A guide to walking the Atlantic Coastline of Cape Town
Our mission on this day was to explore the Atlantic Coast of Cape Town from Mouille Point to Camps Bay. We knew that it covered quite a distance and figured that we’d have to take a taxi for some bits…We started walking and just walked and walked, the views getting better and better as we went along. In the end we walked the whole thing: 8.5 km (5.3 miles). It took a little over 3 hours. It was a great day and if you’re in decent shape you can do it too!
Lots of photos in this post. In Mouille Point and Sea Point we met a lot of interesting people and they dominate the photos below. Then we entered the exclusive areas of Bantry Bay and Clifton, seeing fancy condos and gorgeous sea views. We finished off our walk entering Camps Bay, home of the most expensive real estate in South Africa. You’ll see why.
.
Photos (in order)
.
.
.
.
That’s it, 8.5 km of Cape Town Coastline. Am I the only one that wishes he could live here year long?
Practical Information
– Accommodation: Got money to burn and want those incredible views for yourself? Here are a couple of hotels in Camps Bay: The Marly (and despite those prices it still manages to almost always be full up) and The Bay Hotel. I told you that Camps Bay was the most expensive real estate in Africa! But it really is stunningly beautiful.
– Tours. Cape Town’s Hop-On Hop-Off bus covers the same coastline (for those who don’t want to do all that walking). We did it and it is glorious, even going further up the coast past Camp’s Bay.
Related: Photo Highlights of the Cape Peninsula
Related: A visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town
Related: The Ultimate Guide to South Africa
PS. Looking to book flights, hotels, tours, or rent a car? Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
Incredible photos! Stumbled upon your blog while looking up “inspiration” for arriving in Cape Town (which I will in April), and now I know what I’m going to do first! Great little hike! Think I will stay in Sea Point as well, so already near the walk you all took!
Lucky you Drew! 3 years of full-time travelling and our 3 months in Cape Town are still my highlight. Make sure to do some hikes and some road trips out of the city if you have the time (there’s lots on that on the blog). We stayed in the Oranjezicht district and loved the area, felt very safe.
This post might help you with some of the basics. Don’t be shy if you have any questions.
The photos are beautiful! I’ve checked the weather – is it really that incredibly hot there? You’ve been in South Africa for some long time – how would you sum it up? Do you like it there? Is it one of your favorite countries? How does South Africa turn out in comparison to other destinations? I’d like to know your opinions on this matter 🙂
Yes, it’s really warmed up the last few weeks and locals say it’s too hot (yesterday was 34 C). But in Cape Town you almost always have some wind to cool you down, it’s a great climate. We spent some time in the Great Karoo (semi-desert) over the holidays and the sun was scorching there and little breeze…was very hot.
Actually all your questions will be addressed in an upcoming post. It’s a complicated question…I love it in many ways, for sure one of the most spectacularly beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I’m still getting all my thoughts together on that, give me a few weeks and I’ll write my summary breaking down my feelings. No doubt though that it is a country that should be visited, I’m really happy we’ve spent all this time here.
It must have been a wonderful hike (walk ?) Frank ! I have done portions of all of it over the years, but it must be a very different experience to do it all in one shot . Each section is so different – but all so beautiful . And as usual , your photos are superb – the ones taken at twighlight and sunset being especially special. (Looks like you ended up at the Café Caprice in Camps Bay for ‘sundowners’ >)
Hi Tony – yes, very different sections and it was interesting to enter a new zone or turn a corner to totally different views. Actually we ended up in a nice restaurant where we ordered a bottle of white wine and had some fried calamari. Damn, life is rough…:)