Exploring Cape Town’s Abandoned World War II Battery and Underground Bunkers
As you know, I’m always up for travel experiences that are a little offbeat and out of the ordinary. When Good Hope Adventures, my favourite provider of underground tunnel tours in Cape Town (and probably the only provider of underground tunnel tours in Cape Town) invited me to experience their “TOP SECRET” Tunnel and Bunker Tour, I jumped at the chance.
If you’re fascinated by World War II history, abandoned places and underground tunnels, or you just like a bit of adventure, read on to find out why you should add The “TOP SECRET” Tunnel and Bunker Tour to your Cape Town bucket list:
*I was a guest of Good Hope Adventures but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Apostle Battery
Referred to as the Apostle Battery (because of its location on the mountain range known as the 12 Apostles), this tour takes place at an abandoned WWII Military Base on Table Mountain. Built between 1939 and 1945, it sits somewhat neglected as a forgotten part of our city’s history.
The Historical context
Because of South Africa’s geographical location and its role in controlling the passage between the Atlantic and Indian oceans at the tip of Africa, Cape Town came under threat of German invasion during World War II.
After the events of World War I and in the lead-up to World War II, it was clear that Cape Town needed to take precautions against potential invasion from the sea. There was already a battery in Simon’s Town dating back to the late 1800s but it was decided that three main batteries would be needed to defend the Cape so one was established on Robben Island and this one was built in Llandudno.
This battery includes a fascinating network of big guns, tunnels, underground operation rooms, SSS radar stations and ammunition magazines.
My experience
Gun 1
The “TOP SECRET” Tunnel and Bunker Tour started at one of the two main guns where an SA navy veteran, Chris, who served for 47 years, gave participants some background on Cape Town’s World War II history and the need for the battery. He explained that this gun (at the top of this blog post) and its twin were capable of launching 172 kg shells (385 pounds - weighing roughly the same as 3.5 pockets of cement) up to a distance of 35 km (38 000 yards).
Pro tip: Pay attention, there will be an interrogation… I mean a "quiz" at the end.
Having recently explored the Simons Town Battery which predates this one, I have to say it looked very familiar.
From what I remember, the Llandudno battery was built in 1939 with guns that were moved here from Sea Point. As they were not ideal for aiming at a specific target, the British brought in the first of the big guns (like this one) in 1943.
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| Gun 2 - From behind |
Fortunately, the 270-ton guns looked adequately intimidating. Though German U-boats were in our waters, no German battleships ever came to threaten Cape Town and the guns were never fired in battle.
After learning about the gun, we then went journeying into the tunnels underneath it.
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The Tunnels
As the group began their descent down a long staircase, it dawned on me that I hadn’t really stopped to think through what the tour actually entailed. I was told to wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a torch.
My previous tunnel tour with Good Hope Adventures took me through underground canals built for water, not people, so I thought this one would be significantly less daunting.
I was wrong.
It was equally daunting just in a different way.
Before we went down into the first tunnel, we were told to hand our torches over or keep them turned off. Journeying into the pitch darkness of an abandoned tunnel, we were advised to keep one hand above our heads (so as not to hit them on the ceiling) and the other one in front of us and to feel our way through the maze of narrow tunnels. In fact, not only are they narrow, but they are low enough to require you to stoop the whole time so as not to bump your head. Nothing daunting about that, right?! It was pitch dark so you could not see your hand in front of your face. Sound resonated through the tunnels, so you couldn’t tell if someone was directly in front of you or a few meters away.
Those with claustrophobia or other reservations (like common sense) held back and either didn’t go through or were able to do so with torches.
It’s funny how I never think about whether or not I could be claustrophobic until I’m in a really narrow dark tunnel. Even just trying to get out of my wetsuit makes me a bit panicky and it doesn’t even go over my head! I have to confess, a few metres in, I had a “What have I gotten myself into?” moment when the ceiling seemed to be getting even lower and there was still no light at the end of the literal tunnel. It was also particularly scary when you hit a wall directly in front of you and even though there was only one way you could turn, you couldn't see that in the dark! Just when it felt like we had almost reached the end, there were some unexpected twists and turns and it got particularly zigzaggy.
When I came out the other end, I found myself in a large underground ammunition room where, together with the rest of the group, we learned more about how these batteries operated, how the military stored and moved around the ammunition, and how they avoided blowing themselves up. It was quite fascinating.
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| That's the face of relief |
After that, we left the first underground bunker out of the same stairs we entered through and then set off on a bit of a hike up a hill. I wasn’t really expecting this part of the tour but it helped me reach my step quota for the day and I appreciated the cardio.
The Turret / Battery Observation Point / Site C
A bit further up the mountain, we saw a Turret that has the remains of what I will call an "iron protractor table” in it. (That’s probably not the official name but maybe it should be.) Facing out towards the ocean, this table was used for figuring out the direction that the guns would need to be aimed to hit an approaching enemy ship.
There was also a space where another item of equipment had once been kept to determine the angle at which the gun would have needed to be fired to hit the target. This information would then have been communicated to those controlling the guns.
One of the most fascinating parts of the tour was learning that this observation station would have been "manned" by women. Chris, the ex-navy guest speaker, shed light on the pivotal role that women had played in WWII, manning this turret. He explained how women were recruited into these more intellectual and strategic positions, freeing men up for more physically intensive jobs. Fortress observation, battery observation, project room positions (or gunnery control positions) and SSS radar stations were among those staffed by women.
Gun 2
From there we returned down the hill and went to a second gun, identical to the first, where we did a second tunnel tour. This time we were allowed to keep our lights on, or in my case my camera light:
By the time we came out of the tunnel, and into the underground bunker or ammunition room, Matt — and his mannequin friend (I didn’t catch her name) — were in costume for the grand finale. A volunteer from the group was blindfolded and handcuffed to a chair and then interrogated on what he had learned on the tour. If he got anything wrong, he would be “tortured” with a forfeit (fortunately, in this case, that meant being tickled with a feather or shot with a water gun and not having his fingernails pulled out).
I won’t give away the ending and the dramatic escape we made from the bunker, but Matt and his team promised to provide “edutainment” and they certainly did.
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And if exploring an abandoned World War II bunker isn't already unusual enough:
Just when I thought I had experienced the strangest places in Cape Town, I came to this site. Not only is the Apostle Battery a World War II heritage site but it is also used as a Christian youth group campsite, AND it will soon become a luxury boutique hotel, restaurant and spa.
I’m okay with this idea. After completing an underground maze in a cramped space in pitch darkness and dramatically escaping a WWII bunker, a massage and a cocktail would be quite nice.
About Good Hope Adventures
This was my second tour with Good Hope Adventures. The first took me into the underground canals built by the Dutch in the 17th century.
This company has a unique ability to blend adventure tours with educational tours. If you would like an adrenaline-inducing experience where you actually learn something, give one of their offerings a try.
To find out more and to book your tour, contact Matt at mattweisse@mweb.co.za or check out the website of the Good Hope Adventures.
Other helpful information:
Are there any crawl spaces in this tunnel tour?
Unlike the underground canal tour that I did previously, this tour does have crawl spaces (it’s less a “crawl space” and more a “hunch over space”), but this section of the tour is optional. You can go around it if you prefer.
How physically fit do you need to be?
You need to be able to walk up and down a long staircase to get to the underground tunnels.
If you choose to do the tunnels you may have to hunch over so as to not hit your head.
One section of the tour took place in the observation stations higher up on the hill. For this, we were required to hike a short distance on a relatively steep gradient. Trees were in abundance to use to help oneself up the hill but the leaves they shed also made the terrain quite slippery. This was the most physically taxing part of the tour.
Guests are able to skip this part if they prefer.
The different camps or areas featured in the tour are subject to change and are dependent on what’s being used by the Christian youth camp.
Unfortunately, it is not a tour that is suitable for those with mobility challenges.
How long is the tour?
1,5 to 2 hours
Where does the tour start?
Matt from Good Hope Adventures will send you directions to the meeting point when you sign up for the tour.
What to bring
- Water
- A handheld torch
- Covid mask if you struggle with allergies
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Clothes that you can move freely in
- Sunscreen
- A sense of adventure
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