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• Hout Bay Republic

Only a short drive from the city centre of Cape Town lies this historic and picturesque sea-side village, Hout Bay, the hidden gem that is alive with African sounds and smells of the sea.

• Boat trips to view Chapman's Peak
• Picturesque mountain and ocean views
• Situated on the coast
• Visit Duiker Island, home of Seals and seagulls

Hout Bay is said to be one of the Capesmost scenic coastal cliff drives, since it is especially winding, with a sheer drop to the sea. Described as an unusual road along a high and pictorial mountain on the one side, and the beautiful coast on the other, it can also be experienced from the ocean.

Hout Bay Harbour also serves as a departure point for boat charters to view Chapman's Peak and Duiker Island, which is well known for its enormous colony of Cape Fur Seals and seagulls. The area has an abundance of marine life, providing guests with exquisite views of sea creatures in their natural habitat.

Chapman's Peak

Hout Bay, with the 330 metre Sentinel on one side and the historic Chapman's Peak on the other, serves as a departure point for trips to Seal Island, as well as sailing charters and deep sea fishing trips

The Republic of Hout Bay

Originally a tourism marketing campaign activity for Hout Bay businesses, the "Republic of Hout Bay" - declared On May 23, 1987 continues till today. There are only three roads accessing Hout Bay, so stunt was easy to pull off.

On the Sunday Morning of May 24, roadblocks were set up and manned by white-uniformed and capped "customs officials", who were dishing out the the Official Hout Bay passport. But the punch-line was that there was a fee attached to it. And the various tourists and locals, discovering that the stunt was part of a charity fund-raiser, quite happily parted with some cash just for the sheer outrageous novelty of having a Hout Bay Passport.

What the passport actually was, was a booklet of discount vouchers, that when which voucher was presented at any eating and/or drinking establishment or any craft and souvenir shop, enabled the holder to some or other discount. Even more astonishing is that it appears, by various accounts, that some travellers have even had their passports stamped by customs officers on entry and exit through various countries.