Table Mountain lies majestically as the backdrop to the city of Cape Town.   What few people realize is that she is simply the front of a mountain range that continues right down the peninsula and ends at Cape Point.    The city of Cape Town’s suburbs lie nestled below this mountain range.    In order to fully understand the layout of Cape Town and to enjoy her beauty, a trip to Cape Town would not be complete without driving around the Table Mountain Mountain range.   What differentiates us from other large cities in the world is that we are surrounded by nature and nature reserves.   One is either looking at mountains or sea from nearly every place that you visit.

While many tours try and jam as many activities into this day as possible – we prefer to offer a relaxed ramble around the peninsula that allows you to have a good amount of time at each of the highlights en route.   We are also strong beleivers in enjoying a great lunch in each region that one visits in the Cape!  And lunch takes time!

We start the day rambling along the coastline past many of Cape Town’s most beautiful villages Camps Bay, Llundudno and Hout Bay……as well as the nature reserves that separate them.

View of the Twelve Apostles and Camps Bay beach

From Hout Bay we head on to one of the world’s most scenic drives – Chapman’s Peak Drive.    This road was constructed between 1915 and 1922 with the aim to create the “Most scenic drive in the World” in order to attract more tourists to the Cape.   It was seen as a civil engineering masterpiece of its time.  We stop to enjoy the view here and to take some photographs.

Our next stop is for a quick take away coffee from a micro coffee roaster in Noordhoek or a freshly pressed juice from Faith Juices.   Both are in small huts in the Noordhoek Village – quirky and aritsanal!

We keep meandering on to the end of the peninsula for a visit to the famous Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point.   Here we stop at Cape Point to enjoy either a short or a medium distance hike.   The options here are a walk to the old lighthouse or slightly longer walk that includes the lighthouse and a walk through to the Cape of Good Hope.  For those that prefer not to hike – there is a funicular that can be caught to the top point at Cape Point for the view.

You then either drive or walk down to the famous Cape of Good Hope.   This is the most South Westerly point in Africa.

Next is a visit to the penguin colony at Boulders.  Penguins are only found in the Southern hemisphere, and as such it is a treat for those from the North to be able to see them on Boulders Beach on the Cape peninsula.

The African penguin’s natural habitat is to live on islands off the West Coast of South Africa.  However, many of the penguins natural habitats have been disturbed by man over the years.  As such in the 1980’s a couple of penguins decided to relocate to one of Cape Town’s favourite beaches – Boulders beach – they must have liked what they saw as they then got busy breeding.  Today there are over 3000 penguins living at Boulders.  The beach is now only open to penguins and is closed to sun tanners! There are however viewing platforms that will allow you to get up close to the penguins.

After the penguins – we  pass through the historic Simons Town, which is the oldest town on the peninsula and is home to the South African Navy.

Kalk Bay:   This is our local community fishing harbour and boasts the freshest fish in Cape Town.   It is also wonderfully scenic here as you see the brightly colored boats, the fishermen, the local ladies selling fish and fish drying above them.   If you love seafood – this is the place for you to be!

YOUR LUNCH STOP OPTION will change which direction we travel along the peninsula!   To us lunch is an important stop – so let us know what appeals most to you!

LUNCH!   Options – Let us know your preference.

Olympia Cafe

Is one of my favorite restaurants in the world.   It is where you will find all the local foodies having breakfast & lunch.    It is not posh.   It is eclectic and slightly shabby looking hole in the wall restaurant……but oh boy is the food good!   It is all about freshness and flavour. It has lots of character.   The fish arrives from the harbour flapping, carried in by the local fisherman………and then you see them writing it up on the lunch blackboard.   The food is simple, not fancy.   They  have one of the most delicious seared tuna dishes and are most famous for their mussels and seafood pasta.   You cannot book – you simply have to turn up and hope and pray for a table.   It is however worth the wait for the hardened foodies among us.   The added advantage of choosing the Olympia Cafe is that it is located in the quaint village of Kalk Bay.   As such you have time to walk and explore the village after lunch before heading back to central Cape Town.

The Foodbarn

Is our top choice for the peninsula tour for your first visit!  It is a relaxed  bistro style dining establishment owned by one the best Chefs in Cape Town – the legendary Chef Frank Dangereaux .  Here they have created a relaxed environment in an old barn in Noordhoek.   Their food is fantastic, the service is professional and relaxed and is a great spot to do a food and wine pairing for the afternoon.   The menu is a la carte – so you can pace yourself if you have a large dinner booked – or spend a few hours working your way though their menu.   The Foodbarn works for all ages – they have the French influenced bistro menu and also run a deli menu that works for hungry teenagers and a small kids menu!

Crofter’s Kitchen

For those who want something really special on their peninsula tour – this is a great option.   Lunch is a shared table in a wonderful chefs home in Noordhoek (maximum 14 people per lunch or dinner).   Check out Chef Nicky’s website as she can explain her concept and her food better than I can!   She forages from her garden and sources her fish from the local fishermen.   Her food is light – focusing on local plants & flavours.  It is a multi course lunch – but you don’t roll out of there as her food is not heavy.  I cannot express how wonderful the experience is and how great it is to spend time with her in her home in Noordhoek.     This is also a great option to book if you are coming with a group of friends or for a special occasion when you are visiting the Cape as it can be booked out exclusively.   If you are keen to do lunch at Crofters on the tour – please book your lunch on her website to ensure you get space and then email us to book the peninsula tour! Read more about it on my blog

Harbour House 

This is the best choice for those you want a romantic seaside table with a view.   Picture that it is perched on the second floor above the quaint fishing harbour in Kalk Bay and has glass from floor to ceiling to maximize views.   The tables are set with white table cloths, the view is wonderful, it is romantic and the food is pretty good.    This is the perfect spot to relax and open a few bottles of wine and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.    This is a very special place.   They specialise in fish dishes.   Note that there is very little on the menu for vegetarians here and limited options for non fish eaters!

Fish & Chips

In the Kalk Bay Harbour or the Simons Town Harbour – naturally the best fish & chips are found along the coast – so if you love old fashioned battered fish with good old chunky British style chips – then let us know and we can stop along the way!   This works well for those that want to spend more time exploring and less time over lunch!

Note that we drive a circular route around the peninsula.    As such the direction we travel around the peninsula is dependant on the restaurant you select for lunch today.  So the tour may go around the peninsula in the opposite order than what we describe above! This happens when you chose the Foodbarn or Crofters Kitchen as they are both located in Noordhoek.  

After lunch we meander back along the coast to the city.

NOTE THAT THE PENINSULA TOUR IS A PRIVATE TOUR – AS SUCH YOU MAY WISH TO INCLUDE MORE ACTIVITY IN THE DAY AND WILL THEN NEED TO HAVE A LIGHT LUNCH EN ROUTE: 

Note that this is a private tour – as such simply brief us if you wish to do a shorter light lunch along the way and then fit in more activities during the day. If one does a sandwich en route – one can then fit in ONE of the following activities:

• Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens – we feel that this is best done on a separate day at a leisurely pace. If slipped in here the visit is short and feels like an injustice to one of the most beautiful gardens in Africa.
• The Seal Boat in Hout Bay which is a short trip into the harbour to see the seals.   The view from the Harbour is great too.   This activity is good to include if one has kids on the tour.
• A wine tasting in Constantia or at Cape Point Vineyards

 

SOME PICS OF OUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS ON THE PENINSULA BELOW: