Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of Africa and the beginning of the divide of the Atlantic and Indian ocean. It is fantastic spot to explore on a long weekend getaway with friends and family. I was initially confused by the name of the town and in case you are too, Cape Agulhas is the geographical southern point and L’Agulhas, the small coastal village nearby. We made the village our base and enjoyed all the small town vibes.
L’Agulhas coastal town
There are many places to stay in this small town and we stayed at a charming bed and breakfast on the main road called Agulhas Ocean House. It’s a family run idyllic establishment with one side facing the ocean and the other facing the mountain and nature reserve. The owners are full of energy and a wealth of knowledge and village ‘tea’. They even upgraded our room to a lovely sea facing room, which was really great.
Typical of the Cape, the weather was a mess. Warm, then cold, then rain then hot and hectic wind all in a matter of hours. Even though I have lived in Cape Town for a couple of years, I still forget myself at times and dress for one season. Don’t do that. Pack for all seasons and then have all those options in the car at all times. People from the Cape find this endearing and it really is not. What it is though, is great for moody photographs of shipwrecks and light houses.
Visit the Cape Agulhas monuments
The Cape Agulhas light house has been standing for over 150 years and overlooks an area that had become known as the “graveyard of ships.” Many ships met their end here as their compass needles lost the plot when trying to determine true north. It then became known by the Portuguese as “capos dos agulhas” – Cape of Needles.
There’s a lovely walkway set up around the light house that leads to the southernmost tip monument demarcating the point where the two oceans begin to meet. Continue around the point and you’ll spot a Japanese fishing wreck, the Meisho Maru No. 38, that ran aground in 1982. On the day we visited it was cold and stormy. This made for lovely moody photos but it was also a reminder of how scary the “cape of storms” could be.
If you are interested in more shipwrecks in South Africa, there’s a maritime museum in the near town of Bredasdorp or read more about our shipwreck adventures.
Visit Parrie in the harbour
Who is Parrie? Well, Parrie is the local resident a large sting ray in the Struisbaai Harbour. He can often be seen around the slipway, with his friends, when the fisherman come back from their daily catch. His presence, from what I can deduce, is his claim to fame. Although, a placard at the harbour indicates that he also spent some time in the Cape Town Aquarium but that’s the extent of the information.
Go to the Beach
This is an absolute no-brainer as all coastal holidays warrant a day at the beach. Ours started with one at the De Mond Nature Reserve nearby and ended with a walk at the Struisbaai beach. This stretch of beach is 14km long. Ours hosts told us that this is the longest, uninterrupted sand beach in the Southern Hemisphere. Is it? I don’t know. Google says Yzerfontein to West Coast National Park is longest stretch of beach at 25km long. But is that all sandy? I don’t know, either way is a great little fact to get you to hit the beautiful beach.
Kassies Baai Fishing Village
Kassies Baai is an authentic fishing village outside Cape Agulhas. The village is a Heritage Site and is home to six generations of fishermen and their families. The village is owned and run by the community members themselves, which differs from many other communities. Many work on the sea and in surrounding tourism industries.
Take a walk around the Arniston harbour, stroll around the small village and take in the almost deserted beauty of the beach. While there we stopped for a lunch at Willeens Restaurant where we enjoyed an fish cakes and homemade pickled fish. All with fresh (as in my man caught this today) fish of the day.
We popped into Miens for tea and homemade malva pudding where the lovely owner Mien shared Kassies Bay’s interesting story. From the uniform building materials, love stories to the name of the village – she had all the tea. I often feel that this is the best part of small town, chatty people with interesting stories to tell. Also do a spot of shopping in the arts and crafts stores in the village. Keep that Rand in the community!
Waenhuiskrans Cave
The Waenhuiskrans Cave is in Arniston and has great views out to the sea. It is only accessible at low tide. We planned our day around the low tide to step into the cave. I love stuff like this, so I was just beyond excited to get in there. Only to find that on that particular day, it was neap tide (when there is least difference between high and low water). That meant that it didn’t quite get low enough to enter the cave that day. Just our luck. I’m sure when you go, it will be fine. A fellow travel friend went a few weeks later and it looked awesome. Still the dunes and surrounds made for a great adventure anyway.
Wine Tasting
The main street of L’Aghulhas leads to the light house and tip of Africa. Like many small towns, it is also where you find a whole host of activities to make a morning enjoyable. From breakfast spots over looking the ocean, to shopping in local crafts stores and an art gallery. We did all these things and then added wine tasting at Wine on Main.
Wine on Main has a variety of wines from the region. The wines in the regions are said to have a distinct flavour to them because of the cold winds that blow though the vineyards unlike the grapes on the other side of the coast. They have wine pairings and tastings on the weekends by the local wine farm.
I love your description of weather in the Cape: “People from the Cape find this endearing and it really is not.”
I was supposed to visit Agulhas for New Years this year but my friend and I just canceled our trip because of covid. So sad! Anyway thanks for letting me live vicariously.
Lol, it’s so true, though.
Hope you add it to your 2021 list. I think you’ll love it.