Chapman’s Peak Drive
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Cape Town has one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world. Chapman’s Peak Drive is a scenic route which offers panoramic views across the Atlantic Ocean on one side and exhilarating views of the towering mountainside on the other. It is a 9-kilometer road with a total of 114 curves and exquisite scenery.
The drive forms part of the Table Mountain National Park and runs from Noordhoek to Hout Bay. This winding road boasts a number of picnic spots along the way where you can pull over and witness nature’s beauty. Its breathtaking views make it a popular photography and film location.
Known by locals as Chappies, the road was hacked out of the face of Chapman’s Peak. It was named after John Chapman who was a Captain’s mate of an English ship called the Consent which arrived in Hout Bay in 1607. The plans of creating this road on the mountainside started in 1915. The road took seven years to complete and finally opened on May 6, 1922. It’s regarded as a major feat of engineering, considering that the construction of the road was a “mission impossible”.
The road closed a few times in the 1990’s due to rockfall incidents which caused injuries and even death. In December 2003 it reopened after successful re-engineering to protect motorists from the falling rocks. It soon became Cape Town’s most rewarding toll road.
Visit chapmanspeakdrive.co.za for more information
