A narrow, 75-km long strip of land separating the cold Atlantic upwelling from the waters of False Bay, the Peninsula’s landscape is dominated by a rugged mountain chain, culm-inating at its northern end in the famously geometrical massif of Table Mountain. Cradled between this renowned landmark and its flanking peaks — Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak — are Cape Town’s city centre and harbour, site of the first colonial settlement in southern Africa and now the country’s cultural and tourism epicentre.

Rising to 1 086 m and sculpted from delicately coloured sandstone, the Peninsula’s mountains are clad in the extraordinarily diverse fynbos vegetation that is unique to the southern Cape region (see p.6). Table Mountain alone supports a staggering 2 600 plant species, more than the entire British Isles. Despite residential development at lower altitudes, much pristine mountain landscape is protected in the newly proclaimed Cape Peninsula National Park that runs, discontinuously, from Table Mountain to the Peninsula’s tip at the Cape of Good Hope, and which is destined for recognition as a World Heritage Site. The coastline, spectacularly rugged in places, is punctuated by numerous idyllic beaches.

Dedicated birders with limited time can fit in an excellent day’s birding on the Peninsula by starting early at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Constantia Greenbelts before proceeding, via Kommetjie, to the Cape of Good Hope reserve for lunch, and finally winding up at Boulders Beach in the late afternoon. However, more relaxed visitors wishing to combine birding with general sightseeing could easily spread this programme over two or more days, expand-ing it to include the Table Mountain cableway, a boat trip to Robben Island or a visit to the city itself. The only site that, ideally, requires an early start is Kirstenbosch, as by mid-morning birds are less visible and tourists more so. A visit to the very productive Strandfontein sewage works is a must for those with an interest in waterbirds. Pelagic seabird trips (p.38) depart from the Cape Peninsula, either from Simon’s Town or from Hout Bay. Although not included in this chapter, Sir Lowry’s Pass (p.60), Paarl (p.82) and Rietvlei (p.42) are also conveniently explored using Cape Town as a base, and may be combined with the above sites.