Bum’s the Word

The Baboons!

By Dave Rattle – Kommetjie, Cape Town.

We have two guest cottages in Kommetjie – where the baboons are. The baboons are always getting a bad press but, as long as there’s no food around, they are the most delightful and gentle creatures. I always recommend a walk with the Cape Peninsula baboons to all our guests who stay at Longbeach Lodge (www.longbeachlodge.co.za) and Glen Cottage (www.glencottage.co.za) – it’s an experience second only to seeing the mountain gorillas!!

And whenever we talk about baboons my brother-in-law always brings up an incident that happened to us last year with a chuckle - for him, apparently, it’s high humour! We were walking along the coastline just past Simon’s Town. When we got back to the bakkie there was a small troop of baboons sitting beside it playing and grooming and there was also a very large male - sitting right on top of the canopy. To access the vehicle we obviously had to do something … Continued

Time Out in Kommetjie

Kommetjie

Separated from neighbouring towns by mountains and cliffs, the coastal town of Kommetjie offers its visitors a sense of undisturbed natural beauty and peaceful isolation. Situated between rural Noordhoek and the seaside town of Scarborough, the wilderness and foliage of the mountains preserved, and the stark contrast of the ocean, Kommetjie is a secret haven of rustic beauty.

Crowding the waves on a good day, surfers from all over the world come to Kommetjie, which is regarded as having the best surf in the south peninsula. The ocean is also a playground for snorkeling, crayfish diving, scuba diving and fishing, with a reef providing a rich bounty of sea life (see Things to Do in Kommetjie). Continued