How to get to Cape Point & What to do there
The Cape Point Nature Reserve is just a 1,5h drive from downtown Cape Town and so worth visiting. The drive there is spectacular and once you arrive you will see wildlife roaming free in the park.
We saw baboons, ostriches, rare zebra, antelope, and seals. In this blog post, I will tell you how to get to Cape Point and why you should visit this amazing place. Plus, some tips to get the best out of your trip.
What is Cape Point?
Cape Point is a point within the Cape Point Nature Reserve. It is often confused with the more famous Cape of Good Hope. Both Points are within the same Cape Point Nature Reserve which is also part of The Table Mountain National Park.
Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope are a short walk from each other and easily accessible from car parks nearby so you should definitely check out both when you are there.
Where is Cape Point? How to get to Cape Point?
Cape Point is located at the very south of the Cape Point Nature Reserve about a 1.5h drive south of central Cape Town. Half of the way is along the coast which makes it a beautiful drive.
Since Cape Point is quite a long way from Cape Town there is no public transport to Cape Point. So you have two options for how to get to Cape Point:
- Drive yourself by renting a car
- Take a tour (which we did)
Option 1: Driving to Cape Point by car
You can rent a car in Cape Town starting at 25 USD a day. You will also have to pay the Cape Point Nature Reserve entrance fee which is 350 Rand / 20 USD. Driving will also give you the freedom to choose what route you take there and on the way back.
I recommend driving down the eastern side of the peninsula through Boulders Beach and Muizenberg. This way you can visit Muizenberg Beach in the morning and then see the penguins at Boulders Beach afterward.
Then if you return to Cape Town on the west side of the peninsula you can drive along Chapmans Peak Drive. This road is considered by many people to be one of the most impressive cliff drives in the world.
Also if you return in the evening you may be able to see an awesome sunset from the car windows if you time it right.
Option 2: Take a Cape Point Bus Tour
There is a daily bus tour for 495 Rand / 25 USD per person called Cape Point And Penguin Explorer Tour. You will also have to pay the Cape Point Nature Reserve entrance fee which is 350 Rand / 20 USD.
We usually try and avoid group tours at all costs. However, we did not feel like renting a car so close to departing South Africa. So we reluctantly went on the tour, and we ended up loving it!
Below I will go through what to expect if you decide to book the tour. This is also useful to read if you decide to go by car, as it covers all the points you would want to consider stopping at with your car too. So let’s dive straight in.
Duration
8 hours. 9-30 ish to 17-30 ish daily
The bus was a comfortable double-decker and from the outside easy to spot as a typical sightseeing bus. Our tour guide was a really funny guy who was very enthusiastic about Cape Town and wildlife. He had a microphone and told a lot of interesting stories during the drive.
Pick Up Points
The tour leaves daily every morning and there are multiple pick-up points around Cape Town. When you select your tickets you will be asked to choose a pickup point. The pickup points have times next to them so the earliest times get on the bus first.
We were picked up in Sea Point and there were plenty of seats on board to choose from. So we were able to sit next to each other on the upper floor. But once we reached the City Centre the bus was almost full and groups got separated.
The people who entered the bus were from all over the world, from single travelers to families and couples. So if you are a single traveler this might be also a good chance to meet others.
Tip: If you would like to get a seat on the top floor of the bus and next to each other you should choose one of the first pick-up points so the bus is not full when you get on.
1. See penguins at Boulders Beach
2-hour stop, 152 Rand / 9 USD to see the penguins, option to buy lunch at the restaurant
The first stop on the tour is Boulders Beach. The drive there takes you out of the city center of Cape Town alongside Table Mountain towards Muizenberg Beach. The great thing about Cape Town is that any drive is spectacular because Table Mountain is always there.
Once you reach Muizenberg the bus winds its way along the coast to Boulders Beach. At Boulders Beach there is a penguin colony which costs 152 rand or about 10 USD to enter. The penguin colony is amazing and should not be missed.
The contrast between the black and white penguins and the turquoise water is really beautiful. The penguins are also really used to people so you can get super close to them and they are not afraid.
Tip: The bay can get very busy but there are some boulders that you will see to the left of the bay. If you climb over these boulders or swim around you will come to some secluded areas where there are way more penguins and no people. So I recommend trying to find this spot.
Alternative: Visit Simon’s Town
We had already visited Boulders Beach before going on this Cape Point tour. So we decided we would go for a walk to nearby Simon’s Town instead. But if you have not seen the penguins yet you should definitely check them out instead.
Simon’s Town is about a 15 min walk from Boulders Beach and was a nice small town to walk around and check out the wharf. We decided to get food here as the restaurant at Boulders Beach our tour guide recommended didn’t look appealing to us.
And we found some amazing Korean food! So if you feel like getting something to eat in Simon’s Town I can highly recommend Minari Korean Kitchen. Great food, good prices, and super friendly service.
2. Drive to Cape Point Nature Reserve
After Boulders Beach it’s only a 30-minute drive to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. The road winds down the coast and there are some spectacular views of the beaches and mountains across the bay in the distance. You may also see some baboons on the road if you are lucky like we did.
3. Entering the Cape Point Nature Reserve
Once you arrive at the Cape Point Nature Reserve the landscape looks quite different from most areas around Cape Town. To me, it looked quite similar to Scotland as there were rolling hills with low bushes everywhere.
The reason for this is that there are very high winds in this area so vegetation doesn’t have a chance to grow too tall. So to our surprise, we quickly felt like transitioning from visiting a very tourist spot to going on a safari. Exciting!
Almost immediately upon entering the reserve, our guide screamed to the driver to stop. We thought something might have been wrong but he had just spotted a super rare zebra. Unfortunately, it was a long way from the bus so we did not get any good pictures but it was still a cool experience.
Something that made the tour great was that our guide was so enthusiastic about spotting wildlife. Even after doing the tours for 20 years! As the tour went on he spotted antelopes, baboons, and ostriches and always made sure we didn’t miss them.
Not sure if we would have had the same or similar wildlife experience in our own car, probably not. If you do, please let us know in the comments below!
4. Exploring Cape Point
Once you reach Cape Point everyone gets out of the bus and you can walk up to the lighthouse which is the actual location of Cape Point.
There are two options for how to get to the lighthouse from the car park:
- You can take the funicular (which you have to pay for)
- Or you walk for about 20 minutes a fairly steep hill up but nothing too difficult
The views on the way up to the top are amazing, especially on a clear day. Make sure to have sun protection, water, and sneakers. The rest can stay on the bus and will be supervised by the bus driver.
5. Walk to Cape of Good Hope
After returning from the lighthouse there is an optional 20-minute walk to the Cape of Good Hope. If you do not want to walk you can get on the bus and drive there.
But the walk is beautiful and not too difficult. The path winds along the top of some beautiful bays, bringing you down a fairly steep but short path to the Cape of Good Hope.
Plus there is a really good chance that you will see wild baboons on the way. You aren’t allowed to bring any food with you as the baboons might attack you and steal it!
6. The end of the tour
Once you arrive at the Cape of Good Hope you can take your photo with the Cape of Good Hope sign. Be prepared for a long line, but there is enough time. The tour guide won’t leave before everyone got their memory shot.
There was also a big seal colony near the sign on the rocks so make sure to keep your eyes open for them too.
Then the tour is over and you get on the bus and relax for the ride back to Cape Town where you should arrive by 17:30. Everyone will get off at the same stop at V&W Waterfront.
From there you can hop on for free on one of their other sightseeing buses that are leaving in the direction to where you got on or make your way home with your own transport option.
We hopped on a sunset sightseeing bus that took us along Sea Point. So we finished the day with a perfect sunset on the horizon at the same stop that we got on in the morning.
Is it worth going to Cape Point?
Whichever way you decide how to get to Cape Point, Cape Point is for sure worth visiting. The landscapes and wildlife are fantastic considering how close you are to a major city.
The Cape Point bus tour might be a little expensive if you are on a tight budget but we thought it was well worth the money. And if you have a group who can hire a car the cost will be much lower. Plus, you could take a drive along Chapmans Peak Drive.
Now you know how to get to Cape Point
Cape Point is an awesome place and a must-visit if you are in Cape Town in my opinion. We had no idea the drive would be so beautiful and rewarding with the ocean cliff views.
Plus we had a really fun tour guide and met some nice people sitting next to us on the bus. The wildlife spotting was also a big surprise for us, we didn’t expect to feel like on a safari!
If you have any questions or if you decide to go it would be great to hear if you liked your visit. Please tell us in the comments below!
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Hi, I am Allan, a travel, health and fitness fanatic from New Zealand. I'm a former lawyer who turned into a full-time nomad in 2020. For the last 4+ years I've been traveling the world. I'm always on a hunt for good food, activities on a budget and workouts on the go. I hope you find my tips helpful and get inspired to travel more!
