Agulhas National Park, National park in Western Cape, South Africa
Agulhas National Park stretches across the Agulhas Plain from Gansbaai to Struisbaai, covering 20,959 hectares around Cape Agulhas, Africa's southern tip. The land is low, scrubby fynbos in dry tan and pale green, crossed by a pale unpaved track; dark rocks line the shore where the land meets the ocean.
The park was founded in 1998 to protect one of South Africa's last remaining undisturbed coastal landscapes. The region served as a critical sea route for traders traveling between Europe and Asia for centuries.
Wrecks such as the De Zoetendal, HMS Birkenhead and HMS Arniston lie on the rocks near Cape Agulhas. Relics from some of these vessels are displayed in the Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum, where the coast's record of foundered ships is kept.
The park lies along the coastal plain between Gansbaai and Struisbaai, about 200 km south-east of Cape Town, with Cape Agulhas at its southern end. The climate is Mediterranean: average air temperature around 15 °C and 400–600 mm of rain a year, most of it falling between May and September. Bring weatherproof clothing, since coastal conditions change quickly.
The park's 2,000 plant species include about 100 endemics and 110 species on the red list of threatened plants. Offshore lies the Agulhas Bank, a rich fishing ground. The lighthouse near Cape Agulhas is South Africa's second-oldest and holds a small museum and tearoom.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,383 contributors worldwide.
