Let me share with you some of my photos taken of the caves I have encountered on recent hikes along the cliffs and shoreline of the southernmost coast of Africa. The first one seen in the photo shows a sea cave that is basically inaccessible. The waves are usually too rough to swim across from the land to the cave and even launching a boat of some sort is impossible. That’s because you have to climb down some really steep cliffs to even get to this point at the shore line. There is no way way of getting to this cave without considerable risk. So I admire it from a distance for now.
Fortunately there is a stunning rock pool for swimming in, just at the water’s edge. Despite the raging waves crashing around it, it remains calm and inviting because it’s situated at a slightly higher level than the surrounding ocean swell. Only at really high tides do the waves crash up over the rocks and into the pool itself. On a hot day I love to climb down to this pool and swim about in what feels like a natural sea bath.
With no sand to be seen anywhere along this particular stretch of the shoreline, unless you look underwater to the sea bed, the jagged rocky landscape makes it difficult to enter the sea except in a few specific places where a tidal pool has developed. So these pools become real treats when you do actually encounter them. It also depends on the tides whether one can access some of these pools or not. The scene is constantly shifting with the phase of the moon and the position of the tide on the day.
Another awesome cave, and perhaps the biggest I have encountered on my hikes so far, is more easily accessible. It’s located in the hillside itself, just a bit higher up from the waterline, although still on the rocky beach. I have been to check it out on a few occasions and it looks totally habitable. For example it is possible to light a nice fire under the shelter of the rocky cave ceiling, as well as camp out there and sleep inside the cave for shelter at night if you wish.
Add to that the fact that in the rainy season I have actually come across running water in this cave. It drips from the rooftop, right out of the rock, or runs down the walls into little puddles, where it can be collected. I don’t know how safe it is to drink, though with boiling I’m sure the water would be fine. Generally the water is all run off from the rain which disappears into the earth only to reappear right here at the shore line. Having travelled through the earth, it is probably filtered and purified, but one could boil it just to be safe.
My phone camera struggled to take good photos due to the extreme light and dark contrasts in this cave scene, but you can get the general idea of the setting. In real life it looks much more fascinating because the eye picks up the whole scene and is not affected by the light as much. The floor of the this cave is covered with lush green little plant life as ground cover. It makes the cave appear very luscious.
With only rock covering the entire surface of the landscape and beach here, it is a bit hard and uneven generally, so a mattress of some sort would be preferable. However, with a bit of effort one could probably rearrange the floor space to make it more comfortable if you were to spend the night camping out. Generally there is also fire wood around and it would be easy to live here with just a little pot to cook your foodstuffs and a fire lighter to get the flame going.
Very few people come here, other than the occasional fisherman from the village up above on the cliff tops nearby. So it’s quite remote and desolate but not really too far from civilization. You just need to be really fit and agile to access this particular part of the coastline itself. It requires some climbing down and back up the cliffs, although I’ve seen one local fisherman and his little son bounce down in a matter of minutes, followed by their dog. I learn a lot from these rare encounters with locals, like where there are easier paths to make my way down the cliffs to the sea.
Having been born and raised at the coast, I really feel at home here and actually love exploring the remote and empty rocky shoreline at my leisure. It feels clean and fresh, really facilitating good health overall. If you get a chance to visit the south coast of Africa then be sure to look me up and I will take you exploring along these shores, specifically in this region called the “Garden Route” with its natural beauty.
(photos my own)
Remote areas like this are hidden gems, learning to go up and down like a rock rabbit becomes second nature when living in these conditions.
Enjoyed seeing the caves and arches, rock pools and surroundings close to you.
!BEER
Hey there many thanks Joan, yes I have a treasure of a place here on the Cape south coast. Wishing you well during this market bullish cycle.
Following ones dreams as to where settling down, bringing us closer to nature and balance is of greater importance to anything tangible in life. Yet we need currency in some form to exist.
Yes the balance is important. We are so fortunate to have the landscape of South Africa plus the ecosystem of cryptocurrency. It's a perfect combination of feet on the ground while reaching for the moon.
You are ideally situated finding both, suburbia not so much, reach for the moon and love what you have.
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