Outdoor sights in Cape Town
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Chapman’s Peak Drive
Whether you choose to drive, pedal or walk along this 5km toll road linking Hout Bay with Noordhoek, take your time as it’s one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal road in the world. Unfortunately the road is plagued by dangerous rock slides, so it often gets closed during bad weather. There are a few places to stop to admire the view and it’s certainly worth taking the road at least one way en route to Cape Point. Perched on a rock near the Hout Bay end of the drive is a bronze leopard statue. It has been sitting there since 1963 and is a reminder of the wildlife that once roamed the area’s forests (which has also largely vanished).
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B
Table Mountain National Park
Covering some three-quarters of South Africa, Table Mountain National Park stretches from flat-topped Table Mountain to Cape Point. For the vast majority of visitors the main attraction is the 1086m-high mountain itself, the top of which can easily be accessed by the cableway, which runs every 10/20 minutes in high/low season.
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Silvermine Nature Reserve
This reserve is named after the fruitless attempts by the Dutch to prospect for silver in this area from 1675 to 1685. Today its focal point is the Silvermine Reservoir, constructed in 1898. It’s a beautiful spot for a picnic or leisurely walk around the reservoir on a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. The reservoir waters are tannin stained and although there are signs forbidding swimming, you’ll often find locals taking a dip here. On the southeastern edge of the reserve is Peers Cave: a trail leads here from a marked parking spot on the Ou Kaapse Weg. The cave, which is actually an overhang, is named after Victor Peers, who with his son Bertie, started excavating the…
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Solole Game Reserve
It's hardly Kruger National Park, but there's much to recommend in this game reserve, which covers 350 hectares on the way to Kommetjie, not least the cheeky irreverence. For example, a 45-minute game drive costs around R30 unless you're an 'ill-disciplined brat' and then its around R5000! Kids both big and small will enjoy riding up the mountainside in an open cart tugged by a giant tractor.
You'll view nine different species of buck, buffalo and the lone black rhino, Mokwena, the first to be returned to the Cape in several centuries. Guided walks (around R90) are also available, or you can game spot for free at the hide by the excellent restaurant Mnandis. The package…
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Rondevlei Nature Reserve
Hippos hadn’t lived in the marshes here for 300 years until they were reintroduced in 1981 to this small, picturesque nature reserve northeast of Muizenberg. There are now seven hippos, but they’re shy creatures and it’s unlikely that you’ll spot them unless you stay overnight – for details contact Imvubu Nature Tours, based at the reserve. You can also book a guided walk during which you can spot some 231 species of birds from the waterside trail, two viewing towers and hides.
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C
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Eight kilometres southeast of town is this pretty reserve, with walking and mountain-biking trails and shady picnic spots. A map of the walk to the waterfall is available at the entrance.
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