The constant view of Table Mountain make it almost impossible to get lost in Cape Town! The Cape Winelands and the Cape Peninsula are both within an easy one hours drive from Cape Town City Centre.
Cape Town makes the perfect self drive destination. Our self drive tours allow you explore Cape Town at your own pace. Stop off at interesting vineyards, small intimate restaurants and discover Cape Town in a laid back style- just as if you were a local. In South Africa driving is on the Left Hand side of the road and as a general rule of thumb if you were comfortable to self drive in Europe or the United Kingdom you would be more than comfortable self driving in South Africa.
Cape Town is an ideal self drive destination. Most of the things to do are within a days drive of Cape Town and a good road infrastructure make self driving one probably our most popular method of touring Cape Town and its environs. The following are the most popular day tours in Cape Town and ideal for self driving. Speak to your Rhino Africa consultant for more details – or alternatively for day tours in the company of a guide should you not be up for an adventure.
Cape PeninsulaThe
Cape Peninsula is a wonderful days tour and is high on our list of must do’s in Cape Town. Leave Cape Town city on the M3 and pass some of South Africa’s most historical buildings. The transport museum at Groote Schuur hospital commemorates the world’s first heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christian Barnard in 1967.
Next up is Kirstenbosch Gardens, situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. A celebration of Cape Flors, , Kirstenbosch is also child friendly and a wonderful place to picnic. For brilliant views of the city, stop off at Rhodes Memorial, built in honour of Cecil John Rhodes, one of South Africa’s pioneers. The Constantia Wine Routes offers several lunch options and be sure to visit Groot Constanita one of the oldest wine producing farms in South Africa.
Take a drive along Boyes Drive, the scenic road joining Muizenberg and Kalk Bay for spectacular view of False Bay. Further up the coast is Simon’s Town the base of the SA Navy. The Penguin colony at Boulders Beach is undoubtedly the big attraction in this part of the world.
Follow the road to the Cape of Good Hope National Park. This is the southwesterly point of Africa, and boasts the freshest air in the world. The park is also home to approximately 1100 indigenous plant species, some of which occur nowhere else on earth and variety of buck, baboons, and other animals. Do not feed the Baboons. Leaving Cape Point, take the coastal road through the villages of Scarborough, Misty Cliffs and Kommetjie. Take a walk along Long Beach Kommetjie to the wreck of Kakapo.
The next stop is Noordhoek and a visit to the Noordhoek Farm Village. Then head on to Chapmans Peak which joins Noordhoek and Hout Bay. This is one of the most spectacular self drive routes in the country and a definite must on any travel itinerary. Originally built as a tourism attraction, it was opened to the public in 1922. From Hout Bay take a slow drive back to Cape Town along the Atlantic Seaboard, watching the people as much as the views !
Cape WinelandsArguably the most beautiful winelands in the world, the Cape is also producing internationally recognized wines. No trip to Cape Town would be complete without visiting the Winelands. The wines, people, destinations and experiences are world class and shouldn’t be missed out on. There are several different wine regions within Cape Town, the most famous of which are :
Franschhoek,
Paarl,
Stellenbosch and
Constantia. However the benefit of hiring a car and self driving allows you to visit further a field including Tulbagh, Darling, Worcester & Robertson. Even if you do not consider yourself a “ wine buff” the architecture and food at some of the wine estates is exceptional and reason enough to drive there for a day !
HermanusHermanus is a seaside town nestled between the mountain and the blue waters of Walker Bay. It is one of the Western Cape’s premier holidays spots and a magnet for whale watchers. During these the autumn and winter months these giant marine mammals, most of them southern rights, come inshore. An official “whale crier” complete with uniform and horn, announces the arrival of these leviathans. For the rest, Hermanus offers fine beaches, safe for surfing and bathing. The drive between Cape Town and Hermanus incorporating Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay is very pretty and many whales have been known to cling close to the cliffs along this scenic drive.
The West CoastThe Cape’s West Coast is vastly different from the southern maritime belt – dry, treeless, wind and for the most part very bleak. But it has its attractions, and at times in some places its beauty as well. The journey up the shoreline from Cape Town will take you past the fast growing centre of Bloubergstrand where you can enjoy magnificent view of Table Mountain, Melkbosstrand and Darling. For much of the way you’re in sight of the sea and the drive is pleasant, it’s a stark and but often striking coastline of jagged cliff and wide beach, heath and sandveld. Opposite the tiny resort of Yzerfontein, you will see Dassen, one of the region’s larger and, in conservations terms, most important islands. It supports a huge number of sea birds, serving as a breeding ground for African Penguins. Further on you will find Langebaan Lagoon and Saldanha Bay. Its shallow waters making it ideal magnet for all manner of seabirds. During spring time be sure to visit Postberg Nature Reserve a haven for a variety of buck species and spring flowers.
