FIELD TRIP: Day tour of the Cape Peninsula , guided by Professor Compton
DETAILS:
Date: Saturday 17 October 2026
Leader: Professor John Compton
Time: 8:30 am to 16:00 pm
Cost pp: R3 000
Min pax: min 10, max 28
DESCRIPTION:
This excursion takes you to the most scenic outlooks in the Cape Town area which provide the perfect place to explore and learn about the geology. We will first visit Signal Hill for a view of the City Bowl and its surrounding geology. We then head down to the Atlantic seashore to the Sea Point Contact, which Charles Darwin visited in 1836, to examine the spectacular exposures of where the hot Cape Granite intruding into the Malmesbury shale 545 million years ago. We then go to Hout Bay and Chapman’s Peak Drive to see weathered granite, dolerite dykes and beautifully exposed mudstone and sandstone rocks of the lowermost Table Mountain Group. In addition to the geology, the trip will include aspects of landscape evolution, plants of the unique and diverse fynbos floristic region and the history of geology.
ITINERARY:
8h30 – 9h00 : Transit: Lagoon beach to Signal Hill
9h00 – 9h30 : Visit of Signal Hill lookout.
9h30 – 10h00 : Transit to Sea Point
10h00 – 10h30 : Visit to the Sea Point Contact.
10h30 – 12h00: Transit to Hout Bay, with stops along Chapman’s Peak Drive to Cape Point
12h00 – 12h30: Visit Cape Point
12h30 – 13h30 Transit to Hout Bay for Lunch
13h30 – 15h00 : Lunch
15h00-16h00: Return to Lagoon Beach Hotel
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- All participants will receive a copy of Compton’s West Coast, A Natural History as a field guide (if you already own a copy you can use the R250 credit toward another of Compton’s books).
- Lunch : fish and chips at a bistro in Hout Bay,
- Bus transfers from lagoon Beach and return
WHAT TO WEAR:
Participants need to wear appropriate gear and clothing for the weather conditions.