Cape Peninsula is One of South Africa’s Special Landscapes and Tourist Destinations
What is It - One of the most interesting places to see in South Africa is the Cape Peninsula. This mountainous land mass is located near Cape Town and extends south from there for about 30 miles to the Cape of Good Hope. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and False Bay to the east. Although technically not the southernmost point of the African continent, this area is an impressive natural wonder and historic landmark for South Africa.
The first reported visit of a European explorer to the Cape Peninsula took place in 1488 when Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal passed around it during a valiant effort to find a sea route to India. He reached Mossel Bay on South Africa’s coast before turning back. However, other ships sent by King John of Portugal, who named the windy point the “Cape of Good Hope”, continued to travel the route and established Portuguese settlements in key locations from India to East Asia. After the Dutch founded Cape Town in 1652, Dutch leader Simon van der Stal encouraged the small colony to develop other settlements south of the city including one at Simon’s Town. After the end of the Apartheid in 1994, the Cape Peninsula area emerged as a popular place to visit by Cape Town residents seeking a break from the city and the growing number of curious travelers to South Africa.
The Cape Peninsula today remains full of natural wonders and beautiful scenery but is relatively unpopulated compared to other sections of the Western Cape. The geography of the region includes cliffs and coves along both the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay shores of the peninsula, arid regions in the center of the peninsula, and mountains that are considered part of the Table Mountain National Park. Taking a guided trip to this region with Cape Town Tour Guides profiled in The Traveling American is highly recommended to explore the natural wonders and special sites of this area.
Places to See When Visiting the Cape Peninsula
A day trip to this special peninsula is a rewarding experience that should be included on any visit to Cape Town. Some of the most picturesque sites along the peninsula and interesting communities to visit include the following:
Hout Bay - The first major suburb that you encounter after leaving metropolitan Cape Town is the town of Hout Bay. Green valleys and horse farms on the outskirts of town give way to a harbor area with local fisherman and pleasure boaters. Hard working people employed in the fishing, mining, and timber industries established communities along the shore of Hout Bay in the early part of the 20th century. They now share its beauty with weekenders and tourists seeking to walk the beaches, take boat tours, or enjoy the superb sailing and watersports available there. The trendy location offers forty restaurants, antique stores and art shops, weekend markets with stalls, and ample accommodations for visitors.
Chapman Peak Drive- The M6 highway after Hout Bay turns into a beautiful road called the Chapman Peak Drive which is known for its spectacular views and considered to be one of the most scenic roads in the world. This engineering marvel is cut into the cliff walls of the Atlantic Seaboard and runs along the mountain for 5.5 miles before turning inland above Noordhoek Beach. First constructed by manual labor after World War I, the narrow road surface is embedded in 540-million-year-old Cape Granite, cut into cliffs made of ancient sandstone and mudstone, and supported by columns in some locations. Closed because of dangerous conditions during the late 1990s, the route was reopened as a toll road in 2003 with rock fall protection measures and traffic management systems after being rebuilt by a private-public partnership. The revitalized roadway has several places to pull over and take in the views of the water and surrounding land.
Cape Point – All visits to the Peninsula travel to the Cape Point promontory which is a rocky, stark, and windy platform looking out on the Atlantic Ocean. People arriving at the site start at a visitors’ center that includes a gift shop, restroom facilities, and a small café. Next door is an office to purchase tickets for the Flying Dutchman funicular which takes you up to the site of the original lighthouse almost 800 feet above the water. From platforms and trails there, you can look out on the water, search for the hidden rocks under the waves that have claimed many ships over the years, and walk down to the new lighthouse.
For those seeking to avoid the funicular lines or get some brisk exercise, an alternative is to use a path with steps and switchbacks to reach the promontory. Other places to see near the point include Platboom Beach which has soft sand and a rugged beauty, and the Cape of Good Hope sign located below the promontory on a separate road where people take turns to pose for pictures. There is something both exhilarating and desolate about these places which are the last pieces of land for 3000 miles before you reach Antarctica.
Simon’s Town- Simon’s Town is one of the most visited places on a trip to Cape Point. The British East India Company and later the British Navy based ships and sailors there and in other sheltered harbors nearby on False Bay. The town’s character and its buildings reflect that maritime tradition and also feature some interesting Victorian architecture. In addition to the protected penguins’ colony at Boulder’s Beach, many people enjoy taking whale watching trips or swimming in the considerably warmer water of the False Bay when visiting Simon’s Town.
Other False Bay Locations- Driving north on the M4 roadway along the shore of False Bay on the way back to Cape Town, there are several other communities worth looking at. Fish Hoek is full of beach clubs, marinas and cafes and is a pleasant place to walk along the sea path to view the activities of the boating community. A few miles later you enter Kalk Bay where fishing boats dock and sell their catches directly to customers and to the seafood restaurants along the shore. Finally, Muizenberg has a wide sandy beach and has evolved over the decades from a wealthy beach community into a center for surfing and other watersports.
When to Go Here- The winter months of June to August can be cool, rainy and windy on the peninsula and the waters are cold on both the Atlantic and False Bay sides. The most crowded times of the year to visit the Cape are during South Africa’s summer and vacation months from December to February. During these days, the weather can be hot on the inland sections of the peninsula, the False Bay beaches are crowded, and both boaters and tourists are on the roads. For these reasons, late spring days in October and early autumn days in March are ideal times to take in the sites and engage in outdoor activities like biking and hiking.