Chapman's Peak Drive
Length
9km
Elevation
592m at Chapman's Peak summit
Hairpins
114 curves through granite cliff face
Carved from solid granite. 114 curves. The Atlantic below.
The Map
Chapman's Peak Drive runs along the western face of Chapman's Peak — a 592-metre granite massif on the Cape Peninsula south of Cape Town — connecting Noordhoek to Hout Bay over 9km. The road was blasted and hand-carved from the sheer granite cliff face between 1915 and 1922, following the granite-shale interface where the different rock types meet and where explosives could create the most stable ledge. The Atlantic Ocean is directly below throughout; the road clings to the cliff with no safety margin visible from the driver's seat.
The Approach
From Hout Bay the road begins in the town itself — cafés, fish market, the visible activity of a small Cape fishing community. The entrance to the toll road is marked by the arch. Beyond the arch the road begins its traverse of the cliff face immediately: within 200 metres the Atlantic is below to the left and the granite rises vertically to the right. The exposure is total and immediate. There is no gradual approach.
The Ascent
The 114 curves that make up Chapman's Peak Drive are more varied than the numbered hairpins of alpine roads — they include open traverses, tight reversal hairpins, gallery sections cut through solid granite, and sweeping bends above dizzying drop-offs. The surface is consistently good, maintained by the toll operator. The road is narrow enough that overtaking is inadvisable; two vehicles pass with care but not difficulty. Baboons occupy the cliff sections and the roadsides with magnificent indifference to traffic.
“The road should not be here. The fact that it is says something important about what humans will do for a view.”
— Cape Times, Chapman's Peak reopening editorial, 2004
History
The road was built by convict labour under the supervision of Sir Nicolas de Vries, the first surveyor-general of roads in the Cape Colony. Construction began 1915, completed 1922. The road closed from 2000 to 2004 for safety improvements and rockfall protection netting installation after a fatal rockfall incident. It remains closed intermittently after heavy rainfall. The Cape Epic mountain bike race and the Cape Argus Cycle Tour use it as a feature stage. It appears in the Cape Town international Cape to Rio Boat Race start ceremony each year.
What to Drive Here
Practical Notes
Toll road; check operational status before visiting (chapmanspeakdrive.co.za). Closes after heavy rain due to rockfall risk. Baboons: do not feed, do not open windows or sunroofs, keep car locked. The Hout Bay harbour (seafood, Cape fur seals) and Noordhoek beach (longest beach in the Cape) bookend the drive — build both into the itinerary. Sunset over the Atlantic from the lookout points is among the great views available from a road anywhere in the world.
Best Season
Year-round (summer: Oct–Mar; wind: year-round)
Access
Variable — closes after heavy rainfall (rockfall risk)
Surface
Asphalt, good condition, two lanes
Country
South Africa, Cape Peninsula, Western Cape