A road that shouldn't exist
Look at Chapman's Peak from the sea and the road seems impossible: a thin ribbon cut into a cliff that drops hundreds of metres straight into the Atlantic. It was built between 1915 and 1922, largely by hand, following a daring idea — carve the roadway along the geological contact line where the hard granite base meets the softer sandstone above. The result is nine kilometres and 114 curves of the most dramatic coastal driving in the world.
Locals call it "Chappies", and a century later it still stops first-time visitors mid-sentence. Every bend reveals a new composition: Hout Bay's harbour and the Sentinel peak behind you, the endless white curve of Noordhoek beach ahead, and the Atlantic glittering far below.
The viewpoints worth stopping for
- The classic Hout Bay lookout — just past the toll plaza, the postcard view back across the bay to the Sentinel. The photo at the top of this page is the reward.
- The halfway viewpoints — pull-offs perched directly above the ocean; in whale season (July–November) you can sometimes spot southern right whales in the swells below.
- Chapman's Point — the southern end, with the full sweep of Noordhoek's five-kilometre beach laid out beneath you. Sunset here is unforgettable.
Good to know before you go
- It's a toll road — a modest fee per car, worth every cent.
- It closes in extreme weather — after heavy rain or high winds the road can shut for rockfall safety, usually reopening quickly. A local guide knows the status before setting out and the best alternative route if needed.
- Direction matters — driving south from Hout Bay puts you on the ocean side of the road for the biggest views; north from Noordhoek gives you the cliffs at golden hour.
- It's a sporting legend too — Chappies is the iconic stretch of both the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon, "the world's most beautiful marathon".
Part of the perfect Peninsula day
Chapman's Peak is a highlight of Cheryl's Cape Point & Peninsula tour — the classic route starts on the False Bay side with Simon's Town and the Boulders Beach penguins, rounds the Cape of Good Hope, and then returns along the Atlantic with Chappies as the scenic crescendo, before finishing with sunset at Camps Bay.
Driving it yourself means watching the road instead of the view (those 114 curves demand attention, and the drop is real). With Cheryl behind the wheel, you get the ocean-side window seat, stops at the viewpoints worth stopping at, and the stories — of the road's hand-built history, the ships wrecked below, and the leopard that once roamed the peak that gave the drive its name.
