By air
Cape Town (CPT), ~1 h
South Africa
Cape Peninsula, South Africa
Penguins, lighthouses and the Cape of Good Hope
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to March — summer
Don't miss
Cape Point
Boulders Beach
Chapman's Peak
Muizenberg's beach huts
Things to do
Chapman's Peak drive
The penguins at Boulders
The Cape of Good Hope
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Meganbeckett27 · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Windproof layers
A quieter corner
Kalk Bay's harbour and cafés
Questions travellers ask
What's the best season for a Cape Peninsula trip?
November to March, in summer. Bring windproof layers.
What are the highlights of the Cape Peninsula?
Drive Chapman's Peak, see the penguins at Boulders Beach, and stand at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Muizenberg's beach huts are a fun stop too.
Where should I eat on the Cape Peninsula?
In Kalk Bay: order fish and chips, then wander past its harbour and cafés.
How far is the Cape Peninsula from Cape Town?
About an hour from Cape Town (CPT), with penguins, lighthouses and the Cape of Good Hope waiting.
About Cape Peninsula
- Coastal
- Mountains
Where it is
The Cape Peninsula is a rocky, mountainous finger of land in South Africa's Western Cape, running south from Cape Town to Cape Point between the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay.
History
The Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape in 1488 and called it the Cape of Storms before it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope. The peninsula's bays became fishing villages and naval harbours, among them Simon's Town, a naval base for more than two centuries, and much of its mountainous spine and southern tip is now protected within Table Mountain National Park.
People
The peninsula's towns are home to English-, Afrikaans- and isiXhosa-speaking communities, from the fishing families of Kalk Bay to the naval town of Simon's Town. Snoek and fish and chips from the harbours are local staples, and surfers gather at Muizenberg's gentle breaks.
Known for
- Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope
- The African penguins of Boulders Beach
- Chapman's Peak Drive
- Muizenberg's beach huts and surfing
- Kalk Bay's harbour
Did you know?
Despite popular belief, the Cape of Good Hope is not Africa's southernmost point: that is Cape Agulhas, about 150 km to the south-east, the official meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.