Posted: January 27, 2021

Top 10 Cape Town activities for families

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From Indoors to the Great Outdoors

South Africa’s leading holiday destination, Cape Town’s unique location means a truly amazing range of activities for families. It’s a city where you can walk on mountains, play on beaches and enjoy wildlife, adventure and cultural tours. And since Cape Town is a good place to hire a car, many family activities are easily accessed and require no guide – though local experience is always useful if you plan to visit popular places like Table Mountain or Robben Island at a busy time of year.

And while we’ve chosen family activities that can be enjoyed throughout the year, it’s also important to note that some activities – private guiding for example – should be booked in advance while other local activities – like whale watching – are seasonal or are subject to weather conditions on the day; it’s a good idea to be flexible with your activity schedule in Cape Town!

We’ve highlighted our top Cape Town activities for families below – a mix of year-round activities you can do yourselves and others that are best privately guided for maximum experience. Contact us for more information.

Top 10 Cape Town Activities for Families

Take the Table Mountain Cableway (All ages)

With its familiar flat-top dominating the local landscape, Cape Town’s most famous landmark rises 1000 metres (3400 feet) above the city, offering panoramic views of two oceans & rugged mountains ranges. Take the easy way up & down with the cable car – it actually rotates as you go, providing everyone with views – & if you’ve got young kids in prams or pushchairs, you’ll get priority access & assistance from cableway staff.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.tablemountain.net

Go Hiking with the Family (3+)

You can hike to the top of Table Mountain with your family via a well-used path but hire a local guide to access superior hiking trails on the mountain & in the Cape Town area. Walk in mountains, forests & on beaches with an informative professional guide on easy, moderate or challenging hikes & see birds, animals & flowers plus amazing views – great for nature-loving families.

Time Required: 3-4 hours or full day hikes
Contact: www.thefynbosguy.com

Visit Cape Point & Boulders Beach (All ages)

It’s easy to combine these two popular activities: Cape Point is the dramatic end of the Cape Peninsula & lies in a nature reserve full of wildlife, unspoilt beaches & walking trails. It’s the best place to see animals like baboons & antelope. Boulders Beach penguin colony lies on the way to Cape Point & makes an unforgettable experience for children, especially if you take them onto the beach itself for a paddle with the penguins.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.tablemountain.net

Easy views from Lions Head (All ages)

Set overlooking Cape Town, Lion’s Head is easy to access & quicker to the top than neighbouring Table Mountain. There are always birds & flowers to see & the views are truly amazing from the summit (easily as good as from Table Mountain) but you’ll get huge panoramas from any point on Lion’s Head – it’s easy walking to start with & you don’t need to go to the top with young children. Drive a little further on to Signal Hill to watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

Time Required: 2-3 hours
Contact: www.thefynbosguy.com

Flower Power - Kirstenbosch Gardens (All ages)

Known as the finest botanical garden in the southern hemisphere, Kirstenbosch delights everyone who visits it. The mountain setting is magnificent, the gardens exquisite & there is more than enough to keep children entertained: an aerial walkway, a dinosaur exhibit, green lawns & clear-water streams plus all the facilities you need. There are restaurants at the gardens but we recommend bringing a picnic & finding a shady spot.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.sanbi.org

Up in the Trees at Acrobranch Constantia (3+)

Conveniently located at the heart of the Constantia Wine Valley, Acrobranch is where adventurous families tackle a choice of three giant obstacle courses that send them climbing, crawling & swinging their way through the forest canopy. It’s professionally run, caters for both beginners & superheroes & is a lot of fun for everyone – why not book lunch at a nearby wine farm for afterwards?

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.acrobranch.co.za

The Spier Wine Farm experience (All ages)

Set near historic Stellenbosch & just a 40-minute drive from Cape Town, Spier combines wine tasting & fine food with indoor & outdoor experiences for the family. Perhaps a Segway vineyard tour, a local-produce picnic or a pampering session at the spa – & then there’s Spier’s famous Eagle Encounters (for children 3+) – your family’s chance to interact with African birds of prey at an in-house rehabilitation centre.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.eagle-encounters.co.za

Dive into the Two Oceans Aquarium (All ages)

From shark tanks & kelp forests to giant crabs & stingrays, Cape Town’s aquarium is as bio-diverse as the local oceans they showcase. It’s a fascinating opportunity to go face to face with the creatures of the deep & there are plenty of familiar faces too – ‘Nemo’ clownfish, African penguins & sea turtles. The aquarium’s location at the V&A Waterfront puts you at the heart of Cape Town’s shopping & eating experience & because it is indoors, it makes the ideal rainy-day family activity.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.aquarium.co.za

Enjoy a Waterfront Boat Cruise (All ages)

Despite all the shops & restaurants, the V&A Waterfront is still a working harbour & a boat cruise offers your family a closer look at South Africa’s favourite holiday destination. It’s flat, easy-going water in the harbour & there’s always lots to see – tugboats at work & returning fishing boats plus seabirds & basking seals – all set against the magical backdrop of Table Mountain.

Time Required: 2-4 hours
Contact: www.waterfrontcharters.co.za

Take the Hop-on Hop-off Bus (All ages)

Cape Town’s big red double-decker bus is a great way to get around the Cape Town & the Peninsula if you don’t want to do the driving. Stopping off at just about everywhere from the V&A Waterfront to Kirstenbosch Gardens & Camps Bay beach, the Hop-on Hop-off Bus also makes a stop at Hout Bay’s World of Birds, a family favourite with not just birds to see but monkeys, meerkats & giant monitor lizards too.

Time Required: 1-3 days
Contact: www.citysightseeing.co.za