3 Best Sights in Kommetjie, South Africa

This historic Cape farmstead offers a hodgepodge of shops and activities, including an excellent if small wineshop, a deli-style farm stall, several decent casual restaurants and boutiques, and various animal-related attractions that children will love, including a petting farm with creatures large and small, and horse rides (this is where you can sign up for horseback riding along the beach).

A vast expanse of white sand stretching 6½ km (4 miles) from the base of Chapman's Peak (Noordhoek Beach starts here) to Kommetjie (where you find Long Beach), this is one of the wildest and least populated stretches of uninterrupted beach, with fluffy white sand and dunes, behind which sit a lagoon and private nature reserve. Because of the wind and the space, these beaches attract horseback riders and walkers rather than sunbathers, and the surfing is excellent (especially off Long Beach). There are no lifeguards and there is no bus service, and, as at some other beaches, at the wrong times and more isolated spots, there are real safety concerns (particularly the lonely stretch of sand right in the middle). Despite patrollers on horseback and the occasional all-terrain vehicle, crime is an issue here, and women, in particular, should be careful. Tourists always do best not to look like tourists. Hang out with other people, just in case, unless you're part of a group. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets (Noordhoek). Best for: solitude; sunset; surfing; walking.

Slangkoppunt translated literally means "snakehead point," and at 111 feet, this is the tallest cast-iron tower on South Africa's coast, and the views are incredible. Located almost exactly midway between Robben Island and Cape Point, the lighthouse has a 5-million-candlepower light and a range of 30 nautical miles. Since the lamp was officially lit in 1919, it has been capable of producing four flashes every 30 seconds. It’s one of the few lighthouses in the world still manned by a keeper—known these days as a "lighthouse officer." Tours of the lighthouse are available, but it is sometimes found to be closed even during its normal "working" hours (10 am to 3 pm). If you're alone or not in a big group, this is a safer place to walk than Long Beach.