Can I still make it to Cape Point?

Early morning on Chapman’s Peak drive

We decided to head out to Cape Point in our new rental car instead of joining one of the many guided bus tours. After some getting used to driving on the left side of the road, we quickly made our way to what is said to be one of the most scenic drives in the world: Chapman’s Peak Drive. It starts at Hout Baai, and after paying a small toll fee (it is 66 Rand in December of 2025) we started the drive. The road is short as well as scenic. It’s 9 kilometers long, winding its way along the cliffs, with spectacular views over the sea below. It does close at certain times: in case of very strong winds or extremely heavy rain this can happen. Fires can be another reason to close it, but generally it’s open. You can find more information on the drive’s official website.

Now there must be hundreds of “most scenic drives in the world”. But this one did not disappoint: twists and turns and beautiful views everywhere. We stopped for photos, together with bus loads of other tourists we would meet throughout the Cape Peninsula the rest of the day. After leaving the toll road at Noordhoek we drove on to the entrance of Table Mountain National Park.

Fynbos, views and zebras

We had purchased Wild Cards before travelling to South Africa, which meant we could just wave them in the air and be on our way. I’ll explain Wild Cards in a separate post. If you don’t have a Wild Card, you have to pay on arrival. All visitors are automatically charged the standard rate for international visitors, which at the moment is 515 Rand for adults. If you are a South African citizen, you qualify for reduced rates. Then again, if you are a South African citizen you probably know this.

Anyway, we drove into the park, stopped to admire the views a few times, spotted some mountain zebras and took a good look at the fynbos. Fynbos, from Dutch Fijnbosch means fine bush. It’s named after the prickly, narrow leaves of many of the plants there. It only grows in this region and it’s unobtrusively beautiful. Fynbos doesn’t really give all the non-prickly flowers and trees enough credit, but it’s catchier than Mediterranean sclerophyllous shrublands, which is the official name. Or so I’ve heard.

Cape Point, and the funicular that was out of service

There’s only so much time you can spend staring at prickly plants, so we made our way to the parking lot nearest to Cape Point. There’s a service area there with a souvenir shop, a restaurant and toilet facilities. It’s also the place to take the funicular named the Flying Dutchman – after the legend.

The funicular takes you from the parking area up to the viewing area below the old lighthouse. It’s a short, steep ride with great views of the cliffs and ocean as you go up. The cars have big windows, so you can look out over the fynbos and the coastline. It’s an easy way to get to the top if you don’t feel like doing the uphill walk. At least, if it works. Unfortunately when we were there, it was out of service which means the uphill walk was the only way to get to the good views.

So off we went, up the steep path. It’s almost 600 meters and the funicular can do it in three minutes. We needed significantly more time. It wasn’t an easy walk and I had to stop to “enjoy the views and take photos” once or twice. Mainly to catch my breath of course and I don’t think anyone fell for it. But I made it up to the top, and then I even made it up the 120 steps (steep, uneven ones) from the viewing area to the actual lighthouse.

The views were worth it – standing there staring at the waves and the vast stretch of ocean between us and the nearest land mass made me feel very small. We even saw some whales, although they were far away. After some staring and soul-searching we started to feel the cold, so we made our way back to the parking lot. Walking downhill is easier, but you do have to be careful not to slip on loose rock and fall.

Cape of Good Hope and the sign

Back on the parking lot we realised we hadn’t yet been to the real Cape of Good Hope, far below us at the bottom of the cliffs. There’s a hiking trail from the parking lot down to the cape, but there’s also a road for cars. The choice was not difficult. If you do want to hike down, there is a well-maintained trail of 3,5 kilometers. Kilometers that you will also need to hike back up, unless someone drives down and picks you up.

We took the easy way out aka the road. On the way we met our first ostrich and our first baboons (baboons are scary) before parking near The Sign. This may be one of the most famous signs in the world, so of course we had our photo taken with it. We were not the only ones. We then walked along the coast for a bit, stared at the giant crashing waves some more and pretended to see the famous ghost ship.

This is the most south-western point of the African continent. The next stop is Antarctica or South America, depending on which way you swim. It’s not the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet; that’s 150 kilometers further east at Cape Agulhas. It’s still impressive though. And absolutely no swimming from any of the beaches; rip tides and waves will not be kind to you.

Penguins at Boulders Beach

On our final stop on the Cape Peninsula the main attraction were the penguins on Boulders Beach. We parked the car and made our way to the entrance – just following the smell.
Boulders beach is home to a colony of African penguins, and one of the few places in the world where you can see them. There are three beaches which are safe for swimming when the weather’s nice. There’s a penguin viewing area and three boardwalks. The boardwalks are an excellent way of seeing the penguins without coming too close to them. Just stay on the boardwalks. It’s an easy walk for everyone.

We had a lovely time watching the penguins waddle around. I especially loved seeing them swim, because while they look clumsy on land, they’re streamlined and elegant in the water. Apart from swimming, they stand around a lot, which is great for photo opportunities. We spent an enjoyable hour there before going back to our car, which was parked close by. Parking space is quite limited. This was not a problem for us, but it’s something to think about in summer. Before you leave, make sure to check under your car for penguins!

So – is the Cape Peninsula a suitable daytrip for travellers with a bit more mileage?

This one is easy: yes, this is a great day trip for travellers of any age. The only thing you can’t do with limited mobility is the final steps up to the old lighthouse. Everything else is accessible by car or funicular. The boardwalks at Boulders Beach are sturdy and easy to walk, and driving is easy. If you don’t want to drive the twists and turns of Chapman’s Peak Drive, there are other roads. But the drive itself is not dangerous and if it is, they’ll close it.
We had a lovely day and I absolutely recommend going on this road trip! If you don’t want to drive, there are plenty of opportunities to join a tour from Cape Town.