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Hi. Can anybody tell me how long a drive (distance and time) it is from Cape Town (we are staying in De Waterkant area) to Boulders Beach? Stopped at Boulders last year, but it was on way back from trip to Cape Point and someone else was driving, so I don't have a sense of the trip (I may have dozed off in the car ). We would be going during the day on a Friday in early August.

Thanks.

Alan, my satnav tells me that via the M3/M4 it's around 26 miles, and takes around 47 minutes.

Alan, I would allow at least an hour to drive to Boulders from central Cape Town. Also, there are roadworks from Muizenberg south on the M4 along False Bay. A good alternative route is to take Boyes Drive, which parallels the area of the roadworks.

I'd suggest that you go to the AA office in the Picbel Parkade, which is very near the Cape Town Tourist Info Centre and quite near you in Waterkant — just walk a few blocks east along Waterkant or Strand Street, and pick up some maps. If you're a member of AAA in the US, you have reciprocal membership in AA and the maps are free (I stock up almost every year ).

There are not a lot of alternative routes south. I'm not sure whether Chapman's Peak Drive has reopened, as that would be a scenic alternate route — that would be M6 south out of Hout Bay and then across the pennisula to Glencairn just north of Simonstown.

Another alternate route would be the M64 Ou Kaapseweg — take a right from the southern end of the M3, then left onto OKW. It's a very twisty but lovely route, so you need to take your time, and it eventually joins up with the M6. The AA's Cape Town Metropolitan Area and Pennisula map will make all this clear, it's what I'm using now because while I know all the alternatie routes, having driven them often, I don't always know the route numbers!!

Enjoy your time in the Cape, my home from home!

@anita: Best you not rely on your satnav, but get yourself some AA maps

Thanks again, Arks. Even better than the route and travel time information was the heads up about AA maps and AAA reciprocity. I will add my AAA card to my list of things to pack.

@arks: Alan asked the distance and time from Cape Town to Boulders. Obviously I can't give a precise time and there will be alternative routes, but I gave him a rough idea using the most direct one.

I've got plenty of maps but l like to use them in conjunction with my satnav. I'm not one of those drivers who turn their brain off when they turn their satnav on, but rather use it as an additional aid, and as such I find it invaluable.

I plan my routes in advance using maps, then enter them in my satnav, which means I can concentrate on the road and the scenery and not have to keep checking the map. It won't warn me about road works such as those south of Muizenberg (although it would in the UK) but neither would a map. It will, however, give me an alternative route if for any reason, whether intentional or not, I divert from the original one.

According to their website Chapmans Peak Drive is still closed with no indication of when it might reopen, so it's unlikely be open for Alan's visit.

Glad the info is helpful, Alan! The AAA reciprocity is a real plus and the staff at the Picbel Parkade office are very helpful. Another tip for Boulders is to skip the first turnoff (Seaforth Drive) and take the second (southern) one (Bellevue Road). The first leads to a carpark and longish walk to the visitor centre and boardwalks that overlook the main penguin viewing beach (Foxy Beach) and it is where all the tour coaches go, so it's generally very busy. The second leads to the carpark at the southern entrance, which is the entrance to Boulders Beach, which is a swimming beach where often you can swim with the penguins, which are quite used to people. There are also plenty of penguins on the rocks and along the paths to the south of this carpark, which is actually outside the parks area. There is a path behind the shore area connecting the two entrances. I found the Boulders Beach entrance by chance and prefer that part of the area to the "main penguin viewing" boardwalks, but both are worth visiting, since the experience is quite different.

@Anita: I was only trying to be helpful by providing you with a bit of "local knowledge" (both from my personal experience late last year and from reading recently that these roadworks are likely to continue indefinitely). No offense meant, and no need to "justify" your use of the satnav, to each his own Enjoy your trip!

The lovely thing about Cape Town is the endless possibilities, each scenic in its own way. I do think that the biggest problem right now is all the road works taking place in preparation for 2010. I was going to suggest on of my favourite drives and then I thought, "isn't Chapman's Peak still closed?"

It depends on day & time you want to go. Getting through central Cape Town might take some time, but after that, using the freeways an hour is plenty.