Cape Town is known for its beaches, mountains, and breath-taking landscape. So, today, we woke up early to head to Kirstenbosch Garden for an eco-focused adventure. This was the first of several wildlife visits we have planned during our travels. It was an interesting contrast to the history and cultural focused work we have been concentrating on so far.

As we set off for Kirstenbosch, the sky broke wide open and we were battling the ‘rainy day blues’ for most of the morning. Due to the rain, we were not able to film the outdoors as scheduled. We were able to meet with, Sally Hey, a Senior Environmental Education Officer and a former teacher. Sally told Christopher about the garden in such a captivating way that by the end of their discussion, I was really excited by the prospect of returning as soon as the rain let up.

Good luck is often on our side and the sun came out in full force by mid-afternoon. Map in hand, I was able to wander solo in the garden, which provided me with some much-needed time to commune with nature. I, luckily, discovered the ‘macro’ function on my digital camera which I used to capture many up-close pictures of the various types of fynbos. I was able to take some stunning photos of many of the flowers.

I spent a couple of hours walking amongst the indigenous plants and tried to keep perfectly still as the occasional bee buzzed past my ear. It was particularly fun to try and identify some of the plants and flowers Sally told us about. She was very descriptive so picking out the Ericas and Proteas was simple as could be. (Well, I did have a map helping me find the location as well.)

Our next stop was Boulders Beach, in False Bay. Visitors flock to Boulders Beach to check out the almost 3,000 African (or Jackass) penguins that reside there. Now, before the snickering begins, they are called Jackass penguins because their call resembles the bray of a donkey.

These endangered, flightless birds waddle all over the beach, popping in and out of the water. They also have these little dens that they make on land that look like tiny sand igloos.

To me, it was very strange to see penguins in warm weather, but there they were, as cute as can be. A very amusing afternoon for this ProjectExplorer!

Learn about and tour Kirstenbosch Garden	Watch the penguins at Boulders Beach	Penguin photos and facts

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