Life on the edge: 10 incredible journeys to the ends of the Earth
Maybe it is the air of outer limits, maybe the way waves pound the obstacle in their path, but there is something about a cape – a last gasp of land, framed by sea – that sparks wanderlust. And the planet is dotted with these hemmed-in places, sightings of which can be rewards in their own right. Yet despite their end-of-it-all aesthetic, most can be seen via relaxed journeys that provide long miles of scenery, either on road trips or from the decks of cruise ships, as these suggestions prove.
1. Cape Horn, Chile
Few parts of this planet come shrouded in mystique quite like Chile’s spray-lashed curtain call. Cape Horn is many things – the southernmost statement made by any continent aside from Antarctica, troubling the compass at 55 degrees south; the oceanic junction where the Atlantic and Pacific wrestle each other; contrary to perception, an island – rolling the credits on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, which forms the fractured foot of South America. For all this, it can be reached. Cruise specialist Australis (0034 93 497 0484; australis.com) offers an eight-night voyage from Ushuaia in Argentina, calling at the Cape and retracing the route taken by Charles Darwin aboard HMS Beagle through the secluded Fuegian Archipelago. Prices from US$2,592 a head – cruise only.
2. Cape Agulhas, South Africa
South Africa can make the rare claim of being host to two celebrated capes within a short distance of each other. The Cape of Good Hope is, of course, the point to the dagger that hangs from Cape Town’s belt. The Cape Peninsula forges south for 32 miles, fine terrain for a drive through seaside enclaves Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town, whales visible in False Bay, Diaz Beach waiting at the end. But though often seen as such, the Cape of Good Hope is neither Africa’s southern endgame nor the place where vast waters collide. That is Cape Agulhas, 120 miles south east of the city, where a marker by the beach says that, here, the Atlantic and Indian oceans lock antlers. Cox & Kings (020 3733 1513; coxandkings.co.uk) offers an 11-night South Africa: The Cape, Garden Route & Safari private tour, which allows ample time to visit both capes. From ￡2,445 a head, with flights and car.
3. Nordkapp, Norway
A cape can stare up as well as downwards. The North Cape (Nordkapp) juts into the Barents Sea at 71 degrees north, drawing continental Norway to a close via a sheer cliff. It is touted as Europe’s northernmost spot – with caveats. The first is that Knivskjellodden Point, due west, ebbs a mile farther north.
The second is that both these contenders to the crown are on Mayeroya, which, though accessible by road, is actually an island. This leaves Cape Nordkinn, 43 miles to the west, by the village of Mehamn, as the top notch on mainland Norwegian soil. Confusing? Maybe. But the trio certainly make for an incomparable tour, via the 15-day Above The Arctic Circle fly-drive sold by Discover The World (01737 900 614; discover-the-world.co.uk), which traces the roof of Scandinavia. The cost is from ￡2,082 per person – with flights.
4. Cape Fear, United States
Written into the cinematic lexicon as the title of two chilling movies, Cape Fear is very much real. A section of the North Carolina shore, it bulges into the Atlantic amid the vicious currents of Frying Pan Shoals (hence the name, coined by British explorer Sir Richard Grenville, who almost met his death here in 1585). But for all its image, it – and Bald Head Island, on which it sits – is a place of beauty and tranquillity. America As You Like It (020 8742 8299; americaasyoulikeit.com) sells a 14-night The Carolina's and Georgia's Finest self-drive tour that spends one night at Cape Fear, from ￡1,009 a head, with flights, car hire and accommodation.
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. See the Cape on a 15-day Northwest Explorer road trip with North America Travel Service (020 7499 7299; northamericatravelservice.co.uk). From ￡2,835 a head, including flights, car and hotels.
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6. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Mexico makes its own perfect point in Cabo San Lucas – the feted tip of the 775-mile Baja California peninsula, which drifts down from the torso of the US, just below the border – cocooned by the Pacific to the west and the Gulf of California to the east. Renowned as a haven for beach breaks glitzy enough to drag the shiniest stars of Hollywood away from Los Angeles, Cabo caters to sun worshippers, scuba divers and whale watchers. Elegant Resorts (01244 897 221; elegantresorts.co.uk) delivers seven-night escapes to the five-star Las Ventanas al Paraiso resort, at nearby San Jose del Cabo – from ￡2,835 a head, including breakfast (flights extra).
7. Cape Otway, Australia
Not a sharp needle of a landmark, more a swell on Australia’s south coast, Cape Otway is none the less a key episode in one of the great travel adventures. It is roughly the mid-moment of the Great Ocean Road, which runs for 151 miles along the lower edge of the state of Victoria, passing the limestone shards of the Twelve Apostles en route. Much of Cape Otway, 140 miles south west of Melbourne, is protected as Great Otway National Park. The Ultimate Travel Company (020 3131 7323; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) offers an eight-day Great Ocean Road Self-Drive. From ￡1,190 a head with car and hotels (no flights).
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8. Cape York, Australia
James Cook was also behind the name of the rugged protrusion that forms the northernmost point of the Australian mainland – although there is far more drama to this lonely conclusion to a continent than a loose connection to an 18th-century Duke of York (a brother of George III). Crowning the 410-mile Cape York Peninsula of upper Queensland, it thrusts a bony finger into the Coral Sea. A trek to find it takes you into an Australia far beyond Bondi Beach – an odyssey in savannah and rainforest, much of it enshrined as Jardine River National Park. It features on the 11-day Cooktown and Cape York guided four-wheel-drive tour run by APT (0800 012 6683; aptouring.co.uk) – from ￡5,295 a head, including flights, half-board accommodation.
9. Cap de Formentor, Majorca
The biggest Balearic island is not always appreciated for its raw geography. But the Serra de Tramuntana is one of Spain’s most photogenic mountain ranges – and Cap de Formentor, Mallorca’s north-easternmost hurrah, is a spur of land that taunts the Mediterranean via its cliffs and remote majesty. It can be reached via a nervy nine-mile drive from Port de Pollenca – along a switchback masterpiece of a road, where dizzying drops on either side demand you keep your focus. But the reward is the view – of the sunrise if you are early, and of Menorca anyway if you are not. Pepi Villa, near Pollenca, sleeps four – and costs from ￡947 in total for a seven-night stay (villa only) via Mallorca Farmhouses (0800 121 8992; mallorca.co.uk).
10. Capo d’Otranto, Italy
Also known as Cape Palascia, Italy’s easternmost extremity clings to a route less driven – the ragged flank of southerly Puglia. Capo d’Otranto is a version of the country removed from the crowds of Rome and Venice – a rocky elbow where the Adriatic Sea greets its Ionian counterpart, a pale 1867 lighthouse monitoring this conversation. This is not a region without appeal. The little town of Otranto, due north, is a walled medieval gem; Santa Cesarea Terme, immediately south, is a lovely seaside resort with thermal baths. Stay at Don Totu Dimora Storica, an 18th-century palazzo a few miles to the west.
