Hiking up Chapmans Peak
Chapmans Peak must be one of the least hiked peaks on the Table Mountain chain and this really is a pity as it is one of the easiest and most beautiful walks in the area. Walking from the Hout Bay side and returning the same route takes between 3 and 4 hours on a clear well maintained path. It is uphill, but compared to many of the routes up Table Mountain it is really not too steep at all.
To get to the starting point go through Hout Bay and onto Chapmans Peak drive. Go through the toll gate but tell them you are hiking and they won’t charge you the toll fee. Continue up the road and after +/- 2km, just before you take the final right hand turn to the look out point turn into the parking area on your left.
The path begins in the left hand corner of this parking area. The first half hours walk is up a steady incline on a path made of huge slabs of Table Mountain sandstone. Walking on them you can’t help but wonder about the people who placed them there. Even if they were found close by it still must have taken a huge amount of time and effort. The path levels out briefly at a height of +/- 300m at a cross roads.
The cross roads. Little Chapmans Peak is in the background
Ahead you can see the steep slopes of Noordhoek peak with the path continuing to snake its way to the top. You take the turning to the right and continue on a good path around the peak now in front of you. This is Lower Chapmans Peak. The path climbs to a height of 420m and then traverses around this peak on the sea side. Behind and below you lie Chapmans Peak drive and Hout Bay.
Hout Bay lies below you, as you walk around little Chapmans peak
Having rounded the peak the path then leads you up to the top of Chapmans Peak itself. Although only 593m high the views from here are unbeatable. Fish hoek, False Bay, Noordhoek Beach and Kommetjie are all clearly visible to the South and East whilst Hout Bay, the sentinal and Table Mountain are on the North and West.
The view of False Bay and Fish Hoek from Chapmans Peak
You can continue on this path and end up at the other end of Chapmans Peak drive or on Noordhoek beach. Or the easiest route is back down the way you came.
