Sandy Bay Shipwreck Hiking Trail

Location: Sandy Bay Shipwreck Hiking Trail
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park / Karbonkelberg
Nearest Town: Llundudno and Hout Bay
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 4 hours



Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, take the very scenic coastal road via Mouille Point, Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Clifton and then about 7km after Camps Bay, turn right into Llundudno main road and follow the signs down to Sandy Bay beach.



Best time of year to go: In winter if you dont feel like walking / running into the naked locals, and in summer if otherwise :)

Parking is a major issue in Llundudno so you will have 1 of 2 choices:
1. Do this walk on 'bad weather day' / go on a off-peak season day - which almost guarantees a good parking spot.
2. During peak season, consider the alternative parking route via Houtbay. (At the traffic light turn Right into Helgarda, second left into Edgar, then follow Kronezicht signs along brick road up to Sandy Bay parking. This will take you about 800m from the beach, which is similar from the other side in terms of distance.



What costs did you incur to do this hike: none

How safe is it: I would not feel too comfortable walking here on my own.

Fresh Water: None

Difficulty: easy to moderate.



Pets: dogs are allowed - take some extra water for your dog if you do plan to walk this route.



From the car park, follow the coastal trail about 150 meters above the water line.



This wide path above will make a sharp turn to the left, this is your point where you need to look out for a clear path to the right. This is the path you need to follow... always in the direction of the shipwreck.



After about 20 minutes of walking along the coastline, through dense bush, you firstly pass through a short rock passage (very beautiful), and then a granite rock shelter on the left. Its seems like people still live there, as there was freshly burnt remains and some litter lying about.

Continue pass this point for another 15 minutes and you will reach the first shipwreck (Harvest Capella 1986). If you look carefully, you will notice her rusted remains on the rocks of Oudeschip point. At this point your path will take you left and straight up the mountain towards the lookout hut about 100m above.



The path turns right again just after the lookout hut, towards the second (Maori 1909) and Bos 400 (1994). This path can easily take you 2 hours to get to these wrecks and back, so make sure you have enough time left to return back to your car during daylight hours.



We continued to follow the path straight up to the jeep track above, turned left onto the jeep track, and followed our noses back to the car park at Llundudno via Sandy Bay nudist beach.



How will I rate this hike?
We had no book to help us - only a trail which we hoped will take us to the shipwreck. It was a fairly easy path to follow, especially since you cant go too far wrong if you follow your nose up to the first shipwreck. From there is another more steep path to the last shipwreck, but we chose not to go there - for now. Should you wish to take this path further, you need to go with a guide or be well prepared as it is clearly marked as not for the day strollers.

Alex rates hiking in bad weather, the more extreme, the more he likes it. Me on the other hand, I do too, but mostly I just go with the flow and enjoy the moment for what it offers. We had some wind, but no rain - but glad we went on a cloudy misty cold day - as this was a strenuous walk and could be rather challenging on a hot summers day.

Once we got to the lookout hut above the first shipwreck (Harvest Capella at Oudeschip point), we continued to walk to the top path (jeep track) and then follow our noses again back down via a very clearly marked route - almost a jeep track.