If you’re in Cape Town and you want to unwind on a lazy Sunday afternoon, get behind the wheel and drive to the amazing Cape Point. The road trip will exceed all your expectations. Packed with diverse ocean views, dramatic landscapes and beautiful sceneries, Cape Point is the perfect place to be if you want to relax while in Cape Town. As a matter of fact, the whole False Bay is famous for its fishing villages, wealth of activities and quaint towns.
Cape Point by as Leenders
This beautiful land is not just hidden amid superb mountains; Cape Point’s eastern and western coasts each have their own nature. Avid travelers will be mesmerized by the sights, the people and the alluring customs and traditions.
A trip to Cape Point’s countryside
Start your adventure with Chapman’s Peak Drive, a rocky place that will amaze you with its magnificent scenery. The route begins from Hout Bay and it stretches all the way to Cape Point’s western coast. From the top, the view is unreal; you can see the route curling around the beautiful undulations overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This area is known for its avalanche history, and if you look up the mountain you can see that the road was secured from potential rock falls.
As for the ocean views, these are magnificent. If you happen to travel to Cape Point between June and November you might get a glimpse of the Southern Right Whale, which tends to make an appearance during this time of the year close to the shore. If you’re looking for an easier path to Cape Point, follow the OuKaapseWeg route. As some point, you’ll reach Noordhoek, a charming little village hidden in the road’s many nooks. Stop by the art & craft shops, enjoy a traditional lunch at a local café and just enjoy the incredible surroundings.
To get to Noordhoek Beach, follow the main road. The coastline is known to be the longest in Cape Point; it stretches all the way to Kommetje, a silent holiday town with plenty of comfortable Cape Town villas.
Cape Point by Nicolas Raymond
Let the adventure begin!
Drive left from Noordhoek Beach until you reach the M3 highway, close to Pollsmoor Prison. Here, you can either go on Boyes Drive or take the main road to get to the beaches and towns located on Cape Point’s eastern coast. On the main road, you’ll have the chance to admire Muizenberg and its notoriously famous Sunrise Beach. There will be lots of small towns along both sided of the coast, so you might want to spare a couple of hours to check the unique attractions.
Start with Kalk Bay, Cape Town’s trendiest fisherman towns. It features lots of antique stores, bakeries, bookshops and ice cream shops worth exploring. Stop by the harbor and hop on a boat adventure to see traditional fishermen in full action. Keep driving south and you’ll come across Simonstown, a historic place home to Africa’s first explorer, Simon van der Stel. The town is also a main base for the South African navy, and if you’re in luck you might even see a couple of ships anchored in the dock.
African penguin© Uryadnikov Sergey
There will be plenty of hotels and stores on the main road; some are renovated cottages initially built in the Victorian period. As you pass through Simontown, spare another couple of minutes by the waterfront to admire the variety of anchored boats. Park your car and stroll down the wooden path; you’ll stumble upon a massive whale sculpture on your way until finally, you’ll arrive at an interesting African mall with all sorts of arts and crafts.
Make Boulders Beach (above) your final stop in Cape Point. This nature reserve is famous for nesting the famous African penguin. On one side of the beach you’ll see people bathing in the ocean, and on the other the penguins will probably be waddling around in the sand. It’s definitely a place worth seeing especially since the penguins are quite friendly with the tourists.
Cape Town has a lot of great things to offer to its fellow travelers. Starting from the most amazing landscapes to the friendliest people, this beautiful land is a driving adventure you can’t miss out on.