Betty's Bay and Clarence Drive in South Africa - penguins and views

Betty's Bay in South Africa is famous for its penguins, and right next to it is the breathtakingly beautiful Clarence Drive, which runs between Rooi-Els and Gordon's Bay.

Betty's Bay in South Africa

Located on the South African coast, about 100 kilometres from Cape Town, Betty's Bay was our first stop as we drove west from Hermanus.

The reason for our stop in Betty's Bay was that you can see penguins here. Signs clearly show where to turn off to get to the penguin beach. Would the penguins really be "home"? Yes, they were. As soon as we got down to the rocky beach, we saw them.

As we walked on, we saw even more. Lots of them! A rope keeps curious visitors a few metres away, but you can still get relatively close. Absolutely wonderful animals!

The penguins seem used to people and not very concerned. There is a sign in the car park telling you to check under the car before you drive off to make sure there are no penguins there!

Clarence Drive - from Rooi-Els to Gordon's Bay

After our visit to the penguins in Betty's Bay, we continued to Rooi-Els, where the famously beautiful "Clarence Drive" begins, or ends if you come from the other direction.

This stretch of road is truly breathtakingly beautiful, and it is highly recommended that you take this route, even if you could cut through to your destination any other way. The road winds along the waterfront, with the steep mountains on one side and the dramatic cliffs on the other.

There are plenty of places to pull over to pause, admire the view and maybe snap a few photos.

Gordon's Bay

Clarence Drive ends (or begins) in Gordon's Bay, a coastal town situated on a long sandy beach.

We chose to stay here for the night and had dinner at one of the many restaurants on the beach. The choice fell on Talla's Tavern which is a relatively simple, but nice seafood restaurant. Here it was shrimp with rice and salad, and a beer. Good!

Accommodation in Gordon's Bay

We went to the Big Skies Guesthouse in Gordon's Bay. This place has a good location near the beach and a reasonable price tag, so it suited us. The fact that we would be greeted by a Swedish flag was a nice surprise, and was apparently due to a previous Swedish guest donating this flag to the guesthouse.

Our nice room didn't have much of a view, but in return the balcony offered lovely views of the mountains. The breakfast was also excellent with everything from bread and cereals, to a hot breakfast dish as requested.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Starting from Betty's Bay and Clarence Drive, you can travel on to the beautiful coastal town. Hermanus. It is also well worth visiting the wind destinations. Stellenbosch och Franschhoek samt, förstås, fina och populära Cape Town.

Have you heard of Betty's Bay or Clarence Drive?

Have you heard of Betty's Bay or Clarence Drive? Have you ever seen penguins?