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A signpost directing the Southernmost Tip of Africa –

Top 10 Remarkable facts about Cape Agulhas

The Cape of Agulhas is famous for the sharp jagged rocks and reefs that have left many ships wrecked and seafarers lost. Name by the Portuguese, the name Agulhas means “needles”, a caution for other ships.
The Cape has so much to offer other than peril at sea, and here are 10 remarkable facts about the Cape Agulhas.

1. Cape Agulhas is in the southern part of Africa

Plaque in Afrikaan on Cape Agulhas. Photo by Sara & Joachim-

South Africa is known for its remoteness and is the southernmost country in Africa, Cape Agulhas is the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet acting as the official boundaries between the waters.

The remoteness of Cape Agulhas is understood also in the observations by early seafarers whose compass needles showed no magnetic deviation from the South Point.

According to the Portuguese, Cabo das Agulhas, or Cape L’ Agulhas wrecked many clipper ships en route between Europe and the Far East, Australia as well as New Zealand due to the naturally occurring strong winds, conflicting water currents, and shallow waters of the Agulhas Bank.

2. Cape Agulhas best Fishing Grounds in South Africa

Shark fishing at the Cape of L’ Agulhas. Photo by Jan Fleischmann –

Cape Agulhas a gradual curving coastline, as well as the shallow waters off the coast marked with rocky and sandy beaches, offer a great breeding area for fishing.

The South Easterly winds bring with their schools of Silver Cob, Blacktail, Zebra, Shad, Bronze Beam, and Belman. During high tide, one can catch Cob and Shad fish.

Further into the rocky bay, Sharks frequent the waters and anglers can have a go at their luck in catching Cow Sharks, Gully Spotted Sharks as well as Hound Sharks, when the tide is high or low during the early morning or late in the afternoon.

3. The Towns of Cape Agulhas

Photo of the towns of Cape L’ Agulhas. Photo by Joachim Huber-

Cape Agulhas lies on the Agulhas Plain of the Cape Overberg and has several towns that include: Arniston / Waenhuiskrans, Struisbaai, L’Agulhas, Napier, Bredasdorp, and Elim.

It is in this stretch of towns that L’ Agulhas national park is situated about 200 kilometers South East of Cape Town. The park offers flora and fauna that stretches from the coastal plain town of Struisbaaim and Gansbaai covering an area of 51,790 acres.

Although the park is considered small, it boasts 2000 native plant species and a wetland that offers a conducive environment for birds and amphibians.

4. Ship Wrecks and Treasures

Shipwreck of Meisho Maru no 38 in Cape Agulhas-

With the high rains on the cape this August, the sea is even more treacherous. The wreck of the Meisho Maru near Cape Agulhas is a reminder for the captain prowling the waters to be extra vigilant.

The Meisho Maru No. 38, a small Japanese fishing vessel in search of the bountiful fish harvest, succumbed to the wrath of the water on November 16, 1982, after a storm ran it to the ground.

The first shipwreck that is recorded at L’Agulhas was the Zoetendal in 1673 by the Portuguese.

5. Cape Agulhas nature trails 

Trails to walk and exercise near the Cape L’Agulhas. Photo by Joachim Huber

Those who are afraid of the water torrent and bountiful fish and shark-infested waters can test their endurance at the Struisbaai beach which is open 24 hours every day of the year. The Struisbaai holds the longest natural beach in the Southern Hemisphere. The beach is known for its pristine white sandy beaches that stretch to Arniston.

 6. the Lighthouse of Cape L’Agulhas

The Cape L’ Agulhas Lighthouse – 

It took 90 men to build the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, which is the second-oldest working lighthouse situated at the southern end of L’ Agulhas in South Africa. Designed by Col. Charles Cornwell Michell in homage to the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also called the Pharos of Alexandria.

The Pharos of Alexandria was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, one of the tallest man-made structures in the world then.
The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973 and it acts as a memory of the countless lives lost and a warning to passing ships of the impending danger that the Cape Agulhas holds.

7. Parrie and the stingrays of L’Alguhas

At the beach, you can find gems of a striving beach business and community in the business for generations. Through multi-colored boats bringing in freshly caught fish, the town gets a fresh supply of its share.

Stingrays are a close relative of the sharks which are a large group of cartilaginous fishes. Most of them live on the sea floor and cosmopolitan distribution preferring temperate and cold water marine environments.

The Struisbaai harbor situated at the Cape of L’ Alguhas has what the locals refer to as Parrie, a local stingray. You can spot Parrie, now a regular amongst other stingrays that come to feed, as he is the largest of them.

8. Cape Agulhas fine wine estates

The Agulhas Municipality comprises several towns, these including Elim which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also renowned as the wine-making region. The old-fashioned village of Elim boasts of a unique landscape that produces some fascinating tastes and one-of-a-kind flavors of wine.

The unique distinctive taste of the cape’s Sauvignon Blancs, the Shiraz, and Semillon varieties of this region are already acclaimed worldwide as strong and dominant yet slowed down due to the icy winds of the Atlantic Ocean and the warm weather from the Indian oceans.

9. Whale’s Watching and the route

The Whale’s watch Route begins from cape Town through Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay onto Gansbaai also known as the Great White Shark country thus continuing to Elim, Baardskeerdersbos, and the Cape Agulhas.
While at Cape Agulhas, the whales have time to feed the fish that breed at the creek, before continuing to the vast Atlantic ocean. It is at this period that people get to watch the whales without the crowds.

10. Agulhas National Park

Cape Agulhas Dune Fynbos –

The Agulhas National Park is situated on the Agulhas Plains. It is famous for the splendid lowland fynbos biodiversity of the Agulhas Plain. As part of the Agulhas National Park initiative, it aims to address the main threats to the global important fynbos biodiversity of the Agulhas plain as well as improve the local communities’ livelihoods.

Part of the other highlights of the Agulhas national park includes the “Cape of Storms” where more than 240 ships have been wrecked over time.

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