Chapman’s Peak Drive

The Chapman’s Peak road may not be long, but you'll want to take your time in order to soak up the views. Luckily, there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the scenery along the way. If you’d rather not tackle the steep dips and turns yourself, there are several organized private and group tours that will take you along the road as part of a larger exploration of the Cape Peninsula.

• Chapman’s Peak Drive is a must-do for some of the best views of the Cape Peninsula.

• There is a per-vehicle toll for driving the road.

• The road can sometimes be closed in the event of severe weather.

• There are many designated scenic points where motorists can safely pull over.

The start of Chapman’s Peak Drive is a 40-minute drive from the center of Cape Town. If you don’t have a car, you can take the No. 104 bus from Cape Town and walk or jog along the drive. Alternatively, you can skip the hassle by booking a guided tour.

Although it can get chilly in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter months (June to September), there are few bad times to visit as long as you heed any adverse weather warnings that may close down the drive. The summer months of December, January, and February are, however, the best times to visit thanks to long, sunny days with very little rain.

Not only is Chapman’s Peak Drive extraordinarily scenic, it was, upon its completion, considered to be a marvelous feat of engineering. The road was built out of the face of the mountain between 1915 and 1922, using convict labor. It’s named after John Chapman, the skipper of an English ship who visited the area in 1607.