Tourist attractions in Hout Bay, South Africa

Tourist sites: Since Hout Bay has a number of attractions during the Christmas holidays (Wich is also summer in South Africa) Hout Bay is buzzing with people. Traffic builds up quickly and the small village can be conqested by midday. The Hout Bay Harbour market is one of the places which gets filled quickly during this busy time. The market is used by both tourists and locals alike. Here handmade arts and crafts can be bought and a range of foods is available. The world of Birds is a bird sanctuary and zoo found along Valley road which is commonly visited by families with young children. Hout Bay Museum has a small information centre located in its premises. Leisure and tourism: Hout Bay Harbour: As a historic and still working fishing village Hout Bay's local colour and scenery make it a tourist attraction among both local and international visitors. There are a variety of restaurants in the village as well as two hotels (the Hout Bay Manor and the Chapman's Peak Hotel) a number of bed and breakfasts and self catering accommodation options.

The harbour has restaurants fresh fish outlets and craft stores with views of the bay and boat rides to Duiker Island and around The Sentinel. Chapman's Peak Drive is a scenic mountain drive and underwent renovations to ensure the safety of travellers using the route. The East and West forts built by the Dutch in the 18th century can also be visited with the original cannons and barracks still standing on the slopes of Chapman's Peak.

The East Fort is the oldest operating gun battery in the world. The mountains surrounding Hout also have hiking trails. In the same area is a bronze statue of a leopard on a rock at the water's edge looking out over the ocean. Fishing: Yellowfin Tuna Hout Bay Harbour: Hout Bay is the base port to rich marine life and offers some of the finest yellowfin tuna (Thunnus Albacares) longfin tuna (Thunnus Alalunga) and yellowtail (Seriola Lalandi) fishing in the world along with a huge variety of pelagic sea birds with many different species been sighted at different times of the year. Surfing: Off the coast of Hout Bay is a Big Wave known as Dungeons one of the sixteen recognised big wave spots around the globe. The annual Red Bull Big Wave Africa competition was held here. Swells of up to 47 feet(14.3 m) have been recorded here as well as numerous deaths as a result of boating diving and surfing related incidents in the area.