Chapman's Peak Drive snakes for nine kilometres along the cliff edge between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, the Atlantic dropping away to one side and sheer sandstone cliffs rising on the other. It is the centrepiece of any Cape Peninsula day-trip, and one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world.
The road was hewn out of the cliff face between 1915 and 1922, much of the work done by prisoner-of-war and convict labour following the natural contour of the mountain along a narrow ledge above the sea. Rockfalls forced repeated closures over the decades, and a major reconstruction reopened the route in 2003 with tunnels, catch fencing and a toll gate. It still closes occasionally after heavy rain or rockslides, so check before you set out.
Several signposted viewpoints with parking let you stop and take in the drop, the curve of Hout Bay and the granite face of the peak above. The road is at its finest in late afternoon, when the light turns the water gold and the surf far below catches the sun; the lay-bys fill up at sunset for good reason. Cyclists love the climb too — every year the Cape Town Cycle Tour pulls some 35,000 riders along this stretch.
A small toll applies in both directions. Combine the drive with Cape Point, Simon's Town and the harbour at Hout Bay for a full loop of the peninsula.