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Cape Town has several scenic drives that will allow visitors to enjoy the full Cape experience, from the richly vegetated mountains to the heady cliffs of Cape Point.

These spectacular sojourns should be enjoyed at your leisure, so head for the nearest quality car rental company, pick your preferred model and take to the road.

Cape Point

Follow the coastline of the Indian Ocean past the white beaches of Muizenberg and Fish Hoek and keep a sharp eye out for the pods of whales and schools of dolphins that flock to the relative calm of False Bay to breed or frolic in the waves. There are excellent view sites all along Boyes Drive that will provide sweeping views of the bay and beyond.

Pop in at the bustling fishing harbour of Kalk Bay where there is an array of restaurants serving the freshest of fish and other ocean delicacies. Then, if you have time, you can trot across the main road to a selection of curios and collectibles stores where all sorts of hidden treasures are waiting to be unearthed.

Make an effort to stop off at Boulders Beach, a great swimming destination, but also home to a colony of endangered penguins. Then it’s off again to the naval village of Simon’s Town where the English influence still remains decades after the last British fleets left the area. The tiny Simon’s Town waterfront has a selection of restaurants and pubs offering the perfect lunch time venue.

Then it’s on to the Cape Point Nature Reserve where wild life abounds. You can hike up the hill to the point itself or there is a funicular that will do all the work for the unfit and infirm.

Take the alternate route home, this time all along the Atlantic coast to the city. Marvel at the seclusion of Misty Cliffs and Scarborough and stop off at Kommetjie Lighthouse where the lighthouse keeper will be more than happy to take you on a tour of one of the last remaining manned lighthouses in the world. From Noordhoek you will have a choice of following two other very famous scenic routes – Chapman’s Peak or Ou Kaapse Weg.

Chapman’s Peak

From the slumberous sea-side suburb of Noordhoek, follow the signs to the awe inspiring Chapman’s Peak. Hewn out of the rock face itself by Italian POWs, the road literally hugs the near vertical cliffs of the Table Mountain Range’s backbone.

Chapman’s Peak forms one of the more challenging obstacles for athletes who take part in both the annual Argus Cycle Tour and the internationally acclaimed Two Oceans Marathon.

Take time out to discover Hout Bay, a virtually self sufficient suburb that boasts both sea-side living and mountain escapes. Then follow the coastline past Llandudno, Camps Bay and Clifton, all the way to the city itself.

Ou Kaapse Weg

At Noordhoek you can either follow the coastline or enjoy another drive with memorable views. Ou Kaapse Weg was built in the 1970’s and takes you over the Silvermine Mountain Range, through some of the most pristine wilderness areas and on into the Constantia Valley below.

The entire range is part of the Table Mountain National Park and boasts some of the most unspoilt examples of Cape fynbos. Take a stroll on the top of the mountain and enjoy the wonderful views across the southern suburbs and False Bay. After you’ve enjoyed a lovely sunset from here, you can head back to your hired car and make for the M3 highway home.