In our series, VillageLIFE, Janet-Lynn Vorster introduces us to the southern Cape Province of South Africa. In Part 1, we visit the Cape Peninsula – Gateway to the West Coast (see below) and then journey up the West Coast from Bloubergstrand to Yzerfontein. In Part 2 we explore the West Coast Peninsula and the Cederberg West Coast. Enjoy South Africa!
Why travel to the Cape Peninsula?
- The low-down: Exploring South Africa is one of those must do’s on everybody’s bucket list – for a good reason. It is a fascinating country. The world in one!
- The brightest highlight: Whatever you like, you likely will find it in South Africa. Beaches, mountains, wildlife, tribal life, great food and wine, wineries, deserts, skiing, wilderness, jungles, exotic birds, hiking, camping, and the list goes on and on.
- Intrepid destination: South Africa has many areas that are not touristy at all and some areas you may not see anybody, or at least no tourists, for days on end.
- Globerovers score (10 is highest): South Africa a “world in one” so you can almost see the features of our entire planet in one country. While crime is a problem, just be careful like anywhere else. Any season is a great season to visit this amazing country. I’ll score it a full 10/10.
Written by Janet-Lynn Vorster
Photos by GlobeRovers
Table of Contents
About South Africa’s Cape Peninsula
Table Mountain is a highly visible and well-recognised landmark internationally. It is as spectacular as any other world-renowned landmark. If you don’t recognize it at a glance, your travels and general knowledge of the world are sadly lacking.
The Cape Peninsula, which stretches from Gordon’s Bay to Blouberg Strand, is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. It lies at the southwestern tip of Africa, not quite as far south as Cape Agulhas where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet though.
Cape Town took the top honours as the number one food city in the world in the Condé Nast’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
The Cape Peninsula, incorporating Cape Town, is flanked by the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean. This current wells up, bringing cold, mineral-rich water from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, which surfaces along the west coast of Southern Africa and then flows northwards.
It is difficult to explain to people who have not experienced this city, how one can drive for hours within Cape Town, a small city by world standards, and have at least 30 different beaches to visit, a national park, and many mountains to climb. This is due to the irregular coastline that juts out into the Atlantic. These jutting out areas, known as the peninsula, include Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Both lie side by side at the tip of the peninsula.
Majestic Table Mountain
Table Mountain National Park encompasses a vast part of the peninsula, 221 km² in total. It was proclaimed on 29 May 1998, to protect the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, particularly the rare fynbos vegetation.
Few people know there are five dams on Table Mountain and billions of cubic metres of fresh, drinkable and crystal-clear water in natural aquifers below it. You must take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. If the cableway is closed due to wind, rain or poor visibility, just reschedule.
You will never forgive yourself for coming to Cape Town and not going up the cableway. Never! The views from up there are spectacular!
To experience the glory of this mountain there are hikes you can book with guides, depending on how fit you are. Hiking or mountain biking into the mountains covered in indigenous forest and fynbos is a favourite pastime of Capetonians.
The laid-back surfing community, comprising body boarders, surfers, kite boarders, windsurfers and stand up paddle boarders, is in stark contrast to the executive and international business conducted in Cape Town. It is an active, vibey yet relaxed city.
False Bay and Table Bay
To the east of the peninsula lies False Bay. This is the bay protected by Cape Point to the west, and to the east it extends as far as Pringle Bay in the Overberg region. Harbours in False bay include the Simonstown Naval Base, Kalk Bay Harbour, and Gordons Bay Harbour.
To the west of the peninsula lies Table Bay, stretching from the Cape of Good Hope to just beyond Blouberg. Within this bay lie the harbours of Hout Bay and Cape Town, with Robben Island just offshore. This is the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.
According to my research, the peninsula has been an island many times in the past five million years, but it presently forms part of the African continent.
A Trip Around the Peninsula
To better explain the vast and scenic distances you can travel within Cape Town alone, I measured the distance from the bottom of the ferris wheel at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, known as the V & A, to the little coloured change houses on Muizenberg Beach.
This distance is 23 km as the crow flies. However, should you choose the scenic route from the ferris wheel, my favourite drive, and travel along the coastline to Muizenberg Beach, you will travel a distance of 89 km.
Before you leave V & A, visit the aquarium, harbour and shopping mall. Take a cruise across to Robben Island, a helicopter flip, or stay for the open-air cinema. Visit the Maritime Museum or the Museum of Gems & Jewellery. There is no shortage of places to savour culinary delights anywhere in the peninsula, and V & A will not disappoint.
Now, buckle up and let’s get going!
From the ferris wheel at the V & A, take the M6 and travel along the coast past Mouille Point and Sea Point where you may see our new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, jogging along the promenade and posing for photos with the locals. Continue past Bantry Bay, Clifton, Camps Bay, and Bakoven.
Stop off along the way at Camps Bay Beach, and swim or just stroll along the beach. Across the road from the beach are many places to wine and dine. You will be spoilt for choice.
From Bakoven, there is a scenic stretch of coastal road along the cliffs. Stop at one of the places designated to safely pull off the road and take photos. As you pass Llandudno, you can either continue to Hout Bay, or turn in and drive very carefully down some extremely steep roads to the beach below.
This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Cape Town. Llandudno is also where you can park your car, at the southern end of Sunset Avenue, and walk quite a long way (about 20 minutes) to a hidden beach known as Sandy Bay, which is the only (unofficial) nudist beach in Cape Town.
Once in Hout Bay, you have more choices to make about lingering or continuing. World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park is an avian, reptilian and wildlife sanctuary in Hout Bay.
Hout Bay is home to the famous Mariner’s Wharf at the harbour, and its well-visited shell and clothing shop. There is also a harbour market. From this harbour you can charter a boat to view the seals at Seal Island. At the far end of Harbour Road is a little place called Fish on the Rocks – a favourite family place for good old take-away hake- or calamari and chips.
From Hout Bay, take Chapmans Peak Drive, still M6, and the only toll road within Cape Town, so take cash or an acceptable bank card. Enjoy this spectacular stretch of coast. Pass beneath daunting overhanging cliffs as you get closer to Noordhoek. Be very careful of falling rocks on all the scenic coastal cliff drives in the wet and rainy season if the road has not been closed.
Noordhoek is a horsey suburb. It has a much-loved beach, although not my favourite, due to long distances to walk from the car park across the sand to the beach, so this beach is not advisable for older people or tiny tots, or for carrying beach umbrellas, picnics and the likes. It is perfect for horse rides and long walks, though!
The Noordhoek Market is well worth a visit. My favourite culinary experience in Noordhoek is to go to Cape Point Vineyards overlooking Noordhoek and the bay on a Thursday late afternoon between 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm and watch the sunset. Phone ahead to check they are open as they close in the rainy season.
Here at the community market you can buy a variety of culinary delights, wine and craft beer from the various stalls. Sit at the tables on the patio or on the lawn next to the dam. There is plenty of place for kids to run around and play here, which is great news if you are travelling with children and find that the restaurants test your parenting skills. You will be amazed at the variety and quality of the food. Take cash to pay at the various stalls.
From Noordhoek, continue on the M6, and turn right onto the M65 in Sun Valley to go to Kommetjie – one of my favourite little off-the-beaten track suburbs within Cape Town. Enjoy the beach or take the wooden walkway to the lighthouse and back again. Fisherman’s Kommetjie is lovely in good weather, and a meal under the trees comes very highly recommended; Especially for Sunday lunch, when they usually have a singer with a guitar as entertainment.
Continue through Noordhoek and pass Witsand which is a hangout beach for surfers and kiteboarders with the whitest sand I ever saw. Passing through Misty Cliffs, don’t blink or you will miss it. You may feel as if you are in a completely desolate place on earth and will have to remind yourself that you are in Cape Town.
The next suburb is Scarborough. It still has untarred roads in places and the beach is as Mother Nature made it. I love this beach, as its rocks are just the right height for sitting on, and parking is almost right on the beach.
From Scarborough you will turn right at the T-junction, still on the M65 though, and drive towards Cape Point. This is baboon area. Do not feed them. Do not get out of your car or open the windows. They can be very manipulative and will sometimes block the road to prevent you from passing, hoping for food. Just be patient. They will eventually move. Whatever you do, do not run them over.
Soon you will see the turnoff to Cape Point on your right. Turn in to take photos at Cape Point, or your Cape Peninsula visit is incomplete. After paying at the gate, look down towards the sea on your left, and see Smitswinkel Bay. It is a 15-minute walk down on foot, so only for the fit!
Cape Point needs an article of its own, as do most places in Cape Town. However, of interest here is the rich maritime- and cultural history related to this majestic and beautiful piece of mountainous land flanked by the ocean on both sides. Walk the Shipwreck Trail, kayak or mountain bike, find a deserted beach, swim in a tidal pool, dive, snorkel, eat out at a top-class restaurant, and buy curios.
If you are a birding enthusiast you are in for a treat, and you may be lucky and spot whales or dolphins; perhaps even the legendary “Flying Dutchman” ghost ship!
False Bay en-route to Muizenberg
Continue to Simonstown, where there is plenty to do and see. Just past Cape Point, the road changes from M65 to M4. Visit the penguins at Boulders Beach or the crystal shop called Scratch Patch. Look out for a statue on Jubilee Square of a dog called “Just Nuisance”. On Friday, 25th August 1939, Just Nuisance was enlisted into the Royal Navy. There are some amazing stories that accompany the history of this Great Dane, so don’t leave Simonstown without the full story, which you will get from the museum. There are two museums – one of the them the South African Navy Museum.
If you prefer, you can park your car and take the train from Simonstown to Muizenberg. It is very affordable. You can get on and off at any station between these two points all day long if you wish. It meanders along the shoreline and passes a few beaches and tidal pools along the way. You could make a whole day out of this trip alone.
But, let’s continue driving.
Leaving Simonstown and passing the suburb of Glencairn on the way to Fish Hoek, you will find the pub and grill, Dixies, en-route on your left. This comes highly recommended by myself and my family and is a delightful place to watch the sun setting.
Continue to Fish Hoek and turn right at the circle, still on the M4.
The beach in Fish Hoek is a huge favourite. I love this beach purely for the feeling of the sand. Due to the gentleness of the waves in this protected bay, the sand is powdery soft, and the sensory experience of burying my feet in it is magical. Don’t be surprised if you want to bury yourself completely with just your head sticking out, as you perhaps did as a child. It has that effect on one.
You may have to pay to visit this beach in season, but it is well worth it. The restaurants here are good. Look out for the artists who make sculptures using the beach sand, weather and tide permitting. They are brilliant. Give them a generous tip and they will pose for you next to their work. Your photo will be unique. They never make the same sculpture twice.
En-route to Kalk Bay, stop off at the harbour and refresh at one of the pubs. If you are staying in self-catering accommodation, you may be lucky enough to get some fresh fish as the fishermen come in with their fishing boats, usually around midday.
I love shopping in Kalk Bay. The clothing and jewellery shops are quirky. The antique shops and bric-a-brac are fascinating. I discovered, hidden in one of the alleys up some steps, a delightful second-hand china shop called Whatnot & China Town, which sells ceramics and fine bone china tea sets and other items, literally jam-packed from floor to ceiling. Tread carefully here and don’t go in there with children!
Eateries are everywhere, and the well-known Brass Bell, the heart of Kalk Bay, boasts three tidal pools and a view of the harbour while ordering food and drinks. So, take your bathing costume and towel with you and spend some time here. Get dressed up a little and end your day in the Kalk Bay Theatre, an intimate theatre that seats 77 people, and have dinner there.
Next you will pass through St James, with its many historical buildings, and hidden tidal pool, beach and fishing spots. You must park in the street and walk underneath the railway tracks to get there, for which there are tunnels constructed.
Continue driving and you will arrive in Muizenberg. Turn right into Atlantic Road, drive under the railway bridge, and the Muizenberg Beach with the coloured change houses will be on your right.
Cape Town: South Africa’s Mother City
Cape Town boasts some of the most valuable properties in South Africa. It is fast becoming an international community and the new Hollywood for making movies, with low production costs, a solid reputation and a multitude of options for perfect shooting locations.
Telegraph Travel Awards chose Cape Town as the Best City in the World in 2015/2016, coming in ahead of both Vancouver and Venice.
Cape Town also took the top honours as the number one food city in the world in Condé Nast’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
Wine farms in and around Cape Town are plentiful. In Constantia Valley alone there are nine wine farms in very close proximity to one another: a mere twenty minutes from the city centre.
In the suburbs around the foot of Table Mountain, you will find many places of spiritual healing, yoga and meditation. Table Mountain is a special place of spiritual energies. There are an ever-increasing number of people who believe that the earth has “energy centres”.
Twelve of these are regarded as major, comprising eight chakras and four spinner wheels, each relating to either earth, air, fire or water. The spinner wheels are places that radiate energy to the earth’s chakras along ley lines, also known as serpent or dragon lines.
Two major ley lines intersect at Table Mountain and this mystical mountain is regarded as one of the four spinner wheels and is assigned the earth element. Table Mountain is believed to carry a nurturing energy. Small wonder that Capetonians who reside at her feet refer to Cape Town as the “Mother City”.
☛ Read more: All the South Africa posts
This is just a little taste of the Cape Peninsula, and while I feel I have not done it justice, I sincerely hope I have piqued your curiosity enough to come and experience it. Perhaps I will see you soon in or around Cape Town where I live and work as a numerologist when I am not busy with GlobeRovers Magazine.
DID YOU KNOW?
The following movies were partly or wholly shot in Cape Town:
- Tomb Raider, starring Alicia Vikander
- Blood Diamond, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Michael Sheen.
- The Dark Tower, with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey.
- The Perfect Wave, featuring Clint Eastwood’s son Scott Eastwood, Rachel Hendrix and Cheryl Ladd.
- Safe House, with Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington.
- The Brothers Grimsby, with Mark Strong and Sacha Baron Cohen.
Further reading
- An introduction to travelling South Africa
- The ultimate Cape Town travel guide
- How to visit Cape of Good Hope
Janet-Lynn is a numerologist by profession, and journalist, editor and photographer by hobby. She is the proud mother of three grown children and granny to three grandchildren.