Boulders Beach is one of the most unique, pristine beaches I have ever encountered. What makes it any different from say, De Hoop Nature Reserve? Well, there are PENGUINS! And it’s not like they’re hiding – they’re basking in the sun only a few feet away from you, they’re swimming alongside you in the water, and they’re waddling over to check you out. We were there on a weekday, leaving the beach virtually secluded; it felt like our own private getaway for the morning.
Travelers Tip: Hit the beach Monday-Friday because the beach gets crowded with locals on the weekends.
Most tourists head right for the Boulders Beach Observatory and miss the actual beach entirely. DO NOT SKIP IT! If anything, skip the Observatory, or at least leave it for last as it’s a total tourist trap. While you get to see hundreds of penguins on the beach, you also get to see hundreds of tourists. If you only have time for one aspect of Boulders, choose the beach.
After what felt like ages driving from Outdshoorn to De Hoop Nature Reserve, we finally made it without breaking down. We passed four broken down cars along the way…
Travelers Tip: As soon as you arrive at the De Hoop reception area, the receptionist will try to sell you on a “stunning” 3.5 km hike. It was neither a hike nor stunning, so do yourself a favor and skip it.
De Hoop is known for its white sand dunes. It’s 16 km farther on tricky dirt roads, but completely worth it. I knew there was a reason I wanted to go to De Hoop. We exited our car, walked a few feet, and were greeted with beautiful, sweeping white sand dunes juxtaposed against a turquoise and dark blue ocean – literally, the ocean’s blue was split like water and oil. De Hoop is hands down the nicest beach I have ever encountered, and the sand was so unbelievably fine that you couldn’t feel it on your body.
Travelers Tip: Bring a picnic and eat it in the shaded areas while absorbing the spectacular views.
If you’re continuing along the Garden Route, you should take a photo at the obligatory pit-stop – Cape L’Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet.
Our road trip brought us to Outdshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. Since Outdshoorn is home to the world’s largest ostrich population, we decided to educate ourselves a bit. Ostriches are vegetarians, largely eating plants and grass, but are capable of swallowing up to 50 grams of stones (to use for grinding). The ostrich neck is, in fact, so flexible that one even swallowed a 500 ml coke bottle! The ostrich industry began when merchants migrated from the Sahara to the Karoo. Marketing-wise, 15% comes from feathers, 25% from meat, and 60% from leather – ostrich is the second toughest leather in the world, following the kangaroo.
On our tour, we learned that when an ostrich lays an egg, it is equivalent to 45 chicken eggs and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) each. The incubation period is 42 days, and an egg can withstand 150-160 kg (330-352 lbs) without breaking.
Fun Fact: If being attacked by an ostrich, lay flat on the ground with hands over your head because ostriches can’t kick downwards.
There were numerous parts to our tour at the Cango Ostrich Farm. First, we had an ostrich eat out of our hands, but since I’m small, the ostrich managed to reach around both sides of my head, in front of my face, everywhere to eat the food in our guide’s hand.
To my vegan family, I apologize for the next bit. Following the feeding, we were given the opportunity to ride the ostriches. I mounted the ostrich, grabbed its wings, and rode the ostrich around the pen. The jockeys were nearby to (attempt) to catch me when I fell off – falling off is the only way to actually get off the ostrich. I found the experience to be a blast and couldn’t stop laughing.
Nick, on the other hand, was less than thrilled…Check out his reaction here:
We then went for a “neck massage.” I held a bucket of food and six ostriches came to eat it from every angle over my head. They kept throwing pelts down my shirt!
All in all, our tour at Cango Ostrich Farm was very informative. It was long enough where you appreciate the ostriches, yet short enough that you don’t get sick of them. People pretty much take the tour to be able to ride an ostrich. At the end of the tour, we sat at the restaurant on the farm and ate a fantastic array of ostrich for a very reasonable price.
The Five Foot Traveler 