Cape Point Sunrise
As you continue along the M4 towards Cape Point, South Africa, the houses and beaches disappear and the cliffs take over. The road climbs high above the sea and the scene gets quite wild.
Then, just before you reach the gates of Cape Point, you will see a small parking area. If you have the inclination, stop the car and look down into the tiny, isolated settlement of Smitswinkel Bay, an informal group of maybe a dozen chalets and bungalows snuggling in a small bay at the base of the Cape Point headland. The remarkable thing about this little place is that there is no road down to the houses.
Everything must be carried in by foot, and it’s not an easy walk. I discovered the place early one New Year's morning when, after a customarily dismal New Year's Eve, I found myself driving aimlessly along the Cape Point road, waiting for sunrise. As I drove, I noticed a few cars parked at the side of the road, and I pulled over, hoping to join the party.
But, when I jumped out, all was quiet. The cars had to be there for a reason but I was stumped until I noticed a few small houses built around a little bay far below the road. My curiosity was fully aroused by now, so I found a path and walked down the steep slope to the sleeping settlement.
When I arrived at the bottom of the path, I tip-toed past the slumbering bungalows and took a seat on the sandy shingle. There I sat, watching, as the awesome seascape was slowly illuminated by the rising sun, and dawn spread over the glorious solitude of Smitswinkel Bay. It was an excellent way to start a new year.
If you have only a day or two in Cape Town on your South African holiday, this self-drive route around the Cape to Cape Point covers the gre...