Private Cape Point & Cape Peninsula Full-Day Tour from Cape Town

Chapman's Peak Drive and Hout Bay

Chapman's Peak Drive is a cliff road that links Hout Bay with Noordhoek, cut into the steep face of the mountain high above the Atlantic. It took several years to build in the early twentieth century and it remains the most spectacular coastal drive near Cape Town, with lookout points over the sweep of Hout Bay, the Sentinel peak and the open ocean. The toll is included in your private tour, and our driver stops at the viewpoints so you can take photographs without hurry.

Hout Bay is a fishing village set in a green valley, with a busy harbour where Cape fur seals often swim between the boats. If you wish, you can take the optional boat trip from the harbour to the seal colony on a small rocky island just off the coast, a trip of about forty minutes that is paid on the spot.

Cape of Good Hope: the south-western tip of Africa

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland at the end of the Cape Peninsula, protected within Table Mountain National Park. It is the most south-westerly point of the African continent, a landmark for sailors since the late fifteenth century, when Portuguese navigators rounded it on the sea route to India. The famous sign at the Cape of Good Hope is a favourite photo stop, with waves crashing on the rocks below.

The reserve itself is wild and beautiful: fynbos heath covers the hills, and you can see ostriches, bontebok, eland and the chacma baboons that live here. The Cape of Good Hope opening hours are roughly from early morning to early evening, with slightly shorter hours in winter. Is Cape Point worth visiting? For views, wildlife and history, it is the highlight of any Cape Town itinerary.

Cape Point lighthouse and the clifftop views

Cape Point is the higher headland next to the Cape of Good Hope, with cliffs rising more than two hundred metres above the sea. The old lighthouse, built in the nineteenth century at the top, was often hidden by cloud and fog, so a newer lighthouse was placed lower down on the point. From the upper viewpoint you look along the entire peninsula and across False Bay to the mountains on the other side.

You can climb the path to the old lighthouse in about fifteen minutes, or ride the funicular railway for part of the way, an optional ticket. Our guide-driver suggests the best time to go up depending on the crowds and the weather, a real advantage of a private Cape Point tour.

Boulders Beach penguins in Simon's Town

Boulders Beach is a sheltered cove of granite boulders near Simon's Town, home to a colony of endangered African penguins that settled here in the early 1980s and grew into a thriving community. Wooden boardwalks lead to viewing platforms where the penguins nest, preen and waddle down to the water just metres away. Children love it, and the penguins can be seen all year.

Simon's Town itself is a historic naval town on False Bay, with a Victorian main street and a pleasant harbour. Boulders Beach opening hours are generally from about eight in the morning until late afternoon, with longer hours in summer. Entry to Boulders and to Cape Point is not included and is paid at the gate.

How to plan a Cape Point day tour from Cape Town

Cape Point is about seventy kilometres south of central Cape Town, roughly an hour and a half each way, and the route links several sights that are hard to combine by public transport. A private tour solves this: our guide-driver handles the roads and the timing, while you decide how long to stay at each stop. The day usually returns along the False Bay coast, past Kalk Bay and Muizenberg with its colourful beach huts.

The best time to visit Cape Point is on a clear, calm day; summer from November to March brings long days, while winter offers fewer visitors and dramatic seas. Our team watches the forecast and can adjust the order of the stops so you see the viewpoints in the best light.