Best known for Cape Point, the farthest tip of the Cape Peninsula, this is an unequivocally striking slither of protected reserve that horns its way into the ocean. Various scenic drives and picnic sites put you in the midst of a fabulous terrain that's home to baboons, zebras, elands, red hartebeests, ostriches, and the pretty bontebok. The usually windswept reserve can be pretty bleak, but the coastal views are arresting, and the beaches are almost always deserted. The walks from Gifkommetjie and Platboom Beach, on the western coast (good for windsurfing), are recommended, or follow the turnoff to Bordjiesdrif or Buffelsbaai on the east coast, where you can swim in protected tidal pools or even braai (barbecue); at the latter, you can see the remains of one of the more than 20 ships that have wrecked on this coast.

Most head straight for Cape Point, taking the Flying Dutchman funicular (R45 round-trip/R35 single, R20 round-trip students and seniors/R15 single; 9am-5:30pm summer, 9am-5pm winter) to the viewing platforms surrounding the old lighthouse (built too high, it was often obscured by mists) and walking to the "new" lighthouse -- it's the most powerful on the South African coast, built after yet another liner wrecked here in 1911. From these cliffs, towering more than 180m (600 ft.) above the lashing ocean, the view is truly "bird's-eye" -- hundreds of seagulls wheel below. Note: Despite the T-shirt slogans and the name of the Two Oceans Restaurant, most experts agree that this is not the meeting place of two oceans; that would be Cape Agulhus, southeast of here.