There are few places on earth where Nature offers up a feast for the eyes, a never-ending cornucopia of sea, sky, and land, soothing the soul as the mind senses awe and wonder. Greece is such a place.
A close competitor, if not a worthy equal in and of itself, is South Africa. To be sure, it's a much larger, geographically diverse country featuring massive, desolate plains, steamy jungles, and extraterrestrial like deserts as you approach Namibia from its’ southern border with South Africa.
Drive a loop around Cape Town
View of Capetown, South Africa, with Table Mountain as a backdropA quick trip to Cape Town, near the most southern point of the African continent, invokes imagery of Greece and its’ Mediterranean neighbors. Snag a rental car at the airport, take a drive along the N2 towards Cape Town, and loop through the outer reaches where the Atlantic and Indian oceans sandwich the city. A leisurely drive east through the seaside towns dotting the coast will bring you to Hout Bay and the entrance to the Chapman’s Peak drive.
Cape Town, South Africa, easterly view
Along the Cape, East of Cape Town toward Hout BayNo words are a substitute for the optics of a ride along the Chapman’s Peak pass. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this video. It presents a west to east view of this drive toward Hout Bay.
View of Hout Bay from Chapman's PeakHow To Get There
The best way to see this area is to drive “the great loop” around Cape Town. Assuming you fly into Cape Town International Airport, hop on the N2 and head towards Cape Town. Drive around Green Point and follow the M6 toward Noorhoek – FishHoek. From there you'll see signs directing you to Cape Town international Airport. You'll take the M4 to the R310 to the N2.
For an exploded map view of the area see this link.
When To Go
Anytime! And while you're there, take the cable car up Table Mountain for panoramic shots of the area.
Tom @ RoverTreks
p.s. If you’re up for a sweet snack, stop in at Ice Dream at Hout Bay. It’s homemade Ice Cream at it’s best! This place is nothing less than fantastic! It's a small, family run, in a small shopping center just off of the main road in Hout Bay. The owners are personable. And the portions they serve are not skimpy (Hooray!) as you'll find in many businesses like this one.
Established in 1993 by Italian brother and sister Luigi and Liana, IceDream has been serving its' customers delicious ice cream and sorbets for almost two decades. All products are made by their son Fabrizio consist of the freshest ingredients and no preservatives or fats.
Flavours include hazelnut, coffee, ginger, mango, lemon and strawberry as well as old classics like fantastic vanilla made with vanilla pods from Zanibar.
Parking : near the shop in the Hout Bay Shopping Center
Winter opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:30 am to 17:30pm
Summer opening hours: Open 7 days a week 10:30 am to 18:30 pm
