Taylored Trips – Out & About - Hout Bay and beyond

The magic of the “Republic of Hout Bay” continues to allure. People are drawn to its beauty and appeal from far and wide. We took a

drive out there and were treated to a boat ride to Seal Island on board the Drum Beat II. There is a guy there who does a live show where a seal comes up out of the water and takes a fish from his mouth with him hanging over the quay. We saw him in 2015 and took a photo of the seal doing its trick. I’m glad to see that he and the seal are still there.

Jan 2015 – Look carefully to see what’s happening here Oct 2019 – They’re still there

Drum Beat Charters

Our trip took us out across the bay for an up-close view of

Chapman’s Peak from the sea. Not something you get to see every day.

Chapman's Peak Drive - arguably one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world

And looking back across the bay, the domineering peak of The Sentinel as it overlooks Seal Island

and the notorious Dungeons where the world-famous Big Wave Surfing Championships are held in the winter when the Cape of Storms lives up to its reputation.

The Sentinel

Then we went back across the bay, past the front of the Sentinel and Dungeons and our Captain Fantastic

took the Drum Beat to within meters of the rocks of Seal Island so that we could see and smell all the seals on the island. What an experience!

Seal Island

With some nimble manoeuvring El Capitano got us turned around and we were on our way back to the harbour. Just then, I saw this picture which caught my eye. It looked

peaceful and tranquil. I wanted to tell the captain to drop me off here and to pick me up again in a week or two. Then we hit a wave and the cold spray brought me back to reality.

Idyllic spot - somebody even left a boat there for me

On the way back around the Sentinel we passed another boat bringing another load of curious tourists to Seal Island while our bunch looked on.

Nauticat DRUMBEAT II

On dry land, it was back to all the things that make Hout Bay what it is. Crafts and curious, fish and sea gulls, buskers and beaches.

When in Citrusdal, one buys naartjies or oranges. So, when in Hout Bay, one buys fish

and chips. It’s only logical, right? It’s the best and freshest you can get!

So, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do!

Mmmmmm! Dis mos kos! Mine was snoek

Then we had to go and walk it off on the beautiful long white beach around the bay.

Walking the beach Walking the dogs

So that’s the magic of Hout Bay. Be sure to visit it soon. But wait, there’s more. Don’t stop here.

Just beyond Hout Bay,

to the south towards Cape Point, on the western side of the peninsula, is Chapman’s Peak, Noordhoek, Imhoff and Kommetjie. Take yourself on an adventure that is hard to beat.

The same Chapman’s Peak we were looking at from the sea is even more spectacular when you are driving it. The engineering and ingenuity is quite something and the

views take your breath away. This stretch of road is world renowned and as mentioned earlier, it rates up among the top coastal drives in the world.

Chapman's Peak

Noordhoek is next, tucked

away in the northern corner of one of the most pristine beaches which goes on for miles. You can ride a horse on it, you can walk forever on it and there is a shipwreck you can visit too.

How special is that view? Noordhoek is this side and Kommetjie is on the far point across the bay. The ridge is Slangkop Ridge

As you come down off

the pass, a cluster of eateries, pubs, a brewery and all sorts of things under old milkwood trees is on your right. Don’t miss it. You’ll be sorry.

This is the view from The Red Herring on the top deck

Around the bay further to the south towards Kommetjie is Imhoff Farm. This farm was a gift to Christina Rousseau in the 1740’s from the Commissioner of the Cape, Baron van Imhoff, to supply fresh produce to ships in Simon’s Bay. Now, on a very busy tourist

route to Cape Point, the farm is a commercial hub with old-world charm. All the buildings have been restored after a fire in 1958 and they now house food shops, furniture shops, artist studios, craft shops, a nursery and a farm yard for small kids and big kids.

Yippee, here comes my food!

And then there’s Kommetjie. Kommetjie means, little tub or basin and the name comes from a little bay under the Slangkop Ridge.

The Kom of Kommetjie

A quaint little town full of character and magnificent scenery. From the point at the Kom you can look back across the bay to Chapman’s Peak on the right, Hout Bay in the middle and the Sentinel casting a shadow.

What a view

Slangkop lighthouse with the Kommetjie in the foreground

The legendary Long Beach, a surfing hotspot for many years, is just around the corner from the point in the “What a view” photo. Don’t be miss led

though, Long Beach is not the long beach you saw earlier at Noordhoek. They are actually right next door to each other though.

Long Beach

Yikes! Freezing cold Atlantic sea water from the icy Benguela current which sweeps past Ant-Arctica and then up the west coast of Southern Africa

So next time you’re in Hout Bay, don’t stop there. Plan your day and head south, there’s so much

more to see.

Until next time, “Keep on Tripping!”