Boulders Beach Tours›Cape Point and Boulder's Penguins Full Day TourUpdated 2026-09-11
Boulders Beach and Cape Point Full Day Tour
★★★★★ 4.9
(4,405 traveller reviews)
Pickup includedGate fees paid on the dayMax 60 travellers1 hour at the colony
Eight hours down the peninsula on a double-deck coach, leaving from the City Sightseeing ticket office outside the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront. You get two hours inside Cape Point Nature Reserve and an hour on the Boulders Beach boardwalk, with a guided walk between the lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope in between. It carries more reviews than any other day on this coast, at the lowest full-day fare.
Hours, prices and access verified by the Boulders Beach Tours team — last checked 2026-09-11
Long enough for the old lighthouse, the viewpoints and the walk, rather than a photograph and back on the bus.
A guided walk to the Cape of Good Hope
On foot from Cape Point across to the most south-western point of Africa, with a guide. Medium fitness and walking shoes.
An hour at the colony
The Foxy Beach boardwalk, with the nests a few metres from the rail.
The False Bay coast road
Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek through the window, on the way down and back.
A reclining seat and free wifi
A modern air-conditioned coach with big windows and legroom, which matters on an eight-hour day.
This is the day most people mean when they say they are going to see the penguins. It
leaves the Waterfront mid-morning and runs the False Bay shore past the bathing huts and the
harbours. The middle of the day is spent at the far end of the peninsula, before it turns back
for Simon's Town and the colony. You travel on a coach with a live guide rather than in a
minibus, which trades intimacy for a better view and a seat you can sit in for eight
hours.
The two hours inside Cape Point Nature Reserve are the part that sets it apart. Most days
give the reserve an hour, which is enough to reach the lighthouse and leave. Two hours is enough
to walk the ridge and look at both coastlines. It is also enough to take the guided path across
to the Cape of Good Hope on foot, which is the best thing you can do at that end of the
peninsula.
Then the colony. One hour on the Foxy Beach boardwalk is the standard allowance and it
is enough. The walkway is fifteen minutes end to end, and the rest of your hour is spent
standing still, watching. If you want two hours there instead, that is what the
Boulders Beach half day tours are for.
The fare covers the coach, the guide, the wifi and the seat. It does not cover either park
gate, and there are two of them on this route: Cape Point Nature Reserve and the Boulders
colony. Both take cards only. If you would rather not pay at a booth at all, the
Boulders Beach and Cape Point tour include fares that have already settled them.
How the day runs
Morning — depart the City Sightseeing office outside the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront.
On the way south — the False Bay coast road past Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek.
Midday — two hours inside Cape Point Nature Reserve, the old lighthouse and the viewpoints.
Early afternoon — the guided walk across to the Cape of Good Hope, about ninety minutes with the views.
Afternoon — an hour at the Boulders Beach penguin colony, on the Foxy Beach boardwalk.
Late afternoon — back through Simon's Town and along the coast to Cape Town.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
You want the whole peninsula in one day at the lowest fare on
the coast. You are happy on a coach with other travellers. And you would rather have two hours
at Cape Point than two hours with the penguins. It is also the easiest day to join if you are
staying near the Waterfront.
Book something else if
You want the colony rather than the coastline. A
Boulders Beach half day tour gives you up to two hours there and
has you back for lunch. If a sixty-seat coach is not what you had in mind, the
Boulders Beach private tours put your party in a vehicle of its
own.
What the fare covers
In the fare
Guided by a local English speaking South African expert tour guide
1 hour at the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony & 2 hours at Cape Point
Guided hike from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope (medium fitness & walking shoes required)
Complimentary pick-up from many of our stops near all hotels
Transportation in a modern, spacious double deck, air-conditioned motor-coach
Comfortable reclining seat with ample leg room, big vista windows and free Wifi
Funicular cablecar ticket at Cape Point (if required)
Entrance fee into Cape Point Nature Reserve (Cheaper for SADC & RSA citizens)
Where you meet the coach
At the City Sightseeing ticket office outside the Two Oceans Aquarium on Dock Road
in the V&A Waterfront. It is a permanent kiosk with the red branding rather than a
kerbside meeting point, so it is easy to find, and there is somewhere to stand if you are
early. The
listing also names a second boarding point on Victoria Road in Camps Bay.
Departure is at 09:30 for most of the year, moving to 08:40 between mid-December and early
January. Be there fifteen minutes before. Parking at the Waterfront is paid and plentiful, and
the walk from most Waterfront hotels is under ten minutes.
Know before you go
Two gates, two fees. Cape Point Nature Reserve and the Boulders colony are charged separately, both by card, and neither is in this fare.
The walk is a real walk. The guided path from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope needs medium fitness and shoes with grip.
Lunch is on you. There are restaurants and takeaways at Cape Point and in Simon's Town; nothing is included.
It is a big coach. Sixty travellers is the stated maximum, which is why the seats recline and the windows are the size they are.
The funicular is extra. The cablecar up to the Cape Point lighthouse is bought there on the day; the walk up takes about fifteen minutes.
Dress for two coasts. Boulders is sheltered and Cape Point is not. Take a windproof layer whatever the forecast in the city says.
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
The timing was right at both ends of the day, long enough at Cape Point and long enough at the colony. Our guide kept the commentary going without talking over the drive. There is a gelato place on the walk back to the coach from Boulders Beach that is worth the detour.
Emily C. · Couple · March 2026
★★★★★
The coach was comfortable and the guide was funny, which matters on an eight-hour day. Cape Point was the view I had come for. There were a great many penguins on the beach when we got there.
Solomon S. · Solo traveller · March 2026
★★★★★
The day matched its description exactly, which is not always the case. Coastline, beaches and the penguins, and a guide who made all of it better. We have done a lot of tours and this guide was the best of them.
Does the tour fare include the penguin colony entrance fee?
Most do not. Some listings here name every park fee in the fare, others sell a fee-inclusive grade alongside the standard one, and the rest ask you to pay at the gate on the day. Each card says which of the three it is, so check that line before you compare two prices.
How long do you need at Boulders Beach?
An hour is enough for the Foxy Beach boardwalk and the viewing decks at an unhurried pace. Two hours lets you walk the boardwalk, cross to the cove at Boulders Beach and sit with the birds for a while. Most guided days give you an hour, and one half-day run gives you two.
Is there enough time at the penguins?
An hour, which covers the boardwalk and its decks without hurrying. If you want longer, the half-day runs give you up to two hours at the colony and skip Cape Point — they are set out on the Boulders Beach half day tours page.
Where does the coach pick up?
At the City Sightseeing office outside the Two Oceans Aquarium in the V&A Waterfront, with a second boarding point on Victoria Road in Camps Bay. Complimentary pickup is offered from many hotels near the route's stops.
Is the guided walk compulsory?
No. It is included and it is the best part of the Cape Point stop, but you can stay at the lighthouse instead and rejoin the group. If a long walk is not for you, the private peninsula day covers the same ground by vehicle.
Can I pay cash at the gate?
No. Boulders and Cape Point are both cashless and take cards only, so bring a card that works abroad and tell anyone travelling with you to do the same. If your tour covers the fee you will not need it at the colony, but Cape Point may still charge separately.
