The wild peninsula — Cape Town, On Local Time

scenic overlook · Hout Bay

The coast road carved into the cliff between Hout Bay and Noordhoek

Best: Late afternoon

Nine kilometres of hairpins cut into the mountainside high above the Atlantic — one of the great drives on earth
Pull into the marked viewpoints — don't gawk and drive

Money

There's a toll, and it closes in high wind or rain — check before you go

beach · Simon's Town

A colony of African penguins on a sheltered white-sand cove

See: The boardwalk colony

R190 entry

A protected colony of endangered African penguins on warm, sheltered shallows in Simon's Town
Boardwalk for the close-up — then the swimming cove, where you share the water with them

Timing

Go early to beat the tour buses

natural landmark

The dramatic cliffs at the tip of the peninsula

See: The lighthouse lookout

R400 entry

The peninsula runs out in towering cliffs and an old lighthouse — the wildest, most windswept corner of the Cape
Ride the funicular or walk up, and stand where two oceans seem to meet

Season

Baboons are bold — keep food out of sight

beach

Warm-ish water, gentle waves, and the row of painted huts

False Bay side — warmer water and a soft beach break; this is where everyone learns to surf
Board and wetsuit rentals right on the beachfront
Snap the candy-striped bathing boxes, then coffee at Surfer's Corner

Money

Rent, don't haul — everything you need is on the beachfront

beach

Four coves tucked out of the wind by granite boulders

Best: Windy days

Big granite boulders split Clifton into four sheltered coves — 4th is the widest and calmest
Walk down the stairs, claim a patch of sand — the water is icy but the shelter is worth it

Season

The trick when the southeaster is howling everywhere else — it's sheltered