Olifantsbos: Cape Point’s best-kept secret
If you’ve been into the Cape Point reserve before, you may have noticed an enticing right turn a little way down the hill before you reach the point. Take it.
This is the way to Olifantsbos, one of Cape Point’s best-kept secrets. At the end of the road, you’ll find a beautiful, windswept beach lined with pristine fynbos and dotted with the historical remnants of at least three shipwrecks – reminders of the notoriously dangerous ‘Cape of Storms’ coastline over past centuries!
Through a gate and even further down a small dirt road, you will come across the secluded Olifantsbos Guesthouse. We were fortunate enough to nab a last-minute booking for the house a few months ago. The only available day was a rather chilly Sunday, but we grabbed it with both hands and managed to round up a group of 10 for the night (a testament to the reputation of this gem). With beds for 6 in the main house, and another 6 in the annex, we found the house extremely well equipped with ample cutlery and crockery, linen and towels. The lights are solar-powered, with a gas stove and fridge, as well as a braai area on the patio.
Why you have to try it…
We so enjoyed our brief steal from reality at Olifantsbos, mainly for these reasons:
- It’s cheekily close
Only about an hour’s drive from Cape Town, you can meander out on a Sunday afternoon and still sneak back in time for work the next morning!
- You can hear the waves
With a wooden deck that stretches out in front of the house, you only have to saunter a couple of meters to put your toes straight into the sand. The rumble and tumble of the breakers is a constant reminder of how close the sea really is.
- It’s just you and the avocets (and the odd ostrich)
One of the most unexpected and unique things about this little cottage is its setting at the base of a huge rocky outcrop. The view out the front overlooks a small dune to a remote expanse of ‘private’ beach, with flocks of coastal birds, sometimes ostrich and bontebok. The road to the house is blocked off from the public, so it really is your own.
- A warm log fire
There’s nothing better than a fireplace waiting to be stoked up on a chilly weekend away. We made full use of it on our stay – a considerable ambience-enhancer!
- Sweeping skies and spectacular stars
This spot has virtually no light pollution and a magnificent view of the stars. We were fortunate to be there on the night of a supermoon lunar eclipse or ‘blood moon’ earlier this year (there have been only five of these since 1900!), which was a spectacular scene in the context.
This brief escape is without a doubt something I would pack my bags for at the drop of a hat, again, and again.
For information about accommodation details, rates and availability, please visit the SANParks website.
