Penguins, Cliffs & Coastal Views | Tour To The Cape Of Good Hope

Interested in seeing the rugged coastline and the fascinating wildlife on the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, including African penguins, cape fur seals, baboons, and maybe even ostrich, whales, and dolphins? Make sure to visit or take a tour to the Cape of Good Hope. This really is a must-do when in Cape Town, not only for the beauty of the Cape and its wildlife, but also for the history here, and how this tiny tip shaped modern South Africa. It’s the most southwestern point in Africa (Cape Agulhas, southeast of here, is the southernmost point). This post covers a visit or tour to the Cape of Good Hope, and what to see along the way.

Where Is The Cape Of Good Hope?

The Cape of Good Hope is at the tip of the peninsula south of Cape Town called the Cape Peninsula. On the map, it looks like a tiny little leg jutting out of the coast. It’s about an hour and half to two hour drive south of central Cape Town, although can take longer depending on the stops you make, road closures, and weather.

Don’t be in a rush, however, as the drive is full of beautiful surprises. This is one of those trips where it’s the journey is as important as the destination.

What Is The Cape Of Good Hope?

The Cape Of Good Hope became important as early as the 15th century, when Europeans discovered navigation around this cape for spices and other goods from the East Indies. Before this, routes were more treacherous and took much longer (including traveling overland or sailing through arctic regions).

The route past this cape was discovered by the Dutch explorer Bartolomeu Dias, who called it the “Cape of Storms”, as the weather and seas here were challenging when he passed. Later, it was renamed the “Cape of Good Hope” by King John II of Portugal, to highlight its positives, that of the hope of more trade and safer journeys.

This route was so important to Europeans, a refreshment station was created: a rest stop for sailing ships. Soon, a settlement was established here by the Dutch East India Company. Later, colonization of South Africa began by the Europeans, mainly by the Dutch and the British.

Today, the Cape Of Good Hope is a rugged and beautiful nature reserve. It’s bound by the cold waters of the Atlantic to the west and the warm waters of False Bay to the east.

It offers an abundance of diverse flora and fauna, including cape fur seal, cape mountain zebra, eland, baboons, ostrich, and even whales, who come to this area in the winter to breed and give birth. And, of course, the famous African penguins that call areas like Boulder’s Beach on the northern end of False Bay, home.

A Visit Or Tour To The Cape Of Good Hope

The drive down from Cape Town, along the mountainous coastline, offers spectacular views and many interesting places to stop. Here are some of the key highlights (after the more popular sights closer to Cape Town like Clifton Beach, Camps Bay Beach, and Llandudno Beach.

Hout Bay

After driving along glorious, seaside Victoria Road, with the mountains of the Twelve Apostles on your left and the Atlantic Ocean on your right, you’ll pass Hout Bay, one of Cape Town’s most southerly seaside suburbs.

Hout Bay is very picturesque, with yet another beautiful Capetonian sandy beach, backed by mountains, with shops and restaurants, and a marina with fishing boats and yachts.

If you have time, you can stop and explore this beautiful bay, but at the very least, stop at the Hout Bay viewpoint down the road off Chapman’s Peak Drive.

Chapman’s Peak Drive

Chapman Peak Drive is a stunning road overlooking the Atlantic. It’s carved out of an almost vertical face of rock with stellar ocean views. So beautiful, it’s often referred to as one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

It starts at the southern end of Hout Bay and continues down to Noordhoek on the peninsula. To see a stunning drone image of this road, Google Chapman’s Peak Drive.

If you’re leery of heights or winding, exposed, narrow, cliff-side roads, it’s best to let someone else do the driving on Chapman’s Peak. This road itself is one of the reasons why I recommend taking a tour to the Cape of Good Hope rather than self-driving. Not only because its beauty is difficult to really “see” when you’re driving, but also for safety reasons, including rockslides and extremely high winds.

Sometimes, because of rockslide and hazardous weather, Chapman’s Peak Drive is closed. You can check the website in advance to verify, but know that if it is closed, the inland detour can add an hour or two to your drive.

Noordhoek

At the southern end of Chapman’s Peak Drive, you’ll see the wide, white sandy beach called Long Beach in Noordhoek. It looks stunning as you drive above it. We did not stop here, but its beauty certainly called to me as we drove by.

The wind on the beach can be intense, which means that the waves can also be wild. Because of this, and the very cold Atlantic Ocean, swimming here is not recommended.

There are, however, several horse stables and riding schools here, so horseback riding on the beach is popular. Noordhoek’s equestrian roots date back to its ranching and farming days, which is also how it gets its name. Noordhoek is Dutch and means “north corner”, as this was once the north corner of the first European farm here.

If you don’t have time for horseback riding on this trip, make plans to come back. This tour offers transportation and horseback riding: Noordhoek Beach Horseback Riding from Cape Town.

Simon’s Town

After Chapman’s Peak Drive and Noordhoek, we crossed the peninsula to the eastern coast, then drive down to Simon’s Town. This charming town sits on False Bay and is popular with local and international tourists as the water is warmer than the Atlantic side and it’s less crowded than Cape Town.

It also offers historic Victorian and Cape Dutch architecture and a diverse heritage, including the Dutch and British, as well as indigenous people. This is also the home of the Navy of South Africa.

On our tour, we just drove through Simon’s Town, but this would make an ideal multi-day getaway from Cape Town. Especially as you can find rooms with a seaside view at a reasonable price.

Cape Of Good Hope

After passing through Simon’s Town, we drove down to the tip to the Cape of Good Hope. We parked, walked around to soak in the wild air, and took the obligatory photo at the entry sign. We could see fur seals in the distance, sunning in the rocks, and got to see wild ostrich roaming near the beach.

After this, we drove to the Cape Point Nature Reserve and walked up to the lighthouse for the incredible ocean views. We had a lovely, sunny day, but the wind was ferocious. I’ve read that this is due to the convergence of wind from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Especially in the summer months.

The walk up to the lighthouse is over 180 steps, but not too strenuous. If this is too much, there is a funicular. It’s called the Flying Dutchman Funicular. The ride takes about 3 minutes.

After the visiting the lighthouse, there’s a souvenir shop (of course) to stop at, a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the sea, and restrooms.

Our visit took about an hour. After this, we drove back up the coast to Boulder’s Beach to see the African penguins.

If you have more time, there is a short hike here called The Lighthouse Keeper’s Trail. It offers stunning coastal views and takes about an hour. It’s just beyond the upper funicular station. There is also a longer, more challenging hike called the Cape of Good Hope Loop. Both look spectacular.

Boulder’s Beach

Boulder’s Beach and its African penguins, is one of the other star attractions of the cape. We also spent about an hour here. This beach is back up near Simon’s Town, so you although you can do this in any order, we stopped here after the Cape of Good Hope. I personally thought this worked well as the hike up to the lighthouse felt great after the long drive down. Boulder’s Beach does need walking, but is much more relaxing.

Our guide’s had us walk beyond the entrance gate of Boulder’s Beach before we entered. This was brilliant as we got to see the penguins up close, in their nests away from the sea. As it was fall, when the penguins lay their chicks, we also got to see them laying on their eggs as well as a few baby penguins. They are behind the fence, in the scrub, so it was difficult to get photos, but still worth it. I will warn you that the penguins are quite smelly when you’re this close to them though!

After this, we backtracked to the entrance gate, which felt touristy. The beach is fenced with an entry gate, but once inside, there is a boardwalk to walk and take your time watching the penguins by the sea.

There is signage to tell you about the African Penguins. Some interesting facts include:

• The African Penguin is the only penguin in South Africa.
• They live for about 10 to 15 years.
• They can dive to depths of 130 m and swim at speeds of 20 km/hour.
• 80-90% of all penguin pairs stay together for life.
• Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which takes about 40 days.

Although Boulder’s Beach is a bit touristy, it’s still incredible to see the penguins in their natural habitat. The gated entrance feels an bit unnatural, but it protects the penguins, which are endangered. Plus, the entrance fee helps provide protection for these precious birds.

Kalk Bay

After Boulder’s Beach, we made a brief stop at Kalk Bay. This is a small fishing village on the west coast of False Bay.

It’s common to stop here on tours to see the fisherman in the marina and watch sea lions swimming in the bay. Our stop here was only for about 15 minutes.

Muizenberg

After Kalk Bay, we continued up the coast to Muizenburg, which is famous for its candy-colored changing houses and one of the best places to surf near Cape Town. Since the water here is on the Indian Ocean side, it’s warmer than the sea on the Atlantic side. It also has a sandy bottom and gentler waves, so it’s a safe place to swim and surf.

This post may use affiliate links. This means I may make a small commission if you choose to make a booking or purchase through one of these links. This is at no additional cost to you. If you find my content helpful, please consider booking through me as it is completely win win!

The town is small, but there are several restaurants and cafes. We ate seaside at Lucky’s Fish & Chips, which offers huge portions of fresh fish at a great price.

After Muizenburg, we continued our drive back up to Cape Town. For the perfect evening after your tour to the Cape of Good Hope, I suggest watching the sunset over Cape Town.

Taking A Tour To The Cape of Good Hope

If you’re looking for a tour to the Cape of Good Hope, Viator offers a variety of tours, from half day, to full day, and even private tours. Select the link above for the full list.

As noted above, I recommend visiting via tour rather than self-driving. This is because of the narrow, winding roads of Chapman’s Peak Drive and all the driving required to see the highlights here. Note that most tours do not include entry fees, so that is additional.

Want More Of Cape Town?

Here are some of my favorite places in and around Cape Town.

• South Africa Travel Guide
• Top 25 Things To Do In Cape Town | Beaches, Mountains, Wine, & Adventure
• Discovering Llandudno Beach | A Hidden Gem In Cape Town
• Hiking Lions Head | A Scenic Ascent To A Breathtaking Summit
• Secret Sunset Rock | Cape Town’s Hidden Gem For Spectacular Sunsets
• Exploring The Woodstock Street Art Scene In Cape Town
• Cool Creative Places | The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock
• South Africa Wine Country | Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek
• Hiking The Majestic Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
• Inside Robben Island Museum | Walk In Nelson Mandela’s Footsteps
• Castle Of Good Hope Museum | Unveiling Cape Town’s Rich History
• Skydiving In Cape Town | Soaring Over The Cape

Safe Travels!

Julie