Hout Bay

The early Dutch settlers sent a party to explore the bay behind Table Mountain, and they found a beautiful, heavily wooded valley surrounded by protective mountains. The trees became the main source of timber for ship building and repairs, and the valley became known as Houtbaai (literally "wood bay"). A distinct entity from nearby Cape Town, today's residents jokingly refer to it as the Republic of Hout Bay.

It is a sociable village: people meet and chat in cafés and there is a main street lined with interesting shops and an excellent craft market on the village green every Sunday. The busy harbour is the centre for the tuna and crayfishing fleets, with excellent, cheap fish and chip restaurants a stone's throw from the water's edge. The family-oriented beach is long and sandy and safe for swimming and watersports like sea kayaking or dinghy sailing, though the water is pretty chilly.

Chapman's Peak Drive is the name of the south-bound road out of Hout Bay and it is one of the most scenic cliff drives in the world. It was hewn into the side of the mountain between 1915 and 1922, cut on the dividing line of the base granite and sedimentary sandstone. The brilliantly coloured layers of red, orange and yellow rock along with dark purple lines of manganese are extraordinarily beautiful, but it is not advisable to take your eyes off the winding road, which has a sheer drop to the sea. Luckily there are plenty of viewpoints for photos or a picnic, with spectacular scenery north to Hout Bay and south to Noordhoek and Kommetjie.

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