Life on the edge: 10 extraordinary adventures to the extremes of the globe
Perhaps
it is the feeling of being at the edge of the world, or the way the waves pound
the obstruction in their path, but there is something about a cape - a landmass
surrounded by water – that inspires wanderlust. And the earth is littered with
these confined areas, which may be rewarding in and of themselves. Nonetheless,
despite their apocalyptic appearance, the majority may be viewed via leisurely
itineraries that give extensive stretches of countryside, such as road
vacations or cruises, as these options demonstrate.
1. Cape Horn, Chile
Few locations on the earth are as cloaked in mystery as the Chilean curtain call. Contrary to popular belief, Cape Horn is an island, rolling the credits on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, which constitutes the shattered foot of South America. Cape Horn is the southernmost statement made by any continent other than Antarctica, at 55 degrees south. Despite this, it is reachable. Australis provides an eight-night cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina, recreating the path travelled by Charles Darwin's HMS Beagle via the remote Fuegian Archipelago and landing at the Cape. Prices start at $2,592 per person, cruise alone.
2. Cape Agulhas, South Africa
South Africa can make the rare claim of being host to
two celebrated capes within a close proximity to each other The Cape of Good
Hope is, of course, the tip of the dagger hanging from the belt of Cape Town.
The Cape Peninsula extends southward for 32 miles, passing past Fish Hoek and
Simon's Town, with whales visible in False Bay and Diaz Beach waiting at the
end. However, contrary to popular belief, the Cape of Good Hope is neither the
southernmost point of Africa nor the spot where massive bodies of water
converge. This is Cape Agulhas, located 120 miles south-east of the city, where
a sign on the shore indicates that the Atlantic and Indian seas meet. The
11-night South Africa: The Cape, Garden Route & Safari private vacation
offered by Cox & Kings provides adequate time to explore both capes. From
$2,445 per person, including airfare and transportation.
3. Nordkapp, Norway
A cape
may gaze both above and below. At 71 degrees north, the North Cape (Nordkapp)
protrudes into the Barents Sea, pushing mainland Norway to a close by a
precipitous cliff. It is promoted as Europe's northernmost location, however
there are limitations. First, Knivskjellodden Point, which lies straight west,
recedes one mile to the north.
The second is that both of these competitors for the title are located on Mayeroya, an island that is accessible by road. This leaves Cape Nordkinn, 43 miles west of the town of Mehamn, as the highest point in mainland Norway.
4. Cape Fear, United States
Cape Fear, immortalised as the title of two terrifying films, is a really real phenomenon. It is a portion of the North Carolina coastline that protrudes into the Atlantic Ocean among the violent currents of Frying Pan Shoals (hence the name, coined by British explorer Sir Richard Grenville, who almost met his death here in 1585). But despite its reputation, it and Bald Head Island, where it is located, are places of beauty and tranquilly.
5. Cape Flattery, United States
Some 3,200 miles away on the opposite coast, the contiguous America comes to a north-westerly corner amid the fir trees of Washington state, the Pacific bashing the land on one side, the Strait of Juan de Fuca a dividing channel above, the colossal Canadian outcrop of Vancouver Island visible across its flow. Oddly, Cape Flattery was named by a Briton – Captain James Cook, who approached the strait on March 22 1778.
6. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas is the celebrated tip
of the 775-mile Baja California peninsula, which juts down from the United
States' midsection right below the border. It is surrounded by the Pacific
Ocean to the west and the Gulf of California to the east.
7. Cape Otway, Australia
Not a sharp needle of a landmark, but rather a wave on
Australia's southern coast, Cape Otway is still a significant part of one of
the world's greatest travel journeys. The Great Ocean Road extends for
approximately 151 miles along the lowest boundary of the state of Victoria,
passing the limestone shards of the Twelve Apostles along the way.
Cook was also responsible for the naming of the craggy protrusion that constitutes the northernmost tip of the Australian peninsula, although there is much more drama to this lonesome finale to a continent than a tenuous tie to a Duke of York from the 18th century (a brother of George III). It extends a bony finger into the Coral Sea, crowning the 410-mile Cape York Peninsula in upper Queensland. A journey across savannah and rainforest, the majority of which is protected by Jardine River National Park, is required to discover it.
9. Cap de Formentor, Majorca
The natural beauty of the largest Balearic island is not generally acknowledged. However, the Serra de Tramuntana is one of Spain's most attractive mountain ranges, and Cap de Formentor, Mallorca's most north-eastern point, teases the Mediterranean with its cliffs and lonely grandeur. It is accessible by a nerve-wracking nine-mile journey from Port de Pollenca, down a switchback masterpiece of a road with vertiginous dips on each side, requiring you to maintain your concentration.
10. Capo d’Otranto, Italy
Italy's
easternmost point, also known as Cape Palascia, clings to a less travelled
route - the jagged side of southern Puglia. Capo d'Otranto is a version of
Italy far from the throngs of Rome and Venice; it is a rocky elbow where the
Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea, with a lighthouse built in 1867 monitoring
the dialogue. This is not an unattractive location.
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