Hermanus is a stunningly beautiful town, with green mountains soaring over sandy, boulder-strewn beaches and of course the best whale-watching on earth. But even before arriving in Hermanus, visitors can enjoy one of the world’s most scenic drives on the road from Cape Town. If taken at a leisurely pace, this drive can fill up the better part of a day.
 
While the N2 Highway is the most direct route to Hermanus from Cape Town Airport, and quite a lovely drive in its own right, the real scenery lies along the R44, also known as Clarence Drive. Exit the N2 in Somerset West onto Sir Lowery’s Pass Road, drive five kilometres, then hang a left onto Faure Marine Drive (R44). The next 30 kilometres will have you pulling off the road again and again to gawk and snap pictures of the jaw-dropping views. 
 
The road meets the sea just before Gordon’s Bay, where a plaque beside the scenic highway pull-off marks the beginning of the Overberg’s Whale Coast Route. Drive slowly along the winding road — the sharp curves make it impossible to move fast, and why would you want to? — stopping often to admire the craggy mountains, blanketed with fynbos, and the waves rolling into white sand beaches along False Bay.
 
The road skirts a peninsula in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, passing the sleepy holiday towns of Rooi-Els and Pringle Bay. Allow plenty of time for a stop-off in Betty’s Bay, home to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and one of the world’s largest African penguin colonies in the Stony Point Nature Reserve. 
 
On the site of an old whaling station, Stony Point has a conservation fee of just R25. Wander the wooden boardwalk along the beach, which allows humans to view the penguin colony in close proximity without disturbing the birds’ natural habitat. Lucky visitors might spot penguin parents nesting with newly hatched chicks. There is also a small restaurant at Stony Point.
 
The R44 curves inland at Kleinmond and eventually intersects with the R43. The R43 takes you into Hermanus, where more beautiful scenery awaits.