06-03-2011
Rigged rocks and sheer cliffs towering more than 200 meters above the sea and cutting deep into the ocean, provide a spectacular background for the park’s rich bio-diversity. Cape point falls within the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park. The natural vegetation of the areas comprises the smallest but richest of the world’s six floral kingdoms. Cape Point is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilo meters at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa.
At Cape Point Nature Reserve, the mountain and ocean meet in a thunderous clash of water against rock, producing a dramatic landscape inhabited by an incredible diversity of life. As the tip of land juts out like on outstretched arm, the ocean swells around it, and multitudes of birds flock to its pristine beaches and rugged cliffs. There are two lighthouses at Cape Point, only one of which is still in operation as a nautical guide. While still a popular tourist attraction, the old lighthouse built in the 1850s no longer functions – it sits too high above the ocean and is often covered by cloud. Ships approaching from the east could also see the light too easily, often causing them to approach too closely.
