Agulhas National Park,
the place where two oceans meet

Agulhas National Park in South Africa, the place where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, is one of the many places on our planet that have fascinated explorers since times immemorial.

From ancient mariners to contemporary mankind, the quest has always been to reach the poles, sail around the tips of continents, conquer the highest peaks and dive to the ultimate depths.

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View from the Agulhas lighthouse at the southern tip of Africa

View from the Agulhas lighthouse at the southern tip of the African continent

General info,...

It was this spirit that made the explorers of yesteryear take up the challenge to conquest one of the most arduous sea crossings of their time, the Atlantic-Indian Ocean crossing around the tip of Africa. As the southern-most tip of Africa, it has always had an aura of mystery and adventure about it and it still captures the imagination of the explorers of today.

The southern tip of Africa lies in the Park. It is in fact the legendary "Cape of Storms" which wrecked many ships en route to the east. The ancient people that inhabited the region thousands of years ago, also left their mark on the landscape.

Archaeological discoveries show us the remains of a successful hunter-gathering culture that was in harmony with its natural environment; and a cultural heritage that dates back thousands of years to when the Khoi people trapped fish using ingeniously constructed tidal traps.

The town of L’Agulhas at the southern tip of Africa
In the late 1400s Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to round the southern tip of Africa. They found that at that particular point the needles of their compasses were not affected by magnetic deviation, the direction of magnetic north coinciding with true north, bearing directly upon the true poles of the earth. Hence the name Cape Agulhas, derived from the Portuguese "Cabo das Agulhas", which means "Cape of Needles".

The National Park area has a plant diversity and species richness equalling those of tropical forests, makes the Park a jewel in its own right. The floral diversity includes some 2 000 species of indigenous plants including 100 that are endemic to the area and over 110 Red Data species. The Park is also home to a variety of wetlands, the endangered Cape Platanna and the Micro Frog.

View from the east towards the lighthouse at the southern tip of Africa
copyright © South African tourism
It is also houses a very important component of the famous Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest and richest of the world's six plant kingdoms, unique to South Africa. Rare coastal birds such as the African black oystercatcher find the windy coastline and nearby islands ideal for breeding and the unique limestone fynbos prospers on the 450mm annual rainfall.

Not many terrestrial mammals occur, but the Cape Grysbok is something to look out for in the coastal "fynbos". In the Ocean one can look out for Cape Fur Seals and a variety of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. The Southern Right Whales come to the bays to breed from August to November.

A simple cairn with a plaque indicates the exact spot of the southern tip of Africa at 20 degrees east, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet
copyright © South African tourism
Cape Agulhas is in the southern part of a plain which after an interruption of a mall range of hills, gradually drops below the surface of the sea. Here it becomes a vast and shallow Bank, the most extensive part of Southern Africa’s continental shelf.

The shallow waters of the 250km wide bank, warmed by the westward flowing Mozambique current, are among the southern hemisphere's richest fishing grounds, sustaining huge numbers of sole, kabeljou (cob) and other bottom dwellers.

View from the west towards the lighthouse at the southern tip of Africa
copyright © South African tourism
This windswept, ruggedly beautiful coastal plain with its rich cultural and natural heritage at the most s outhern tip of Africa, often referred to as the Agulhas Plain, has recently been proclaimed as the Agulhas National Park.