Timing - Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope Self-drive
 

We are planning on renting a car on our last day in Cape Town on our February 2016 trip. The plan is to do the Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope loop and then head up to Franschhoek. I am looking for advice on how early we should get started to avoid the tour buses and to complete the route in time to arrive in Franschhoek in time to check in and enjoy a 7:00 pm Valentines Day dinner. We want to see penguins, ride the funicular up to the light house at Cape Point and see as much as we can on the drive. If there is a good place for a hike, we'd like to know that. Also, how much do you pay the guys that watch your car? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi Craig,

If you want to do a hike, I would start out as soon as possible after breakfast. Not sure when the buses arrive and not even sure they can really be avoided. For hiking, you can check this site:

http://www.capetownmagazine.com/olifantsbos

We haven't done it ourselves but have wanted to for some time (we never seem to have enough time in Cape Point but we will some day).

We had lunch at 2 Oceans which as a great view, reserve to get a good table.

2 ZAR is the going rate for a car guard, some give 5, some give nothing... we usually give 5 ZAR for filling petrol and that will also include washing windows and checking tires if needed.

Make sure you leave enough time for the penguins, I can watch them for hours. I am thinking you might be rushed to be ready for a dinner at 7 but if you get an early start maybe it will be ok. Enjoy!

Hi Craig

It might be a stretch to fit in a hike - although instead of paying to go up the short funicular you can walk up and down to the lighthouse and then along to the second lighthouse. Because the Summer evenings are long you should be able to linger for a while at the penguins before heading to Franschhoek.

I am actually heading to Cape Point this weekend to do a 3 hour hike with my family which is a round trip starting at the parking lot so I suppose depending on what time you get to the park - and it takes about an hour and a half driving from the waterfront along the Atlantic Seaboard, past Hout Bay, via Chapman's Peak past Noordhoek - you could do that before lunch - then penguins and then head out to Franschhoek - Sounds like a great trip.

Cheers

Melissa

Easy to do a one and a half round trip hike with spectacular views to Cape of Good Hope from the Parking lot at Cape Point.