Cape Point & Boulders Penguins Half-Day Tour from Cape Town

Chapman's Peak Drive

Chapman's Peak Drive links Hout Bay to Noordhoek on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, a nine-kilometre road cut into the cliff face with more than a hundred bends and sheer drops to the sea. It was built in the early twentieth century and is still one of the most photographed roads in South Africa; many visitors ask how to get to Chapman's Peak, and the answer is simply that it is the road itself, best enjoyed from a window seat.

On this half-day tour we drive it in the morning light, when the sun is behind you and Hout Bay harbour and the Sentinel peak glow across the water. The toll is included in the drive, and there are lay-bys where our driver can pull over for a quick photo when traffic allows. The road is occasionally closed in strong winds or after heavy rain, in which case we take the equally scenic route through Fish Hoek instead.

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is the rocky headland at the south-western tip of the peninsula, inside the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park. Portuguese sailors rounded it in the fifteenth century on the way to the Indian Ocean, and the wooden sign giving its coordinates is now one of the most photographed spots in the country. Is the Cape of Good Hope worth visiting? Yes: wild beaches, fynbos, ostriches, bontebok antelope and baboons are all possible on the short drive in.

A Cape of Good Hope day trip from Cape Town usually combines it with Cape Point a few minutes away, and on this tour we stop at both. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes at the sign for photographs and a short walk on the rocks. The park opening hours are roughly from 06:00 to 18:00 in summer and 07:00 to 17:00 in winter; the entry fee is paid at the gate and is not included.

Cape Point and its lighthouses

Cape Point is the dramatic tip of the peninsula where the cliffs rise more than 200 metres above the sea. The old lighthouse from 1860 stands on the summit at 238 metres, so high that it was often hidden in cloud, which is why a second lighthouse was built lower down the cliff in 1919. The summit viewpoint looks east across False Bay and south into the open ocean, where the cold Atlantic and warmer Indian Ocean currents meet.

From the car park you can walk up the paved path in about fifteen minutes or take the funicular for a small extra fee. A private Cape Point tour would linger longer, but on this shared half-day tour we spend around 45 minutes here, enough for the viewpoint, the photos and a quick look at the shop. The best time to visit Cape Point is the morning before the tour buses arrive, which is exactly when we go.

Boulders Beach penguin colony

Boulders Beach lies on the False Bay side of the peninsula just south of Simon's Town, sheltered by huge granite boulders that give it its name. An African penguin colony settled here in the early 1980s and has grown into one of the only places in the world where you can watch these endangered birds from a few metres away. Wooden boardwalks lead to Foxy Beach, where hundreds of penguins nest, waddle and swim in the clear water.

A Boulders Beach day trip from Cape Town is a highlight for children and adults alike; the viewing is easy, flat and takes about 40 minutes. Boulders Beach opening hours run from about 08:00 to 17:00 in winter and later in summer, and the entry fee is paid at the gate. Please never touch or feed the penguins; they are protected, and they do bite.

Simon's Town and the False Bay coast

Simon's Town, the naval town beside Boulders, has been a harbour since the eighteenth century and its main street still has Victorian buildings and a working naval base. The return drive to Cape Town follows the False Bay coast past Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay's fishing harbour and Muizenberg's long surf beach, then over the mountain back to the city centre and the Atlantic suburbs.

False Bay is warmer than the Atlantic side, which is why the penguins and surfers prefer it, and in winter you may spot southern right whales from the road. On this half-day tour the drive back is mostly non-stop so that you are at your hotel around 13:00, leaving the afternoon free for Table Mountain, the Waterfront or Kirstenbosch. Many guests combine this trip with our full-day Cape Peninsula tours if they want more time at each place.