Unspecified/General

Day tours combining Boulders Beach and Cape Point are among the most popular excursions from Cape Town, gathering into a single trip several of the highlights of the Cape Peninsula, the long, dramatic finger of land that stretches south from the city toward the meeting of the oceans. Operators running from the city centre typically follow the coast road past fishing harbours and seaside towns, stopping at Boulders, a sheltered cove of granite rocks near Simon's Town that is home to a much-loved colony of African penguins, where boardwalks allow visitors to watch the birds at close range on the sand. The route continues to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point at the tip of the peninsula, within a nature reserve of rugged cliffs, fynbos heathland and roaming wildlife, before often returning by way of the spectacular Chapman's Peak Drive carved into the mountainside above the sea. Many tours add the naval town of Simon's Town, the surfing beaches of the False Bay coast or a visit to the Cape Town botanical gardens. For travellers short on time or without a car, such guided trips offer a convenient way to take in the peninsula's scenery, wildlife and history in a single memorable day. The African penguins at Boulders are the star of the trip for many, a breeding colony that established itself on these sheltered beaches in the early 1980s and has since grown into one of the few places in the world where the public can watch these endangered birds at close quarters from boardwalks and from a swimming beach shared, at a respectful distance, with the penguins themselves. The colony forms part of the wider Table Mountain National Park, and an entry fee supports its conservation. At the tip of the peninsula, the Cape Point reserve offers dramatic cliff-top walks, the historic lighthouses, and the windswept landscape where the cold Atlantic meets the warmer waters of False Bay, with baboons, antelope and rich birdlife to be seen along the way. The drives that link these places are scenery in themselves, the coastal road clinging to the mountainside above the surf and the famous Chapman's Peak Drive ranking among the most beautiful in the country. Guided tours typically include hotel pickup, an informed driver-guide and a flexible itinerary that may add wine tasting, a seafood lunch or other stops, making them a popular and hassle-free way for visitors to experience the best of the Cape Peninsula in a single day.

Type: Activity

Address: 15 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, South Africa