CAPE TOWN SIGHTSEEING
With so much to see and do in Cape Town, it can be difficult to know where to start or what you can comfortably fit into one day. Luckily, we have seen it all and tested it all, and one of our team even lives in Cape Town, so let us take your hand and help you to plan your days in one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in the world. This page is just for land-based activities. We also offer diving activities, which you can view on our Diving & Snorkelling page.
Cape Peninsula Tour
The most interesting and fun bit on any traveller's list has to be the Cape Peninsula tour. This is a full day tour that showcases the highlights of Cape Town. The tour starts in the city and winds its way down the east side of peninsula, to Cape Point, located 66km away, before returning up the west side, with sunset views across the ocean. You can do the tour as part of a group, as a private tour, or even on your own with a rental car and Google Maps. Along the way to Cape Point, you can stop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the penguins at Boulders Beach. Cape Point itself is where the African continent comes to a dramatic end, with sheer cliffs rising up out of the ocean. There is also the chance to spot some wildlife, such as ostriches, Elands and baboons. There is a short hike to the lighthouse. On the way back from Cape Point, you will drive along Chapman's Peak, one of the most scenic roads in Africa, before continuing along the coastal road past Camps Bay and finally ending back in the city. There are many spots to stop for a sundowners or photos.
Guided group tours from ZAR 1,330 per person
The most interesting and fun bit on any traveller's list has to be the Cape Peninsula tour. This is a full day tour that showcases the highlights of Cape Town. The tour starts in the city and winds its way down the east side of peninsula, to Cape Point, located 66km away, before returning up the west side, with sunset views across the ocean. You can do the tour as part of a group, as a private tour, or even on your own with a rental car and Google Maps. Along the way to Cape Point, you can stop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the penguins at Boulders Beach. Cape Point itself is where the African continent comes to a dramatic end, with sheer cliffs rising up out of the ocean. There is also the chance to spot some wildlife, such as ostriches, Elands and baboons. There is a short hike to the lighthouse. On the way back from Cape Point, you will drive along Chapman's Peak, one of the most scenic roads in Africa, before continuing along the coastal road past Camps Bay and finally ending back in the city. There are many spots to stop for a sundowners or photos.
Guided group tours from ZAR 1,330 per person
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Half Day City Tour
Exploring the centre of the city is of course another thing you must do - the area known locally as the City Bowl, as it lies between Table Mountain, Devil's Peak and Signal Hill. This is a good idea for people who are into history and culture, as Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa. On this tour, you can see the Castle, which is the oldest building in South Africa and which is still in use as a fort today. You will also stop at Parliament and the Company's Garden, which was established by Dutch colonists in the 17th century to provide food for ships on their way from Europe to the spice islands. A pear tree from the 17th century still survives there, making it the oldest cultivated tree in South Africa. From Company's Garden, you head to the colourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, which somehow survived the forced removals of the apartheid regime, before finishing up on Table Mountain, enjoying views of the entire city.
Guided group tours from ZAR 610 per person
Table Mountain
The most obvious thing to do in Cape Town is to go up Table Mountain, which can be done as part of the Half-day City Tour mentioned above, or as an activity on its own. This is something that can only be done when the weather is good though, so you must take your chance when you have a clear day. The cable car is open from 08:30 until sunset and can be booked online, or when you arrive in Cape Town.
Tickets start at ZAR300 per adult. Queues must be expected. To book online, visit the website:
https://www.tablemountain.net/
The cable car is not the only way up, there are also a number of hiking trails. The most popular and direct is Platteklip gorge, but if you are a keen hiker, there are many more we can recommend. We can also arrange guided hikes. Table Mountain is 1087 metres high, which means the hikes are steep and strenuous, and can take up to 2,5 hours. They are all well sign-posted, but you should not attempt them lightly.
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Robben Island
Once you are at the top of Table Mountain, you will probably notice a small island off the coast. That is Robben Island, where the apartheid government sent political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island. Today, the island is a museum, open to the public. The ferry leaves from the V&A Waterfront, next to the red clock tower.
Tickets must be booked before you arrive and start at ZAR600: https://www.robben-island.org.za/tours
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Winelands Tours
South Africa is famous for its wine production and the home of the wine industry is only an hour outside of Cape Town, in the three small towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. Each town is surrounded by rolling hills and valleys and the drive there is quite scenic. You can book one of our guided tours to the winelands, or you can do it as a self drive. Many wine farms are open to the public for tastings and we recommend doing some research to see which ones make the type of wine that you like. Some prefer white and some prefer red, but at the end of the day, we are all humans. Many wine farms also have gorgeous outdoor restaurants, with meals ranging from steak and chips to 5 course fine dining extravaganzas.
If you do decide to self-drive, then we highly recommend catching the wine tram in the town of Franschhoek. This might be the most fun way to go wine tasting.
You don't have to go all the way to the winelands though, as the wine farms of Constantia are located just 20 minutes from the city centre. Groot Constantia was the very first wine farm in Cape Town, and over the years, it has been divided into a number of smaller wine farms, which offer wine tasting tours and excellent restaurants.
Half day guided group tour from ZAR 880 per person
Full day guided group tour from ZAR 1,180 per person
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Whale Coast Tour
Hermanus is one of the whale watching capitals of the world, and a beautiful town in its own right. It is situated 2,5 hours from Cape Town and the driver there, along the R44, is beautiful and there are numerous places to stop for photos along the way. Included in the Hermanus day trip is a stop at Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and the Fernklook Nature Reserve. It is an ideal tour for people who loves the outdoors. Whale season is usually between June - December
A further 45 minutes from Hermanus is the town of Gansbaai and this where the shark cage diving happens.
Whale Coast guided group tour from ZAR 1,180 per person
Shark cage diving from ZAR 2,650 per person
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Township Tour
The Cape Flats is an area steeped in history. This is where you will find the townships of Langa, Gugulethu and Khayelitscha, which were established during apartheid when black and coloured persons were forcibly removed from the city centre. A tour of the Cape Flats will give you a view into South Africa's ugly history, but will also provide you with an opportunity to witness the friendliness of the locals, as well as to learn more about African culture.
Half day guided group tour from ZAR 710 per person
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Other Tours and activities
The above tours are all standard, done as self-drive tours or guided in a minivan, but we can spice them up if you are interested. For example, we can organise e-bike tours of the Cape Peninsula, or traditional cooking classes. There are also helicopter flips above the city, or cruises down the coast to Clifton. For equestrian lovers, there is horse riding along the beach at Noordhoek, from ZAR700 per person. If you want to add something different, all you have to do is ask and we will do our best to make it happen.
If you find yourself with extra time in Cape Town, which we highly recommend you work into your itinerary, there are a number of ways to spend the day relaxing or having fun. The first choice for most people is the beach and Cape Town is home to some stunning beaches. Our favourite is Clifton because it is the most sheltered and arguably the most beautiful, depending who you ask. Next up is Camps Bay, which is a big beach, with many restaurants located just behind it, which makes this the ideal spot to have a drink or even a meal while you watch the sun set.
On the other side of the peninsula is Muizenberg, which you will have driven through on your Cape Peninsula tour. This is where you will find Surfers Corner and there are many shops here where you can rent a surfboard and wetsuit for an afternoon in the waves.
Further afield, you will find Bloubergstrand, which offers the best views of Table Mountain from across Table Bay. Pop into the Blue Peter for an afternoon of good times, good people and good views.
For shopping, you cannot beat the V&A Waterfront, which is one of the most buzzing places in Cape Town and is where the Robben Island ferry leaves from.
For food and restaurant lovers, it is simply not possible to list all the good restaurants in Cape Town as there are so many different categories. For fine dining, there is Test Kitchen, Pot Luck Club, Upper Bloem, La Petite Colombe, The Conservatory and the list goes on. For good views and good food, there is Chinchilla, Blue Peter and Brass Bell. There are also a number of rooftop restaurants in the City Bowl. Simply walking around the city will have you bumping into something interesting. For fine dining options however, you do need to book weeks in advance.
For pub crawls and bar hopping, Bree Street and Long Street are the places to be.
