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.
Related: 15 Things to Do in and around Cape Town
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Photos (in order)
Related: Visiting Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town
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Note: 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. Book your Sightseeing Tour here.
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That’s it, 8.5 km of Cape Town Coastline. Am I the only one that wishes he could live here year long?
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), The Bay Hotel,and The Fairways on the Bay (the “budget”alternative on Camps Bay). I told you that Camps Bay was the most expensive real estate in Africa! But it really is stunningly beautiful.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to South Africa
Related: 8 reasons to go to South Africa. And why it is the most Incredible country I’ve visited.
Related: Photo Highlights of the Cape Peninsula
Related: Cape Town: Thoughts on people, race, politics…and why we can’t agree on 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.
Lovely to see your pictures.
Cape Town sure looks beautiful! We could live there year-round :-). The weather would be so conducive to enjoying the outdoors – and staying healthy and fit.
Exactly – that’s what I love about it 🙂
Prices in the Beverly Hills price range – Wow, didn’t expect THAT. Thanks for the little trip around Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles in the background are just stunning.
WOW!! Beautiful amazing post and photos!! I never knew anything about this country until you and Lissette traveled here. One of the reasons I love your page is because the two of you are very awesome people, and, you make it easy for any future travelers. You post very important information, beautiful photos and great places to visit!! Now I have another country on my list, and it keeps growing every time you two travel somewhere new!! I’m very excited about the next place your going to travel too!!
Awww, thank you so much Dee for the kind words 🙂
Just wondering if you two walked back or took a taxi? It looks worth walking back. Gorgeous!
No, I think 8.5 km was enough 🙂 we had a couple of drinks on a patio and just enjoyed people watching…then took Uber back to the apartment.
I really need to catch up on all your South Africa posts as I’m really hoping I might be able to make it this year and Camps Bay, oh my, it is too photogenic for words. Such gorgeous waterside views 🙂
Camps Bay is just a great place to go for a drink or meal and watch life go by. In fact we’re leaving in 2 weeks and I think we’ll probably go there on our last night for a meal by the beach.
Wow! This place looks so amazing! Gorgeous photos!
Thank you Valerie! 🙂
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.
That’s great! I’m curious and waiting for your new post 🙂
Great photos! Love the landscape the city is surrounded by. Not a bad place to start the new year!
Actually we’re ending our time here soon – we’ve been here a little over 2 months and have slightly over 2 weeks to go. We’ll miss it!
Amazing! I love the pics and the people that posed for you. What a beautiful place. How long are you staying? We are jealous. It has been raining in Brazil since September thanks to El Nino! We miss the beach.
Hi Elizabeth – we’ll be leaving in late January and kind of sad about it. But we’ll be back in South Africa, maybe as soon as next year.
I’d be so depressed being in a rainy place. I used to think cold was bad but I think lack of sunlight is the worst – I’d trade a warm rainy day for a cold sunny day anytime…
what splendid pictures! Love the people especially.
Definitely not. I am reading your post when behind my window is around 7 degrees – so I would love to be there! Great photos 🙂
Thank you Bugusia! 🙂
I love a good long walk! You can see so much when you’re walking, all of the little details. It was interesting to see the photo of the Twelve Apostles because when driving the Great Ocean Road in Australia, we saw the Twelve Apostles, but they are in the water. I wonder how many countries have a version of the Twelve Apostles?
True…in actual fact there are 17 Apostles in Cape Town. But yes, wonder how many countries have their ’12 Apostles”?
There are also 12 Apostles in Lesotho in the Drakensberg Mountains on the way up the Sani Pass! You’ll have to check them out next time your’re in SA Frank! Beautiful pics by the way, not that somewhere as gorgeous as Camps Bay needs good weather to show it off!
That’s true Heather. Would love to see the Drakensberg but won’t be on this trip…
Camps Bay has to be one of the nicest beach districts anywhere. So beautiful.
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…:)
My God, Cape Town is gorgeous! Your pictures are really feeding my wanderlust. I’ve never thought of Cape Town as a place that I’d want to live (not that I’ve been yet), but I can definitely see why the properties along the coast demand such high price tags.
Thanks Dana for taking the time to comment 🙂
We will be in Cape Town in July 2016 staying at the Table Bay Hotel after visiting Tanzania and Zambia. We are enjoying all your photos and comments.
Thanks so much for the comment Christina! Let me know if ever you need any info or have any questions – will help you out best I can 🙂
Nope! You’re not the only one who wishes they could live there all year long :-). Parts of the Bantry area looks like some areas of Malta with the rocky beaches, which are really just slivers, but work well enough. What a nice long walk that must have been. See..that’s more my style, none of this zip lining nonsense ;-). Absolutely stunning images. Happy New Year to you and Spanky!!!
Zip lining? That’s for little girls. Wait until you see what Lissette has planned (which I’ll blog about if she goes through with it).
Thanks for the nice comments Kemkem! All the best to you and Federico for 2016!!