Cape Town in 3 days

Day 1 · private 8-hour day

Cape Town & Table Mountain

Start high and finish by the water. Ride the cable car up Table Mountain, walk the painted streets of the Bo-Kaap, drive up Signal Hill for the view back over the city and Table Bay, spend time on the beach at Camps Bay, then end the day at the V&A Waterfront. A good first day: you see the whole city and get your bearings.

If the wind is up on the mountain, we simply swap this day with another one.

Stops

1. Table Mountain Aerial CablewayThe rotating cable car up Table Mountain, one of the New7Wonders of Nature, with views over the city, Robben Island and the Atlantic.
2. Bo-KaapCobbled streets and brightly painted houses on the slopes of Signal Hill, the historic heart of Cape Malay culture.
3. Signal HillA drive-up hill beside Lion's Head, popular at sunset for views over the city, Table Bay and Sea Point.
4. Camps Bay BeachA wide white-sand beach backed by the Twelve Apostles, with a palm-lined strip of cafés and restaurants.
5. V&A WaterfrontCape Town's working harbour with shops, restaurants, the Watershed craft market and the Robben Island ferry gateway.

Day 2 · private 8-hour day

Cape Point & the Peninsula

The classic Cape day. Down the Atlantic side past Hout Bay harbour and along the cliffs of Chapman's Peak Drive, out to the Cape of Good Hope sign and the old lighthouse at Cape Point, then back up the False Bay side to the African penguins at Boulders and the little fishing harbour at Kalk Bay. It's a loop, so you see a different coast on the way home.

Stops

1. Hout Bay HarbourA working fishing harbour where boats leave for Duiker Island's Cape fur seal colony.
2. Chapman's Peak DriveA coastal toll road carved into the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, with lookout points over the Atlantic.
3. Cape of Good HopeThe famous rocky headland and sign at the south-western tip of the peninsula, inside Table Mountain National Park.
4. Cape Point LighthouseThe dramatic tip of the Cape Peninsula: a funicular and footpaths lead up to the old lighthouse above the cliffs.
5. Boulders Beach PenguinsHome to a colony of African penguins, seen from boardwalks, with a sheltered swimming beach next door.
6. Kalk Bay HarbourA fishing harbour where the day's catch comes in, in a village of antique shops and cafés.

Day 3 · private 8-hour day

The Winelands: Stellenbosch to Babylonstoren

Historic estates, mountain views and slow lunches. Begin at Spier in Stellenbosch, climb the Helshoogte Pass to Delaire Graff for the view across the valley, stop at Boschendal's old manor and lawns, and finish in the big formal garden at Babylonstoren. Your driver-guide does the driving, so everyone can enjoy the tastings.

Stops

1. Spier Wine FarmA historic Stellenbosch estate with wine tastings, a farm and open grounds.
2. Delaire Graff EstateA wine estate at the top of the Helshoogte Pass, with views across the Stellenbosch valley.
3. BoschendalOne of the oldest farms in the Cape Winelands, with a historic manor, vineyards and picnics on the lawns.
4. BabylonstorenA Cape Dutch farm known for its large formal fruit and vegetable garden, wines and farm-to-table food.