Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

show any deviation between true north and magnetic north. The tip’s location is marked by acairn that was erected in 1986.The Agulhas coast has seen many ships come to grief in the area and the skeletons of morethan 250 wrecked ships lie buried or half-buried in the waters.FAUNA AND FLORAWhales: Every year, from June to November, schools of southern right whaleschoose the waters along the coastline to breed and nurse their calves.HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURELighthouse: The lighthouse at Cape Agulhas is the oldest in South Africa and was built in1848. The lighthouse displays a strong influence of Egyptian architecture and is still in use.The Lighthouse Museum is also part of the building.MALGASThe tiny settlement of Malgas is best known for its manually operated pont (ferry) thattransports people and goods between the eastern and western banks of the Breede River.During the 1850s, Malgas operated as a river port transporting goods to and from CapeTown. This practice came to an abrupt end when the transport vessel Kadie was wrecked onthe rocks at the Breede River Mouth.ADVENTURE AND SPORTWater sport: The Breede River is tidal for some 20 km, creating favourable conditionsfor several forms of water-sport.FAUNA AND FLORABreede River: The river habitat is home to a wide variety of species of fish and birds.Whales: Several species of whale visit the area from June to November every year.NAPIERNapier developed after a Dutch Reformed Church was built in the area in 1838. The town wasfirst called Klippedrift and then changed to Napier after the then Governor of the Cape, SirGeorge Napier. The mountains in the area are covered in natural fynbos vegetation andwheat, cattle and sheep farms stretch to the north.ADVENTURE AND SPORTBat Caves Hiking Trail: This two-hour hike allows one to discover the area’s indigenousfynbos vegetation.Grootberg Hiking Trail: Many proteas and fynbos are endemic to the area around Napier andcan be seen along this trail. On a clear day one can even see many of the surrounding townsas well as the Langebaan Mountains.HISTORY AND ARCHITECTUREDutch Reformed Church: The church was constructed in 1928 and declared a nationalmonument in 1978.148