Hout Bay is approximately 18 to 22 Km (11 to 14 miles) south of Cape Town city center, depending on the chosen route. The drive time can vary from 30 minutes to much longer when the roads are busy. It's a suburb of Cape Town, small and independent, surrounded by mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and wine farms.
A popular seaside resort town, it also provides a convenient base for visitors to enjoy Cape Town and Peninsula attractions. A selection of B&B’s, self catering apartments and hotels support visitors’ accommodation needs.
A trip up Chapman's Peak Drive must not be missed when visiting Hout Bay, for the stunning panoramic views it provides over Hout Bay, ocean cliffs and mountains, including the iconic Sentinel.
Surfing - Hout Bay is one of sixteen recognised big wave surfing spots around the globe and is known among the surfing community as "Dungeons".
Hout Bay’s powdery white sand beach stretches almost a kilometer, varying between 200 and 400 meters wide. The beach is split in the middle by Hout Bay River but is accessible from both sides. The Chapman’s Peak side of the beach is best for sunbathing and provides safe swimming. Water sports include surfing, kite surfing and boating in the protected bay,
Early morning horse rides on the beach are available, with stables located in the vicinity.
Hout Bay Beach in late afternoon (Attribution: PZFUN)
Hout Bay harbour attractions include a small craft marina, a commercial fishing fleet, a craft market and Mariners Wharf (for seafood lovers).
The fishing harbor is a great place to stop for lunch during your tour of the Peninsula, especially for sea food - fish and chips or restaurant style. The harbor is also departure point for harbour boat trips and trips to the small rocky Duiker Island, with its large colony of raucous, cavorting seals.
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Hout Bay, Cape Peninsula
[3:18 min] [Attribution: Mendelsohnmedia]
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Panoramic view across Hout Bay to the Sentinel (Above)
Dungeons can only be reached by boat and is for very experienced surfers only! Located over a shallow reef beneath Hout Bay's Sentinel and south of Duiker Island, the break only works in winter when huge icy waves driven by winter storms in the South Atlantic reach Hout Bay. Exactly when this occurs and the size of wave is therefore unpredictable. It is classed as one of the official "big wave" surf spots around the world. The swell, when it's breaking, can reach between 15 and 50 feet.
The waves have attracted the best big wave surfers in the world and are reputed to have the power to scare even the most experienced of them.
Come Prepared - Big Wave Surfing South Africa
[1:22 min] [Attribution: RebelTV]
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Surfing at Dungeons in Hout Bay...don't be shy...
[2:44 min] [Attribution: Dungeon Ninja]
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More: Cape Town
Cape Peninsula Attractions
| Highlights of the Cape Peninsula| Boyes Drive | Cape Town and Peninsula Beaches |
|
Camps Bay | Cape Point and Cape Of Good Hope Nature Reserve |
| Chapman's Peak Drive |False Bay Attractions and Activities |
|
Groot Constantia Wine Estate |
Hout Bay | Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens |
| Llandudno | Penguin Colony at Boulders | Silvermine Nature Reserve |
COLDER OCEAN TEMPERATURES |
TABLE BAY BEACHES: |
Blouberg Strand | Milnerton |
ATLANTIC SEABOARD BEACHES: |
Clifton's Beaches | Camps Bay |
Llandudno | Hout Bay |
SOUTH ATLANTIC BEACHES: |
Noordhoek | Kommetjie |
CAPE POINT NATURE RESERVE: |
Diaz Beach |
WARMER OCEAN TEMPERATURES |
CAPE HELDERBERG BEACHES: |
Gordon's Bay | The Strand | FALSE BAY BEACHES: |
Muizenberg | St James and Kalk Bay |
Fish Hoek | Boulders Beach |
MAP: Cape Town beaches and Peninsula |
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