September in South Africa is a whole month of celebrating and honouring; our heritage, the tourism industry and of course spring. If we look at all this we can surely share so much of this with you as an iconic experience and attraction in the once more award winning city of Cape Town.
In 2020 the Mother City was named "Africa’s Leading Festival & Events Destination" & dubbed the "Greatest City in the World". Continuing into 2021 along with us being listed as one of the most scenic drives in the world; the 2021 Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards has named Cape Town as the number one city in the Middle East and Africa, read more about it here on Biz Community Tourism.
Heritage celebrations for Chapman’s Peak Drive goes as far back to almost 100 years, with the Centenary looming on us in May next year. When we look at heritage it goes without saying that we have both natural and cultural heritage to celebrate.
Being in the Table Mountain National Park as a division of SANParks we are surrounded by the diverse Cape Floral Kingdom forming part of the UNESCO inscribed Cape Floral Region as a World Heritage site in South Africa, offering one of the world’s greatest centres of terrestrial biodiversity.
We work very closely with SANParks to ensure that visitors respect and help to preserve the natural heritage that we get to enjoy. During October and November SANParks will be having the annual alien vegetation clearing every Wednesday between 09h30 – 15h30.
Cultural heritage on Chapman’s Peak Drive can be taken from the time when the road was built. The kind of knowledge and info about the terrain and being able to carve out the road in a rather complex and geologically rich region is extraordinary. Planning and the need for engineering with rock fall mitigation is explained by Alexis in the video below to ensure the road could possibly be accessible for the next 100 years. For more details about the history of Chapman’s Peak Drive read about it here.
Engineering Planning Alexis Van Der Merwe
African Travel Crew
We also have cultural heritage in the form of the past with the ruins of the East Fort Battery, built in 1782 as part of the fortifications of Hout Bay by the VOC, the Dutch trading company that ruled the Cape Colony at the time. You can read more about this little piece of history found on Chapman’s Peak Drive here.
Exploring via Chapman’s Peak Drive whether for the Cape Floral Kingdom, fitness, fresh air, history or more you will surely want to discover more and more and if you use Chapmans Peak Drive frequently there are benefits by signing up to be a frequent user.
All users of Chapman's Peak Drive are encouraged to follow all COVID19 protocols when using the toll plaza services and when out at the picnic and viewing points. Enjoy the fresh air and open spaces responsibly and please ensure no litter or graffiti is left behind.
