Last year I travelled to South-Africa with my husband, our 2 children (10 and 13 at the time) and my retired parents. Three generations on the road! It was a huge job to plan a trip to Cape Town that would be fun for all the 3 generations. Sometimes we did something that was great for the kids, like visiting a wildlife ranch, while on the other hand taking a tour through the vineyards of the Wine Estate Toren was fun for the adults. The day trip from Cape Town to Cape Peninsula in South Africa is a spectacular experience with amazing sights and experiences. Read on to know about it.
Table of Contents
Day Trip From Cape Town To Cape Peninsula
But the one thing we all liked the most was a tour around the Cape Peninsula.
Cape Town is situated on a peninsula on the southernmost tip of Africa and it takes one day to get around the Cape Peninsula and enjoy all the sights and experiences along the road.
The route is about 160 kilometres and takes you across a variety of landscapes.
Muizenberg
We started our tour in Muizenberg, but you can start from any other location as well. Muizenberg is a quiet coastal town with 40 kilometres of long white beaches. It is famous for its brightly coloured beach cabins. Instagrammers love it because it’s a great photogenic place. Muizenberg is named after Wynand Muijs who, beginning in 1743, commanded the military post on the mountain at the beach. In the 19th century, it was a popular holiday destination for South Africans. The beautiful villas of that time are today a shadow of their past.
On the beach, you will find Surfer’s Corner, one of the better surf schools for children. The beach is always full of little surfers. On the Main Road, you will find the former house of Cecil Rhodes (1st Cape Colony Minister at the end of the 19th century), now serving as a museum. If you leave Muizenberg, heading to Simon’s Town, you will pass the beautiful railway station.
Simon’s Town
The next stop took us to Simon’s Town at False Beach. Since 1957, this has been the headquarters of the South African Navy. The town is named after Simon van der Stel who took shelter here in 1687 against the raging storms around the Table Bay.
On Jubilee Square is a special statue of a Danish dog and a sailor. The dog, Just Nuisance, was the mascot of British sailors during WWII. The dog was even accorded a military funeral. The kids loved that story of the dog.
The Boulders
Just past Simon’s Town, you pass the Boulders, the highlight of the tour for the kids (and I must admit it’s one of my favourite parts too). On this beach, a colony of black feet penguins has lived since 1982. Twenty years ago, during our first visit, you could still walk over the beach, but today a wooden footpath has been laid out. Probably for the best because it would be a shame if the penguins left. The penguins waddle next to you and you can walk to the nesting zone in the dunes. One could spend hours at this lovely place in the company of the pretty penguins.
Cape of Good Hope
At one point you pass the exit to Cape of Good Hope where you have to pay an access fee. Initially, this place was called the Storm Cape, but the Portuguese king hoped to find a new route to India and changed its name to Cape of Good Hope. In the past, this was the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, but today it belongs to the Table Mountain National Park. For the most spectacular views, take the cable car, the Flying Dutchman, to the old lighthouse. You then float more than 200 meters above the ocean. There are also numerous hiking trails. The surroundings are, because of the strong wind, desolate so it’s not really one of my favourite places. But because of the historical value, you must visit here once.
Legend of the Flying Dutchman: This legend originated in 1641 when a Dutch captain got into a storm. When his ship began to sink, he swore that he would round the Cape, even if it took until Judgment Day. Since then a ghost ship has often been seen with broken masts and torn sails. Once again a thrilling story for the kids.
When you get out of the park, take the M65 north-west. We made a stop in the cozy town of Kommetjie. We had lunch at Fishermans, a cozy, simple restaurant where they served crispy fresh fish.
Houtbay is a larger coastal town with numerous eateries. It is an important fishing village (although it is now in danger of being over-exploited) and during the weekends it is a popular seaside resort. In the harbour, you can book a boat trip to spot seabirds or to sail to the Cape to see seals on Duivels Island. In the bay is a huge image of a leopard on a high stone. It was made by a local artist in 1963 as a reminder of wildlife that once lived in this area.
Chapmans Peak
The next part is the most amazing part of the tour. Further to the east rises the mountain range Chapman’s Peak. The road that passes along these cliffs guarantees beautiful vistas. There are many opportunities to park your car and enjoy the amazing scenery! It is said that this part is one of the most beautiful road trips in the world.
After that, you will pass numerous beaches such as Clifton, Camps Bay, and Llandudno. If the weather is nice, these are perfect beaches to relax for a while.
We didn’t do that, but we turned right to Groot Constantia.
Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is, as the oldest wine farm, the cradle of South African viticulture. Nowadays it is a true tourist attraction with a museum, tasting room, -and a large (wine) shop. If you don’t make it into the wine region, visiting Groot Constantia is a good alternative. The adults tasted some wine and the kids explored the shop and found out they even have a Monopoly- Cape Town version.
If I can give you a piece of advice. Book a helicopter Flight at the Albert and Victoria Waterfront. This way you don’t have to get tot he top of the Table Mountain, but you just fly over it. We made a 25-minute flight that flies about the same route as the tour around the Cape Peninsula (it’s best to take the road trip first and take the helicopter flight afterwards) It’s great to recognize the places you visited before. Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, the 12 Apostles and the beautiful beaches are spectacular from this point of view. We made a 25-minute flight, but according to our children, it seemed 25 seconds!
Cape Town Tourism
How To Get To Cape Town
If you are planning a holiday in Cape Town, you can book flights right here, through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline.
Where to stay in Cape Town, South Africa
If you are planning to visit Cape Town, South Africa and wondering about your stay, no worries, you can do your hassle-free hotel booking right here through
TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Agoda or Makemytrip or Priceline and get awesome deals and savings.
| Click here to book the best hotel/resort in Cape Town |
|---|
Tours/Activities available in Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is a revelation of sorts and there is so much to see and experience in the region. You can book your Cape Town attractions and the best Cape Town tours right here.
| Click here to know more and book Best Attractions in and around Cape Town |
|---|
Driving around Cape Town
If you are looking at getting the best deals on car rental in Cape Town, South Africa look no further. You can rent a car in Cape Town, South Africa to explore and experience amazing Cape Town and in and around areas and embark on a road trip of exploration and discovery of Cape Town area, South Africa.
Have you been to Cape Town? Which is your favourite place out there in South Africa?
Check out some of our Africa related posts:
Nyungwe Canopy Walk in Rwanda – An Unforgettable Experience
On the Trail of the Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
An enchanting Boat Cruise on the Lake Kivu
10 Reasons why one must visit Rwanda
Top 10 Places for Stargazing in the World
Why we cried at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda
Do You Love Traveling?
Do you want to know how to travel the world? We have put together a very useful travel resources page with best travel tips. Go check it out now.
Thanks for visiting our site Voyager – imvoyager.com and taking the time to read this post!
If you wish to collaborate/work with us then reach us at [email protected]
We’d love if you’d comment by sharing your thoughts on this post and share this post on social media and with your friends.
[shareaholic app=”share_buttons” id=”27413782″]
Follow our journey on our social media channels:
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
60+ Million Users Trust TripAdvisor With Their Travel Plans. Shouldn’t You?
It’s absolutely beautiful there! I would love to see it in person one day. I can’t believe that water!
Such fun to take a virtual tour through your journey and I love how you went into some history about things. I loved learning more about Cape Hope especially!
This sounds like an incredible trip, and the trip of a lifetime! I would love to go and check out the scenery and the wildlife. How cool to be able to explore there.
I have never been in that place but it looks like a nice place to explore and a place for a great adventure.
Wow I would love to stumble upon some penguins. What a beautiful time and so much fun for the whole family.
Wow what a trip you had. Cape town is so on my bucket list! I’d love to visit with my family!
Wow, this trip sounds amazing! Seeing the beautiful places and penguins would be fantastic!
Visiting Cape Town is on my travel bucket list. I would absolutely love to visit there someday!
This looks amazing. It is so beautiful. I can’t believe you were able to see the penguins in the wild.
This looks like such a fun trip! Ive always wanted to visit South Africa. I’m originally from Liberia, West Africa
wow.. amazing view! I would love to visit Cape Town. It’s actually on my travel bucket list!
I have always want to go to Cape Town. There is so much amazing history there!
Oh goodness everything is absolutely beautiful! The peninsula shots you have shared definitely makes me want to visit someday. Cape town is now in my must visit list.
Wow what a trip! I’m loving the photos and would love to do something like that! Cape Town looks amazing
wow! lovely pics
That place is beautiful! Gotta love those colorful cottages. And those penguins are just so adorable. I hope I get to visit that part of the world one day.
This sounds like a great trip! My husband and I are full time travelers but have not made it to South Africa yet.
WOW, this looks and sounds like an incredible trip! The penguins alone are worth visiting!
The places mentioned are so beautiful and the penguins.. absolutely adorable! Would love to visit South Africa soon!
Oh this brings back happy memories. My husband and I spent 5 weeks in South Africa for our 10th wedding anniversary, back in 2004. We loved the road trip around the Cape Peninsula, especially Boulders Beach for the penguins and Chapmans Peak.
So many nice options! I’ve seen Muizenberg on Instagram so many times! Boulders as well with its cute penguins. However, for me the highlight would be the road trip offering the amazing vistas!
Definitively one of the best day trips to take from Cape Town. Another one being a day out in the winelands. And who doesn’t love the little penguins!
This would be such a dram-trip for us! I’ve always wanted to see the black feet penguins, but in this case there’s so much more to see and do! And with such amazing views, we’ve just added the whole day trip to Cape Peninsula to our bucket list!
The emerald sea is absolutely stunning. I think Cape Town to Cape Peninsula must be one of the best road trips. What a fun to be able to see Penguins in warm climate. Definitely worth a visit. 🙂 Thanks.
It’s so great you managed to keep all the family happy with this, although who wouldn’t be happy with penguins!? I remember learning about the Cape of Good Hope in school, not the part about the Flying Dutchman though, that was Pirates of the Caribbean!
I love going on day trips! I’ve never been to cape town nor the cape peninsula and would definitely visit Muizenberg. I’m a sucker for colorful buildings!
Wow, the scenery is absolutely mesmerizing. Are those drone shots yours? So beautiful. Good on you for planning a trip for so many people also, I’m impressed!
I absolutely love Cape Town! I was there again a few months ago and this time didn’t make it to Cape Peninsula, which I think deserves as many visits as one can make.
Oh my gosh! What a cute location! I love all of the penguins!