Scenic drives / Garden Route, Cape Town

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This drive between Hout Bay and Noordhoek is one of the most scenic drives in the world.
Built by World War 2 prisoners of war. It is a 9km route 114 curves & was the brain wave of Sir Frederic De Wall the first administrator of the Cape Province opened in 1922

Their is a look out point to park up and take photo's. The views are spectacular sometimes you can spot whales.

The road has now become a toll road which costs vehicles R20. The reason a toll was introduced is there was lots of large vehicles using this drive on a regular basis and not only is it quite dangerous with its twists and turns, there were also sporadic rock falls which have now been netted up.

This drive is famous for the advert for BMW which catch phrase is it beats the Bends (Benz) a BMW went off the road & rolled down the cliff & the man survived, apparently I heard he was listening to Tracey Chapman fast car (how true that is - not sure)

Another suggestion from Gerald and absolutely worthwhile.

Instead of going up to the cable car take the road to the right and drive up signal hill.
Lovely sunset. There was a haze on the horizon so the photo's are not as nice as I hoped them to be but the view is great from up top. Over Seapoint and far onto the horizon.

It is the most incredible view. Only went up[ halfway. We didn't feel like paying the tollfee (R22) and it was quite windy. I really had difficultly taking the photo's. A previous time we did it halfway as well but from the other side. So we decided we must have seen most of it.

If it is the first time you are seeing it, it is worthwhile paying the R22. You don't need to come back the same way. From Noordhoek you can take the Muizenberg road (beautiful drive as well )back to Cape town and from Hout Bay go back past Landudno, Camps Bay.... (beautiful coastal drive ).

... hit the road out of town toward gordon's bay and the on around to betty's ... further on up to hermanus and then back to cape town again ... you truly will arrive home feeling so so so stoked to be alive :) we once stood roadside looking down at the sea, watching whales blow water fountains in the ocean while a school of dolphins surfed thru the waves alongside ... i couldn't get that silly grin off my face for weeks :)

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Wanna get up close and personal with a Great White Shark? The place to do it is in Gansbaii. It is a two hour drive from Cape Town. There are several operators that take groups daily. We used White Shark Projects as our tour operator. They have a shuttle service to and from Cape Town. They had recently moved into a new location (what they call the White Shark Lodge), within walking distance from the boat launch. Upon arrival, they had breakfast waiting, and while we ate they discussed what we were going to be doing the rest of the day, as well as the safety procedures we needed to follow while on their vessel. Shark conservation is high on their priority list as well, and they educated us on this important topic. They provided rain coats for everyone, and also had long-sleeved shirts, t-shirts, and underwater cameras on hand for purchase. Sandwiches, snacks, and drinks were provided on the boat.

You must remember that sharks are wild creatures and seeing them is not guaranteed. We waited hours before they arrived and it was well worth it! We had seven different great white sharks entertaining us for about an hour before we called it quits and headed home, on a high-note! Most of the other vessels had pulled anchor and headed in without seeing sharks, but our captain asked every passenger if they were willing to wait a bit longer in the hopes that they would appear. Of course we were all willing to wait, we came to see sharks and anything less would be disappointing.

There was tea and fresh scones waiting for us at the lodge when we returned, and while we ate, the video of our day was being put together by their videographer. After watching the video, they took orders and promised the dvd video would be mailed to anywhere in the world within a few weeks. They also had showers for anyone that went in the cage and wanted to clean up before heading out. Overall an AMAZING experience!

Driving south along the coast from Capetown, Chapman's Peak Drive can easily be reckoned among the most beautiful drives in the world. It is particularly for the spectacular views on Hout Bay. Drive carefully and stop many times to take in the views.....

If you are driving fromt he city to Camps bay the most scenic way to get there is via Kloof road. Drive up Buitengracht which becomes Kloof Nek Road. When you get to the top of the hill there will be a sign to Signal hill on the right (Table mountain cableway left), turn right but take the the road just after the signal hill road - koof road. The views of Camps Bay and the twelve apostles are fantastic!

One of the most beautiful drives in Cape Town is the M6 that follows the western side of the peninsula. From Sea Point the road winds past Camps Bay along the bottom of the Twelve Apostles. Along the coast is just beautiful blue water with rocks that look like whales. There are whales here actually and in the right season you can sea the Right Whale. We happened to see one very close to the shore. If you continue south go through Hout’s Bay (very fishy, smelly place, keep driving) where the road climbs along Chapman’s Peak Drive (R20). Chapman’s is brilliant. It descends into Noordhoek.