In a nutshell
- The Cape of Good Hope sits at the tip of the Cape Peninsula inside the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and is the southwesternmost point of Africa.
- Expect stunning scenery, fascinating wildlife, and way more highlights than just the famous signpost — the national park has a lot to offer.
- We recommend setting aside a full day for the park and starting early. Short on time? You can still hit the top highlights in 2–3 hours.
Attractions in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
Before we get to the highlights at the Cape, here’s a quick clarification of terms. The Cape of Good Hope is part of the national park known as the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.
The Cape itself is just a relatively small point — the national park is much larger. In addition to the southwesternmost point of Africa, it encompasses so many more attractions, and we’ll walk you through them now.
Cape of Good Hope
Let’s start with the most famous highlight, of course: the Cape of Good Hope itself. Most visitors come to the national park primarily to stand at the southwesternmost point of the African continent.
That’s naturally a must, but honestly it’s not the biggest highlight in the park for us. At the end of the day, it’s mainly a signpost where visitors snap a souvenir photo — and you often have to queue for the privilege. Crazy!
At Cape Point, in addition to the signpost, there’s also a short, fairly steep hiking trail that offers a lovely view.
Watch out for baboons: There are several baboon troops in the national park. Especially at the Cape of Good Hope, the animals frequently target tourists’ food. Keep a close eye on your belongings and don’t leave any food in your car — they’ll be inside faster than you can blink. Baboons can even open car doors!
Cape Point
Cape Point sits at the very southern end of the national park. A lighthouse was built here in 1860 — it’s been out of service for a long time, but today it’s a popular destination.
We really recommend making the trip up here, because this part of the park is scenically stunning.
From the parking lot, you can choose whether to walk up to the lighthouse or ride the Flying Dutchman Funicular, a cable railway.
On foot it’s about 20 minutes; by funicular it’s about 3–4 minutes. You can also ride up and walk down — that’s exactly what we did. The ride costs 75 ZAR one way and 115 ZAR round trip.
Note: During load shedding, the funicular doesn’t operate. If you’re set on riding it, check the scheduled power outage times for the national park in advance.
You can buy your funicular ticket online. Around midday especially, the ticket booth often has a long line — buying online lets you skip it entirely.
The lighthouse itself isn’t particularly spectacular and can’t be entered. The view from the top, however, is seriously impressive.
We strongly recommend walking the Lighthouse Guard Walk, which is signposted at the top. It runs along the left side of the hill and is absolutely worth it.
The sign lists a walking time of 1.5 hours for the round trip. But if you’re reasonably fit, you can easily do it in under an hour.
The Most Beautiful Beaches and Viewpoints at the Cape of Good Hope
The national park has some beautiful beaches and numerous viewpoints — too many to list individually.
If you have time, we recommend simply driving all the roads in the national park. The distances are never very far, and within ten minutes at most, every road ends at a stunning stretch of coastline.
This way you can discover so many more viewpoints, go for a swim, and squeeze in some short hikes along the way.
A real standout is the Shipwreck Trail — a hiking route that passes two old shipwrecks.
The two cargo ships sank here in 1942 and 1965, and large parts of them are still visible today. The route takes about 1.5 hours and starts at Olifantsbos Bay, which is signposted within the park.
Animals at the Cape of Good Hope
Wildlife isn’t the biggest draw in the park, but with a bit of luck there’s still plenty to see.
Your chances of spotting ostriches are very high. They’ll wander across the road or trot along in front of cars without a care in the world.
As mentioned, there are many baboons in the national park. They’re not just cute — they’ll readily steal food or entire bags and can get quite aggressive.
You’ll need a bit more luck to see zebras, antelopes, and various buck species. There are also many bird species, dassies, tortoises, and snakes.
During our trip to South Africa, we personally spotted several ostriches, baboons, and a buck we couldn’t identify more precisely. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any zebras.
Cape Point Ostrich Farm
Here’s a little bonus tip: right outside the gates of the national park, there’s a small ostrich farm you can visit.
On-site, short tours (approx. 30–45 minutes) are offered. You’ll get a look at how the ostriches are raised and, alongside ostrich eggs, you’ll also see lots of adorable ostrich chicks. There’s even a German-speaking guide on site.
In addition to ostriches, a few rescued crocodiles and snakes are also part of the tour.
For us, the Cape Point Ostrich Farm is not a must-see, but quite enjoyable — especially if you’re visiting Cape Town with kids.
Ostrich farms are otherwise found mainly around Oudtshoorn. If that’s not on your South Africa itinerary, this is a great chance to visit one anyway.
Admission and Tickets for the National Park
Admission for international visitors costs 515 ZAR, and children between 2 and 12 years old pay 250 ZAR.
Tickets are sold at the park entrance. Like at a toll booth, you drive up in your car and buy the tickets directly through the window.
Payment is accepted by credit card only.
Guided Tours to the Cape of Good Hope
If you’d rather not drive in South Africa yourself, visiting the Cape of Good Hope as part of a guided tour is a great option.
There are some excellent choices in small groups or privately, for example:
Private tour to the Cape of Good Hope: On this tour, you’ll be picked up at your hotel in Cape Town and taken with a private guide to the Cape of Good Hope as well as the main attractions on the Cape Peninsula.
Budget-friendly tour to the Cape of Good Hope: This is the most affordable option and takes you to the Cape and to the penguins at Boulders Beach.
Here you'll find even more tips for Cape Town and the surrounding area:
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Cape of Good Hope.
How much time do you need at the Cape of Good Hope?
We recommend setting aside a full day for your visit. Many visitors just snap their photo at the Cape of Good Hope sign, maybe stop by Cape Point, and then head off to the other sights on the Cape Peninsula.
That works if you’re really pressed for time, but you’ll miss out on a lot. The stunning vistas and the fascinating vegetation are the real highlights of the park — and those take some time to appreciate.
Is there a restaurant at the Cape of Good Hope?
At Cape Point, you’ll find the Two Oceans Restaurant and a snack bar. The restaurant serves good fish dishes at relatively high prices, but you do get a beautiful view of False Bay while you eat.
The snack bar next door offers pizza and filled baguettes at more moderate prices — and the quality is about what you’d expect. Honestly, it’s a good idea to bring your own food and make sure you have enough water for the whole day.
Does the Wild Card cover entry to the Cape of Good Hope?
Yes! If you have the Wild Card for South Africa’s national parks, you can visit the Cape of Good Hope without paying a separate admission fee.
Can you spend the night at the Cape of Good Hope?
Yes, that’s possible. There are some accommodations inside the national park. The relatively basic cottages can only be booked directly through the SANParks website — the organization that manages all of South Africa’s national parks.
Is the Cape of Good Hope the southernmost point of Africa?
No — even though that’s a common misconception. The Cape of Good Hope is the southwesternmost point of the continent. The true southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas.
Cape Agulhas is located between Hermanus and the Garden Route, about 200 kilometers southeast of Cape Town — though it’s relatively unspectacular compared to the Cape.
