Activities in Cape Town - Exciting Tours & Offers

Our favorite city, Cape Town in South Africa, is above all diverse, colorful, and incredibly exciting. You could probably do something different here every day of the year. Whether classic sightseeing on foot or by bus, culinary explorations, hikes through the fascinating natural surroundings, adventurous excursions on the water, or action and adrenaline – Cape Town offers the full spectrum.

We particularly like the location by the sea, the surrounding mountains, the gorgeously beautiful beaches, the many colorful markets, the interesting sights, and the very special flair. Cape Town is always fun and somehow a little addictive. In the following article, we’ll link you to some cool activities in Cape Town. Maybe there is something suitable for you too.

What you should know about South Africa

What you should know about South Africa
1. On the water
2. Hikes & views
3. Sightseeing in the city
4. Culinary delights
5. Above the clouds
6. Action & adrenaline
7. Underwater
8. Cape Town & Safari
9. Wine tours & Landscapes
Travel reading for a trip to South Africa

1. On the water

Cape Town is idyllically situated on the Atlantic Ocean and thus offers you a wide variety of opportunities to be active on the water. Boat tours along the coast are particularly popular, whether at lunchtime or romantically at sunset. The view of Cape Town and Table Mountain from the water is simply magical!

A tour of the V&A Waterfront is also on the itinerary for many. If you need a little more action, you can also take part in a kayak tour or a marine animal tour to discover whales, sharks, and dolphins.

Cape Town: Boat trip through the Waterfront and bay*
Sunset boat tour, dinner & Champagne*
Guided Kayak Tour in Hout Bay from Cape Town*
Cape Town: Marine Wildlife Tour from V&A Waterfront*

Cape Town Sights Highlights Waterfront 1-2

2. Hikes & Views

You shouldn’t miss the view from one of the mountains and enjoy the wonderful natural surroundings. Most Cape Town vacationers take the cable car up Table Mountain or take one of the hiking trails up the plateau. We recommend both options, although a hike is obviously much more exciting (the ascent via the Botanical Gardens is fantastic). You can admire the sunset with a glass of wine from the local mountain, Signal Hill, or take the more strenuous route up Lion’s Head. The diverse natural landscape surrounding Cape Town offers a wide selection of tours and excursions. We’ve listed some of them for you here:

Sunset hike on Lion’s Head*
Cape Town: Half-day tour with Table Mountain and city walk*
Table Mountain: Hike with a local guide*

3. Sightseeing in the city

In addition to all the great tours into nature and on the water, you should of course also explore the city itself in more detail. We can definitely recommend the tours with the hop-on hop-off buses, as this way you can see a lot of Cape Town and the surrounding area in a very short time.

Tours with local guides are also great, as they know so much more about their city, its people, and its highlights. A wide variety of tours are offered in Cape Town, for example, on food, museums, nature, and much more.

Cape Town: Hop-On/Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour*
Private guided tour of Cape Town with a local*
Cape Town: Official City Pass with many discounts & Free admission*
3-hour bike tour through the city*
Cape Town: Half-day guided city tour*

4. Culinary Tour

Would you also like to know what Cape Town and the rest of the country actually taste like? Then take a culinary tour and let your palate be pampered. If you want to delve even deeper into the topic, even cooking classes are possible. Sample the many delicacies the city has to offer and, above all, visit some of the cool markets. You can always find fantastic, fresh dishes there (e.g., Neighbourgoods Market, V&A Food Market, Oranjezicht Market, Hout Bay Market, and many more). The city also boasts countless top restaurants serving dishes from all over the world. We also always enjoy visiting the Eastern Food Bazaar, where you can find freshly prepared delicacies from Turkey, India, and China.

Malay cooking class and lunch in Bo-Kaap*
Enjoy Malaysian dishes with an expert
Authentic cooking experience with a private family*

5. Above the Clouds

Last year, we fulfilled a big dream and flew over Cape Town in a helicopter. We can hardly put into words what a wonderful experience it was. In perfect weather and a cloudless sky, we viewed the beautiful metropolis, the mountains, the beaches, and the sea from above. There are a few providers in Cape Town itself with various routes.

We booked the 20-minute package with a flight over Cape Town, along the coast towards the Cape Peninsula, and back. Highly recommended! In good weather, you have a magnificent view and can enjoy the spectacle to the fullest. More about this here: By helicopter over Cape Town.

12-minute helicopter flight over Cape Town and surroundings*
18-minute helicopter flight over Cape Town and surroundings*
20-minute helicopter flight over Cape Town and surroundings Surroundings*
25-minute helicopter flight over Cape Town and the surrounding area*

Helicopter flight Cape Town South Africa Stadium 2

6. Action & Adrenaline

Do you love adventure and thrills? Don’t worry, in Cape Town you can combine everything. Have you ever thought about abseiling from Table Mountain? Fancy a parachute jump or a round of paragliding? There are several nature reserves around Cape Town where you can enjoy canopy tours, ziplining, and river rafting, among other activities.

Climbers will certainly get their money’s worth here. If you prefer being on the water, we recommend a surfing session* at Blouberg Beach or in Muizenberg. On our next trip, we would like to take a tandem paragliding flight.

Tandem paragliding flight over Cape Town*
Tandem skydive over Cape Town*

7. Underwater

The underwater world around Cape Town is also not neglected. You can especially enjoy diving and snorkeling in the waters. GetYourGuide and Manawa have some really cool offers. How about a snorkeling tour with fur seals on Duiker Island? This island is located off the coast of Hout Bay and is known for its many birds and fur seals. In the summer, up to 8,000 seals are said to frolic on Duiker Island. Crazy, right?

We don’t believe in cage diving with sharks at all. In most cases, the sharks are lured with food so that tourists have a great experience. This might eventually cause the animals to lose their fear of humans, become aggressive, and conspicuous. And the end of the story? These animals are then killed because they are “too dangerous” for humans.

Private diving tour from Cape Town*
Private open water course in Cape Town*
Wreck diving in the waters around Cape Town*

8. Cape Town & Safari

You don’t have time for the major national parks in South Africa and are looking for a safari experience around Cape Town? No problem, there are suitable offers for that too. Nevertheless, we recommend a trip to the Krüger National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, or the Addo Elephant National Park.

In these large nature reserves, you are guaranteed to see some of South Africa’s beautiful animals. Of course, you will also see animals in the smaller private reserves, but it’s somehow not the same. We have a separate article on the topic, however: Safari around Cape Town. Be sure to check it out.

2-day safari at the Garden Route Game Lodge*
Round trip to Aquila with safari from Cape Town*
Garden Route: 5-day tour with safari in the Addo Elephant Park*

9. Wine Tours & Landscapes

Cape Town without a wine tour? That’s actually not a good idea, because the wineries around Cape Town are stunningly beautiful. On our last trip, we traveled around Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek, visiting various wineries and enjoying the unique landscapes to the fullest.

Many tourists visit the Constantia wine region, which is only about 25 minutes by car from Cape Town. It’s only 45 minutes to Stellenbosch and just under an hour to Paarl. You can find out which wineries we visited here: Winelands in South Africa.

From Cape Town: Half-day e-bike tour through the Winelands*
Cape Town: Group day tour for wine tasting*
From Cape Town: Cape Point, penguins & Wine Tasting Tour*
Day tour through the Winelands with wine tasting from Cape Town*

Travel reading for a trip to South Africa

We highly recommend the travel guide by Stefan Loose* as well as the guide from Dumont Verlag*. We have been extremely satisfied with both guides for years and always enjoy browsing through them. You can find even more travel guides about Cape Town and the Garden Route here: The best Cape Town travel guides.