Cape Town South Africa

Cape Town is a Spectacular Place for a Family Vacation

It is also an excellent starting or finishing point for your South African adventure.

Breakdown of costs for 4 nights and 4 full days for a family of 4 in Cape Town and Surroundings

• Accommodations –  $265 for 2 nights (using airbnb)
• Excursions – $255 (includes shark cage diving for dad)
• Groceries – $56 (lasting 4 days)
• Eating out – $66
• Transportation – 52 (includes $34 airport taxi and two trips to the V&A waterfront)

Total: $694

Top Cape Town activities with kids:

1. Table Mountain
2. Waterfront
3. Robbin Island
4. World of Birds
5. Imhoff Farm (camel rides) + Snake and Reptile Park
6. Planetarium
7. South African Museum
8. Ratanga Junction: Ratanga Junction Theme Park has more than 30 attractions including 23 rides ranging from Kids Rides to Family Rides and Thrill Rides for the more intrepid adventurers. The white-knuckle thrills and spills, are only one element offered by Ratanga Junction.
9. Cape Town Science Center
10. St James Rock Pool
11. The Sea Point Pavilion (view image)
12. Green Point Park
13. Moullie Point

Outside of Cape Town

1. Boulders (Penguins)
2. Muizenberg Beach

Check Out: Cape Town Kids: www.capetownkids.com.za

What to do with Kids in Cape Town

Start with the city bus tour

There are three routes:

1. Blue:  The blue line is a long route that goes up an around table mountain back down to the water through Houte Bay and then along the beachfront past the VA waterfront.
2. Yellow: Yellow is a small loop that goes around district 6 and Bo Kapp and the downtown district.
3. Red:  The red route covers the front side of Table Mountain and takes you to Table Top Mountain and the Lookout.

This is a great way to take in the city and an absolute must if you are with kids. If you have a car, I would still recommend keeping it put and letting somebody else to the driving. Your ticket comes with a free boat ride and city walking tour good for 3 days.

Table Mountain

Take the funicular – At the top is a spectacular array of dry short brush and interesting rock formations. The kids loved climbing the rocks while we took in the view.

We spent 3-4 hours there hiking, exploring and photographing the area.  Make sure you book your trip to Table Mountain ahead of time – we didn’t because we didn’t know what day we were going, but what we found out (while researching the day of our trip) that you can book your trip and your ticket is good for up to two weeks. Worth saving an hour of wait time for sure.

Robbin Island

Small kids love the ferry ride for its speed and big wave jumping adventure. After you exit the ferry you have a 45 minute bus tour followed by a 45 minute trip inside the prison. Our small children enjoyed being in the prison and seeing penguins on the island.

It was a full day adventure though and I wouldn’t plan on doing too much afterword’s.

Boulders and the Penguins

Despite what the guide books tell you there are two spots to see penugins:

1. Stony Point
2. Boulders

We heard afterwards that Stony Point was actually a better spot, but we didn’t know that at the time so we went to boulders. The kids loved it!

You park and walk about 1/2 mile along a path saying hi to the birds till you get to the beach. The highlight was actually boulders beach itself which very few people take the time to venture on to. We scaled the boulders, swam in the crisp water, and found a penguin in a rock and had a real one on one interaction.

We spent a spectacular 3 hours there and then headed out to Cape Point.

Cape Point

Cape point was well worth the extra bit of driving. There is a short hike to the lighthouse at the top that is suitable for kids, we saw Ostriches and baboons, and caught the setting sun. It was a stunning view from the top.

Where to Stay in Cape Town with Kids

Stay at the VA waterfront if you can. We stayed downtown using Airbnb and it was nice, but we would have preferred to be at the waterfront.

Where to eat in Cape Town

Hands down the most amazing and cheapest Indian food ever, we found an Indian market mid town, we all loved it and it was extremely cheap.