Taylored Trips – Out and About – Hout BayWe all know that nothing can touch the Western Cape when it comes to absolute sheer beauty but there is one town in the Cape where the people of the area place themselves even higher than the upper echelon of that.

They are so full of themselves that they call their town the “Republic of Hout Bay” and do you know what, I think they have a right to do just that!

The Cape is known for its majestic mountains but in Hout Bay, they are in your face, they are so close. Take a drive there. No matter which

direction you come from (there are only three), you know you are entering something very special. From the north the coastal road takes you on a spectacular drive past the Twelve Apostles Mountain range on your left and the cold Atlantic Ocean on your right. From the east the drive is just as spectacular when

crossing Constantia Neck with a beautiful winding road through mountains and forests and from the south, well what can I say, that’s Chapman’s Peak Drive, arguably the most spectacular drive in the world.

Chapman's Peak Drive

There is a beautiful bay, complete with a picturesque harbour and glistening white beaches. The harbour is a huge tourist attractio

n on its own with the famous Mariner’s Warf restaurants, street cafés, sea food take-away shops and action-packed entertainment where-ever you look. Here you can also jump on a boat cruise to Seal Island or catch a sundown cruise (weather permitting). They have the Sentinel, a tall mountain

overlooking Seal Island and the legendary Dungeons, famous for its big wave events in winter when the Cape is lashed by extreme wind and rough seas and some of the biggest waves ever recorded get to be ridden by adrenalin seeking junkies on their surfboards.

The Sentinel

The Bay, harbour on the left, beach in the middle and Chapman’s Peak on the right

The beach

Mariner's Warf at the harbour

They even have a castle perched up on the mountainside.

Castle

A bronze leopard on a rock is a memorial to the many wild animals that roamed the mountains of the peninsula.

Leopard

And just over the hill at Llandudno, they have Sandy Bay, South Africa’s first nudist beach.

Sandy Bay

Wow, that’s quite an introduction to a town, even if I say so myself. But wait. . . . . there’s more.No no, silly, not of Sandy Bay, of Hout Bay.

Hout Bay also has bragging rights to the largest bird park in Africa, the World of Birds. They attract more then 100 000 visitors a year and have over 3000 birds and small animals. The park is cleverly laid out on a four-hectare piece of land where some of the walkways even go right through the aviaries,

bringing you right up close to some amazing birds and animals from all over the world.

This is truly a

world-class experience and definitely a must visit for everyone.Another attraction of Hout Bay is the annual Monster Night Harvest bicycle trick jump event.

This event is attracting more and more international riders every year and the 5th

show, which is held in February every year, was a bumper event. I managed to jump a lift with Schalk and his buddies to go and see what it was all about and let me tell you, I was super impressed.

Ok, now you can relax and let your adrenalin levels get back to normal until next February or you can come and watch Schalk and the boys in action at my

place if you want to maintain that level of excitement.Hout Bay has an amazing artist that I featured some time ago in a story called, “Meet the band” on 20th

May 2015. Please look it up on my blog to refresh your memory or to read it if you didn’t read it at the time to see what I’m talking

about. It baffles me how he can visualise something in his mind and then build or sculpture it into an amazing object that is so pleasing to the eye. We popped in there again to see some of his other creations. This guy is really gifted.

Gifted artist

I always feel bad about all the pictures in my stories but then again, my stories are about the pictures we take when we are out &

about, besides, it’s much better to look at a picture than to read a lot of writing and there’s also the old adage that says “Every picture tells a story”. Well it’s true isn’t it?So until next time, “Keep on Tripping!”