons that can compare in scenic grandeur with the awe-inspiring sight of Table Mountain straddling the Cape Peninsula and overlooking the mother city of Cape Town. This impressive bastion of sandstone rising to over 1000m and dating back 200 million years is flanked east and west by Devil's Peak and Lion's Head. Both peaks tower in sentinel-like capacity overlooking Robben Island of Nelson Mandela fame and the lucrative trade routes to Europe and the Far East.

For centuries Cape Town's strategic position as a half way stopover was known as the ‘Tavern of the Seas'. This was due not only to the wide range of fresh provisions and fine Cape wines and brandies but also to the hospitality and friendliness of the resident Capetonian community towards visitors from abroad – a tradition that has endured to the present day.

It is for many since the first naturalist arrived in the 17th Century the unique and very special combination of plant and animal communities that have evolved and successfully adapted to the seasonal hardships of cold wet winters followed by hot dry summers and south easterly winds that characterize the spectacular beauty of the south western tip of the African continent.

Little has changed to alter the unique biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula in recent years due to the inaccessible nature of the mountainous terrain and strict conservation measures and management policies aimed at securing the well being of the natural environment for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. The combination of a winter rainfall pattern and sandy acidic soils support an amazing variety of over 9000 flowering plants within the globally acclaimed ‘Cape Floral Kingdom'. This extensive biome is today home to a unique suite of reptiles, amphibians, insects, mammals and bird species for the visiting naturalist and birder to enjoy at leisure while traversing across a broad spectrum of very different habitats. A biodiversity hotspot at the south-westernmost tip of Africa, it offers over 70% of Southern Africa's endemic birds and world-famous pelagic birding. This region is best explored from Cape Town starting with the Peninsula Birding Route.