Chapman’s Peak Drive, winding south from Cape Town, is a popular coastal route in South Africa. Natural beauty is a strong draws to Cape Town and the Western Cape. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
South Africa is called the “Rainbow Nation” for its ethnic and racial mix of people, but the term was literal on a day of rainbows on the Overberg coast. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
A shark gets up close and personal during an excursion off the Overberg coast. (Alison Howard / For The Times)
Kommetjie, south of Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula, is famous for its long, sandy beach. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
The author’s mom, Diane, and her sister, Alison, stand at the southernmost tip of Africa, also the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
The inhabitants of the penguin preserve at Simonstown, south of Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula, face a setting sun. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
A sign posted at the penguin preserve at Simonstown asks drivers returning to their vehicles to please check underneath for penguins. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
The aptly named pincushion flower is one of the many indigenous fynbos plants that were in flower at Farm 215. (Alison Howard / For The Times)
Grapevines stretch into the distance at Hamilton Russell Vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley, near the whale-watching town of Hermanus. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
Babylonstoren, an old Cape Dutch farm, is now high-end lodging in Winelands, South Africa. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
Lemons are just one of the many fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in the extensive gardens at Babylonstoren. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
A succulent from “the cool tip of Africa” graces a table at the Black Oystercatcher Winery’s restaurant, in a new wine region of South Africa, the Elim district. (Kari Howard / Los Angeles Times)
