Chapmans Peak Drive -- don't miss it...

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Chapmans Peak Drive is a dramatic, snaking route that hangs suspended between the Cape mountains and the restless ocean far below.

It links Hout Bay and Noordhoek. And it's finally open again (October 2009) after repairs... Engineering fabulosity of this sort is always at the mercy of nature, alas.

The jaw-dropping vistas are still intact and awaiting your enjoyment plus there are any number of great picnic spots overlooking Hout Bay and the Sentinel, as well as access to the mountain for hikes.

So let's get out there and make the most of the Chapmans Peak Drive route again.

This aerial photo (thanks to my beloved pilot hubby!) shows the the coastal contours from the Noordhoek side... can you spot a road there??

Be grateful you're not the chief road engineer!

Chappies is undoubtedly the highlight of an already breathtaking stretch of coastline between Camps Bay and Cape Point.

Even with a car full of small, squabbling siblings driving this route counts as ‘soul therapy’!

You’ll all be spellbound by the spectacular views out to sea (you're looking south and west across the Atlantic) as well as sights such as this one back over Hout Bay...

The Sentinel,
the mountain that guards the mouth of the bay.

This road was closed in January 2000 after a bad rock fall. Much re-engineering took place before it was re-opened. The award-winning engineering (catch fences and ‘roofed’ areas) is now an interesting and spectacular feature of the route.

Chapmans Peak Tolls at October 2009 re-opening

Unfortunately, such safety features come at a high price so Chapmans Peak Drive is now a toll road - tolls are R18 for a motorbike, R28 for a light passenger vehicle, R38 for a minibus (travelling one way) - worth it for the scenery.

By the way, if you're just planning to picnic or hike on the mountains above Hout Bay, you needn't pay the toll - just tell the tollbooth attendant that you need a day pass. That allows you to head along as far as the final Chapman's Peak lookout point to park, then you can access the trails on foot.

If the road is open, you can traverse all the 114 curves that make up 'Chappies' (!) and return to earth as it were in Noordhoek, a rural-feeling conservation village. From there you can continue your journey southwards -- as far as Cape Point if you want to -- or be diverted by various other wonderful distractions on the South Peninsula.

I recommend stopping to enjoy Noordhoek (the Farm Village) and Kommetjie (the beach). Between the two lies Imhoff Farm, a fun destination in itself and home to a fascinating snake park, 3 riding camels and even some horses.

With older kids and teens you might want to try snorkelling to see seals in Kommetjie. Contact the Scuba Shack Centre in the village there for more information.

There’s so much to enjoy on the South Peninsula!