Top 10 Things to Do in Cape Town — A Local’s Bucket List
- Animal Ocean
- Sep 1
- 6 min read
Top 10 Things to Do in Cape Town — A Local’s Bucket List
If you’ve just landed in Cape Town, you’re probably wondering where to start. You’ve heard about Table Mountain, the food, the beaches, and the landscapes — but what are the absolute must-see places and activities?
I’m Steve Benjamin, marine zoologist, guide, and photographer. I’ve spent my life exploring Cape Town’s oceans, mountains, and wild spaces. This is my home, and here’s my honest guide to the Top 10 Things to Do in Cape Town — my personal Cape Town bucket list.
Before we dive in, let me be clear: I love wild, natural spaces. I avoid crowds, built-up areas, traffic, and anything that feels too urban. As an outdoor-loving wildlife photographer, I’m always searching for freedom and the feeling of the natural world. These choices reflect my style of travel. They may not be yours — and that’s absolutely fine — but if you also value wilderness, space, and authenticity, this list is for you.
1. Hike or Cable Car Up Table Mountain
No visit to Cape Town is complete without making your way to the top of Table Mountain. Whether you take the cable car or hike up Platteklip Gorge, the reward is the same — a sense of scale and perspective over the city. The mountain itself is ancient, over 260 million years old, and you feel that timelessness when you walk its trails. It’s the perfect introduction to Cape Town and a true non-negotiable for any first-time visitor.
2. Explore Cape Point Nature Reserve
Driving down to Cape Point feels like entering another world, where fynbos carpets the hills and waves crash against jagged cliffs. Many people head straight for the crowded Cape of Good Hope sign, but I’d suggest wandering quieter corners like Olifantsbos Beach or swimming at Buffels Bay. The seas off Cape Point have claimed dozens of ships over the centuries, which is why a lighthouse was built here in 1859. Spend a day here and you’ll understand why it’s often called the end of the earth.
3. See Penguins at Boulders Beach
One of Cape Town’s most charming experiences is visiting the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The birds only settled here in the early 1980s, but the colony has since grown into the thousands. Arrive early to avoid the crowds, and you’ll find yourself face-to-face with penguins waddling across the sand or hiding under parked cars. It’s touristy, yes, but seeing them in their natural environment is always unforgettable.
4. Go on an Ocean Safari with Animal Ocean
The ocean is Cape Town’s wildest frontier, and there’s no better way to experience it than on an Ocean Safari with my company, Animal Ocean. We take small groups out to explore kelp forests, search for sunfish, and watch dolphins in the surf. Sometimes whales pass by, reminding you that these waters have always been part of great migrations. Along the way, you might see Cape fur seals, whose numbers today are strong, despite having been hunted almost to extinction in the past. It’s an authentic way to explore Cape Town that most visitors never get to see.
5. Relax at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is the perfect place to slow down. The gardens were established in 1913 as the first in the world dedicated to preserving a nation’s native plants, and today they are filled with proteas, aloes, and towering trees. Whether you’re picnicking on the lawns or hiking up into the mountain from the garden’s trails, Kirstenbosch offers calm and beauty that feels far removed from the bustle of the city.
6. Discover Kalk Bay
Kalk Bay is a village with soul, once a hub for whaling and later a fishing harbour, today alive with restaurants, art galleries, and tidal pools. I come here for meals at Salt, Ohana, or Olympia Café, and then wander through the bookshops and vintage stores. Afterwards, I often swim at Woolies Pool or Dalebrook, soaking in the simple pleasures of a town that still carries its working-class, maritime history in its bones.
7. Kayak Along Sea Point
Kayaking along Cape Town’s Atlantic seaboard offers a perspective that feels both wild and urban at once. Launching from Mouille Point, you glide over the swells with the city behind you and Table Mountain rising above. It’s a place where dolphins often appear alongside you, and sometimes even sunfish break the surface. Join https://kayak.co.za/
8. Sunset and Beer in Noordhoek
Noordhoek is my go-to place to escape the pace of the city. I like to sit at the Farm Village under the milkwood trees at Aegir Project Brewery, then head down to the vast white sands of Noordhoek Beach for sunset. Sometimes flamingos feed in the lagoon, and horse riders trot along the shoreline. The wreck of the Kakapo, a ship that ran aground in 1900, still lies on this beach, a ghostly reminder of how treacherous this coastline once was. Watching the sun sink behind the Atlantic here is a true Cape Town bucket list moment.
9. Learn to Surf at Muizenberg
Muizenberg is Cape Town’s surf nursery, and one of the earliest places in South Africa where surfing took root back in the early 1900s. The waves here are gentle and forgiving, which makes it the perfect place to learn. The beachfront buzzes with energy — surf schools, coffee shops, colourful beach huts — and it has a laid-back charm that is infectious. Even if you don’t fall in love with surfing, you’ll fall in love with Muizenberg’s atmosphere.
10. Cape Point Ocean Safari with Animal Ocean
For me, the ultimate adventure in Cape Town is joining one of our Cape Point Ocean Safaris. From the boat, you see the cliffs of Cape Point rising sheer from the sea — a view that is far more dramatic than the one from the land. Snorkeling in the kelp forests here feels like stepping into another world, with swaying fronds and darting schools of fish. This is the same wild headland that Bartolomeu Dias rounded in 1488, naming it the “Cape of Storms” for its ferocious seas. Out here, dolphins, whales, seabirds, and even baboons on the cliffs remind you how raw and alive this place still is. It’s adventurous, wild, and completely unforgettable.
Cape Town Bucket List: Top Tips & What I Wouldn’t Do
Before wrapping up, here are a few top tips. Always use review websites to check where you’re going and avoid falling into tourist traps. Cape Town has plenty of activities marketed to day-trippers that aren’t worth your time. Choose authentic experiences and don’t be fooled by anything designed to give you a quick show of nature rather than a real connection to it.
As for the things I wouldn’t do: I’d skip the Cape of Good Hope sign, which is overcrowded and overrated, and I’d give paragliding a miss as it’s over before it really begins. Shark cage diving near Cape Town no longer delivers the great white encounters it once did, and township tours often feel exploitative and unsafe. My strongest piece of advice is to avoid local “safari” day trips near Cape Town. These small reserves are essentially enclosures where animals are displayed for convenience. They aren’t functional ecosystems, and they don’t give you a genuine wildlife experience. If you want to see Africa’s big animals properly, do it right: fly to the Eastern Cape, Kruger Park, or another large reserve where you’ll find a living, breathing ecosystem and animals in their natural context. That is the real thing — not a staged version designed for quick photos.
Final Word
This is my list. It’s shaped by my love of wild, natural spaces, photography, and escaping the crowds. If you’re planning your Cape Town bucket list, and want to experience the real outdoors — mountains, oceans, wildlife, and freedom — then these are the Top 10 things to do in Cape Town I’d recommend.
Cape Town is a city with beaches, mountains, and culture, but its real magic is in its natural world. Step outside, get away from the traffic, and see it for yourself.
Comments