Celebrating my recently-obtained freedom and joining a Joburg friend sight-seeing were good enough excuses for a little daytrip along False Bay to Betty’s Bay on Tuesday.
We got to Gordon’s Bay pretty early and stopped over briefly at the Bikini Beach Bookstore (where I found a book I’d been looking for for ages, score!) before visiting the little harbour.
Then it was on towards Betty’s Bay, via Rooiels and Pringle Bay.
Betty’s Bay is a pretty sleepy-looking town with a lot of open space and for sales signs, but the walkway at Stony Point was packed with people admiring the nesting Jackass Penguin and cormorant colonies.
The main destination of our trip was The Harold Porter Botanical Garden in Betty’s Bay, which we found after a fair amount of confusion. It was really beautiful, like a wilder and more secluded Kirstenbosch (and with a much more affordable entrance fee of R18).
Unfortunately, by the time we arrived we were quite tired, late in the day and under an ever-darkening and cloudy sky, so we didn’t get the key for the Leopard Kloof trail (an optional extra for R50) but definitely plan to go back and explore the area properly some day.
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A trip I’d recommend, particularly the botanical garden. It’s about 100kms from Cape Town.
Harold Porter Botanical Garden: Hiking trails | History | Info on the drive
Stony Point : Info | short history and penguin information | More info
