South Africa – Cape of Good Hope

n the shadows of Table Mountain, Cape Town stretches out in the valleys between the mountain ridges of the Cape of Good Hope. Higher up, one panoramic road after the other winds along the coast. The road then leads over the ridge and back down into the city. The sensation is like jumping from a cliff into the crystal-clear African waters and then resurfacing again on the other side of the valley. Behind the wheel, of course. A route for connoisseurs starts directly on the Cape Peninsula in Simon’s Town. The southbound Peninsula Drive (M65/M4) immediately gives you the feeling that you have arrived in South Africa: driving between ostriches, antelopes and baboons. But this is just a foretaste of what is to come. At Sun Valley, the road branches off to the absolute highlight of the route, but first there is the possibility to take a worthwhile detour along the beach coastline to Gordon’s Bay on the other side of the valley. The town is famous for its surfers, great white sharks and sometimes for unfortunate encounters between the two. A drive along Clarence Drive (R44) to Hermano is recommended here. From Rooi-Els onwards in particular, the route leaves a unique and unforgettable impression. All of this only in anticipation of the original destination on the horizon during the return journey west: the legendary Chapman’s Peak Drive (M6). So as not to make any false promises: the driver himself will see little of the spectacular view. This is due to the 114 bends on the 5 1/2 mile road, which was blasted out of the sides of the Constantia Mountain Range. Repeatedly closed for safety reasons until it finally reopened in 2005, the left-hand lane demands the highest levels of concentration. The route leads Chapman’s Peak Drive from south to north as is proper. To avoid the buses, of course, which drive only in the opposite direction. But mainly because the driver on South African roads is then only separated by a hand's breadth from the cliff coast, which drops away by up to 300 metres on the left. The route ends in Camp’s Bay, at the foot of Table Mountain. In one of the numerous bars, the passenger can then finally describe to the driver the views along the last section that only he was able to enjoy.