What better way to experience Cape Town's magnificent beaches than on the back of a galloping horse? If you love to ride, love the sea, and want to feel the wind in your hair, head to Noordhoek Beach or Hout Bay Beach, two areas near South Africa's "Mother City" that offer horse trails and numerous tour operators that can organize a ride.
Noordhoek is an almost impossibly picturesque white-sand beach that's a quarter-mile wide and 5 miles long. It sits below the scenic Chapman's Peak Drive, a cliffside highway that hugs the contours of its namesake mountain. In addition to feasting their eyes on the rugged scenery, horseback riders here can also visit the Kakapo shipwreck, tune into the local bird life and watch surfers and kite enthusiasts in action. Two of the best-known stables at Noordhoek are Sleepy Hollow and Imhoff Equestrian Centre.
Just three miles north of Noordhoek, Hout Bay is a half-mile stretch of gorgeous white sand that's popular with outdoor-oriented Capetonians. Stables such as Horse Riding Adventures or The Riding Centre can take visitors on early-morning rides, so as to not disturb families and sports enthusiasts who tend to congregate on the beach in the middle of the day. Riders can enjoy not only the lovely mountain scenery, but can also see dolphins, whales or seals frolicking in the calm waters of the bay.
Riders who wish to combine beach riding with riding on other types of terrain can team up with outfitters such as Horse Trail Safaris or Horse Trails South Africa. Horse Trail Safaris offers one- or two-hour rides from their farm in the Ottery section of Cape Town down to one of the city beaches. Horse Trails South Africa offers multiday horseback safaris around the Western Cape province. These trips are for experienced riders and include some time at the beaches in Noordhoek, Kleinmond and Hermanus.
It's essential to make reservations with a stable before attempting to ride horses on the beach or elsewhere around Cape Town. With the exception of the multiday rides, beach rides last about two hours. The well-known stables all have horses that have been specifically chosen for gentleness, in order to accommodate inexperienced or fearful riders. Riders should dress in long pants, closed-toed shoes and a coat or jacket in case of rain or cold weather. Both Norrdhoek and Hout Bay are best reached by private car, as public transit links are sporadic and take a long time.
