Overview
#Simon's Town Simon's Town, 40 km from Cape Town, is home to the headquarters of the South African Navy. It features a medium sized harbour and at times a number of warships. The town has a collection of small museums, a couple of shops, some very nice restaurants and various accommodation options. The biggest draw card for tourists is the town's close proximity to both the Boulders Penguin Colony and The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.
History: The erstwhile Dutch Governor Simon van der Stel, named this town after himself. It was established in 1687 as a winter anchorage harbour for the Dutch East Indian Company. In 1776 Lord Nelson, then a midshipman, passed through the harbour homeward bound from the East.
In 1795 the British occupied the Dutch Cape by sailing into the very same harbour. The first British adventure in the Cape ended in 1803 but they returned in 1806 to once more occupy the Cape. A hundred and fifty years of Dutch colonialism at the southern tip of Africa came to an end, to be replaced by 150 years of British colonialism. Simon's Town remained a British base until 1957, when it was handed over to the Union of South Africa.
Tours that visit Simon's Town
Things to see
Attraction
Boulders Beach Penguin Colony
##Boulders Beach Penguin Colony A colony of approx. 3000 African Penguins reside just outside Simon's Town at Boulders Beach. Even though it is a residential area the thriving colony was born when two wild breeding pairs started breeding there in 1982, Boulders Penguin Colony is one of the popular stops for tourists on the Cape Peninsula Tour.
3 tours visit here
Game or nature reserve
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
##Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is the southern section of the Cape Peninsula, and includes three promontories at its southern most point called Cape Point, Cape Maclear and the Cape of Good Hope. The Reserve encompasses 7 750 hectares of rich and varied flora and fauna.
4 tours visit here
Attraction
Cape Peninsula
##Cape Peninsula Cape Town is situated on the Cape Peninsula. In 1580, Sir Francis Drake described the Cape Peninsula as "The most stately thing and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth". A visit to Cape Town should always include a day tour of the Cape Peninsula.
2 tours visit here
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