Links
Chapman´s Peak
Chapman´s Peak Drive winds it way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa. Chapman´s Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world.
The 9km route, with its 114 curves, skirts the rocky coastline of Chapman´s Peak (593m), which is the southerly extension of Constantiaberg and is a great hike for the energetically inclined.
Chapman´s Peak Drive is affectionately known as "Chappies" and is a must for anyone who is passionate about the majestic Cape Town scenery, with sheer drops to the sea below and towering mountains rising above you. The twists and curves in the road seem endless and it is a photographers dream. It is a paradise for motorists, sightseers, picnickers, runners, hikers and bikers (both the motorised and the manual varieties).
The drive offers stunning 180° views with many areas along the route where you can stop and take in the exquisite scenery or sit down for a relaxing picnic.
http://www.chapmanspeakdrive.co.za
Boulders Beach
Just around the corner from the seaside village of Simons Town turn left off main road to Boulders Visitor Centre to visit the famous colony of African Penguins, so called for their hilarious braying call.
This is a truly special experience and Table Mountain National Park staff is knowledgeable and offer guided tours. After you have fallen in love with the penguins head to the secluded Boulders Beach and take a swim in the comparatively warm waters of the False Bay.
This beach is ideal for kids as immense boulders shelter the cove from currents, wind and large waves - but please always take care. Also, don´t touch or feed the penguins. They might look cute and cuddly but their beaks are as sharp as razors and if they feel threatened they have no qualms about nipping the odd finger or nose. Boulders Visitor Centre: +27(0) 21 786 2329.
Robben Island
For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here at Robben Island that rulers sent those regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society.
During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran Robben Island and the Robben Island prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison on Robben Island for their beliefs. Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison ´hell-hole´ into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation.
http://www.robben-island.org.za