THE CAPE TOWN SAFARI開普敦野生動植物大觀

Leaping sharks, giant giraffes and all the sashimi you can catch – welcome to the Cape, Africa’s natural wonderland. By DAVID BRISTOW躍出水面的鯊魚、高大的長鹿頸 和以即捕鮮魚做的刺身，統統都在非洲的大自然樂園開普敦內找到。撰文：

THERE ARE A

few myths about Cape Town we need to debunk: that the 52-kilometre Cape Peninsula it sits on marks the tip of Africa (it doesn’t – that’s Cape Agulhas, southeast of the city), and that it’s where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet (also Cape Agulhas). But there’s one Cape Town truth that’s undeniable: its amazing natural landscapes. Case in point: Table Mountain is a huge block of sandstone soaring 1,086 metres high above the city, and every way you turn there it is. Here are a few more ways to tour the city’s natural bounty.

SMELL THE FYNBOS

‘Fynbos’ is the term for the scrubby indigenous vegetation that blankets the Unesco World Heritage area known as the Cape Floral Region, stretching from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, and as far as 200 kilometres inland. Table Mountain National Park resides in the fynbos and contains more flowering species than the whole of Britain. A good way to rub noses with the wilder side of the city is on a hike up the mountain – either up the exposed Platteklip Gorge, or on the more scenic Skeleton Gorge by starting in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. You could also run, ride a horse or mountain bike on the network of trails and bridle paths. tmnp.co.za

CAPE POINT

Cape Point sits at the tip of the Cape Peninsula, and is not the meeting place of two oceans but rather where the warm Agulhas and cold Benguela currents converge. With warm water on one side and icy cold on the other, the sea around the Cape Peninsula is one of the world’s marine biodiversity hotspots. Sub-Antarctic species on one side and subtropical on the other, just a kilometre or two apart in distance but half a hemisphere in terms of ecosystems. capepoint.co.za

FALSE BAY

This 30-kilometre-wide bay is a protected marine area and perhaps the least appreciated spectacle of the Cape. The mostly placid bay is home to surfers at beachy suburb Muizenberg and teems with hundreds of dolphins; at least seven species of shark, including the leaping great whites; four whale species; and too many birds to count. You can also go shark cage diving or whale watching: whichever rocks your boat. muizenberg.info/activities 首先，我們需要拆解幾個跟開普敦有關的迷思。很多人以為這座城市的所在地、全長52公里的Cape Peninsula半島位非於洲最南端，應其實 該是位於開普敦東南面的Cape Agulhas岬角才對。也有很多人以大為 西洋和印度洋在Cape Peninsula半島交匯，這也不對答，應案 該也是Cape Agulhas岬角。不過開普敦擁有壯麗的自然美，日 這倒是一點都沒有錯的。：例子 高1,086米的桌山，塊是一 巨型的沙，岩 聳立於中城 ，無論在城內任何地方，都可以望得到，成為當人外訪地 與 地 客指示方向的天然地標。開普敦有豐富的自然美日與動植物，令人目不暇給。

FYNBOS的氣香

「Fynbos」一詞指的是當地原生的灌木植帶物 ，這些植物在名列聯合國教科文組織世界遺產的Cape Floral Region植物保護區內生長。這個保護區由開普敦一直延伸至伊利沙伯港，同時向內陸伸展達200公里。桌山國家公園位於fynbos植物帶內，裡面的開花植物品種比個整 英國還要，多 這些植物散發怡人香氣。要探索開普敦的郊外風光，可以從草木稀疏的Platteklip Gorge峽谷登上桌山，或者沿風日更優美更多變化的Skeleton Gorge峽谷上山，從一望際無 的Ki rstenbosch Botanical Gardens植物園開始遊覽你。 也可沿著多道遠足徑或馳馬跑徑 步、騎或馬越野單車，享受植帶物 內的風日與香氣。tmnp.co.za

CAPE POINT 岬角

位於Cape Peninsula半島的尖端，雖不然是兩大洋交匯的地方，但卻是溫暖的阿古拉斯洋流與寒冷的本吉拉洋流匯合的地點。由於環繞Cape Peninsula半島的海水一半溫暖，一半冰冷，令這一帶成為全球其中一個海洋生物種類最繁富的地點。在地理上只是一、兩公里的距離，但一邊是生長於亞南極的海洋生物，另一邊則是亞熱帶的海洋生物，在態生 系統上的距離卻有半個地球之遙。capepoint.co.za

WEST COAST

What did Planet Earth look like five million years ago? An hour’s drive north to Langebaanweg will reveal all. At West Coast Fossil Park, you can see where extinct animals – including gigantic giraffe, giant hyenas, sabretooth cats, African bears and elephants with four tusks – lived, died and eventually became fossils. Close by is Langebaan, within the West Coast National Park, a wetland where migrating water birds such as curlew sandpipers gather to fatten up for the long journey home in summer. In winter (JulySeptember) the park becomes a celebrated wonderland of wild flowers. fossilpark.org.za

TAKE THE WATERS

We’re an outdoor kind of town and on any given day you’ll find us kayaking, swimming or surfing. The original Dutch name for the city was Kaapstad (literally ‘cape town’), but Joburg locals like to call it Slaapstad (‘sleepy town’). It’s true, we’ll do just about anything to avoid a hard day in the office. Sunbaked waveriders hang out at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg while the hotshot boarders prefer Noordhoek, Kommetjie or the big waves at Dungeons, Hout Bay, which are best in midwinter. kommetjie.org

CATCH YOUR OWN SASHIMI

Being a seaside town, at the small fishing harbours of Hout Bay and Kalk they throw your lunch from the boat virtually onto your plate. You can even catch your own by chartering a boat out to the big-game fishing grounds along the continental shelf off Cape Point. Prizes include many kinds of game fish including tuna. hookedonafrica.co.za 福爾斯灣

風平浪靜的福爾斯灣闊30公里，是受保護的海域，這裡的風日雖然甚少受到人們讚賞，可是位於海灣的Muizenberg區與沙灘相，連 因此區內聚集了不少前來滑浪的人；海灣內則有數以百計的海豚，以及最少七種同不 的鯊魚，包括躍會 出水面的大白鯊。此外還有四種鯨魚以及種類多不勝數的雀鳥。你可以用潛水籠在海裡觀賞鯊魚，或者在海上觀鯨前， 者驚險刺激後， 者觀壯 有趣，都是不可錯過的活動。muizenberg.info/activities

西岸區

500萬年前的地球是什麼樣子的？駕車往北走一小時，就可以在Langebaanweg鎮到找答案。在西岸化石公園，內 可以見到早絕已種動的 物包， 括巨型長頸鹿、巨型土狼、劍齒虎、非洲熊及有四隻長牙的古代大象等。這些動物曾經在這一帶生活死、，亡 最終成為化石。距化石公園遠不 處是位於岸西國家公園濕內的 地Langebaan，每到夏季，彎濱嘴 鷸等候鳥就會聚集在這片濕地上覓食，養精蓄銳，準備踏上漫長的回鄉之旅。到了冬季少79至）月，公園內的野花就會盛放，展現繽方的面貌。fossilpark.org.za

水上弄潮

開普敦是個熱愛戶外活動的城市，每天都有很多人在海裡划游艇、 泳或滑浪。開普敦原來的荷蘭名稱是Kaapstad，照字面的 意思就是「岬角之城」；不過約翰內斯堡人喜則 歡將這個城市稱為Slaapstad；即是「昏昏欲睡之城」。這倒是很貼切的稱呼，因為城裡的人總會想方設法，避免在辦室公 內過分忙碌。Muizenberg區內的Surfer’s Corner聚集了皮膚曬成古銅色的滑浪客至， 於喜歡賣弄技滑浪 術的人，愛則到Noordhoek或Kommetjie去；到了隆冬時分，也可以到Hout Bay灣的Dungeons海灘去追逐巨浪。kommetjie.org

活刺捉身

開普敦是位個 於海邊城的 市，在Hout Bay灣與Kalk等小漁港，漁夫可以將船上的漁獲直接放進你面前的碟子裡，讓你作當 午餐吃下肚。你甚至可以租船出海，到Cape Point岬角對開的大陸棚帶一 海面親自釣魚當午餐你， 可以釣到多種不同的大魚，包括吞拿魚。hookedonafrica.co.za