Cape Town for families

by Travel Writer Sasha Arms

One of the best things about Cape Town as a destination is that it has such a range of activities on offer – so much so that you’ll never have time to do it all while on vacation (all the more reason to plan another visit). The immense range of things to do applies to family-friendly fun too. Cape Town and the surrounding area has a number of different destinations that are just for kids, good for all the family, or more grown-up spots that cater for children too.


Wildlife activities

It wouldn’t be a proper South African holiday if you didn’t take-in some wildlife while you’re there. There are so many creatures to spot, some of them so far removed from what’s on offer in your own country, that make wildlife activities great fun and a real eye-opener for the whole family.

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‘Imhoff Farm’, near Kommetjie on your way down the Cape Peninsula, is home to the ‘Higgeldy Piggeldy animal farm’, a Snake Park, camel rides and horse-riding. Children can interact with the farmyard animals, ogle at snakes such as a yellow anaconda and a Californian King Snake, and ride a camel. All of these activities, are of course, for adults too. Nevertheless, it’s good to know that Imhoff Farm has some wonderfully quirky shops to peruse, including ‘Over the Mountains and Away’ for gifts, ‘Artichoc Africa’ for Belgian chocolates and ‘The Old Cape Wine Shop’. For families who can ride horses, booking a horseback tour along the beach is an absolute must – you might even spot whales and dolphins at the same time.

A bit further south and on the other coastline is Boulders – home to the African Penguin. Or rather, 3,000 of them. A visit to Boulders offers a really unique opportunity to see the protected species in the wild. Through the ticket office, you can walk along boardwalks down to Foxy Beach, spotting penguins through the vegetation. Many more of them tend to congregate on the beach and rocks and families are often in awe of them going about their business and waddling along the sand.

If you are planning to go all the way down the peninsula to visit Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, there’s not much else except for the great outdoors to keep your children entertained. If that’s not enough for them, you could pop into the ‘Cape Point Ostrich Farm’ just outside the national park’s gates.

Back in the city, the ‘Two Oceans Aquarium’ at the V&A Waterfront is another family favourite. There are thousands of marine creatures to be found there, including sharks, penguins and turtles, and feeding times are a particular delight for visitors.

Hout Bay is a great area for child-friendly wildlife activities. The ‘World of Birds’ is full of aviaries and also has some other animals to keep you entertained, including monkeys, bushpigs and meerkats. From Mariner’s Wharf in Hout Bay you can also take a boat trip out to Duiker Island, where thousands of Cape Fur Seals can be seen. The island is tiny and the boat doesn’t land (it’s illegal), but the boats get really close to the seals, who often enjoy the attention and make quite a spectacle for their guests.

‘Eagle Encounters’ at Spier Estate near Stellenbosch is another wonderful family-friendly wildlife spot. The centre takes in birds that have been injured, poisoned, abused or hand-reared. The birds are rehabilitated and released when possible; while the hand-reared birds are kept at the centre to help increase educational awareness among visitors. Those who visit can do ‘personal encounters’ with owls and eagles, including a massive black eagle, or simply watch the shows where birds are flown around the audience. Eagle Encounters is a celebrity favourite too – the centre has been visited by Nicolas Cage, Richard Gere, Jude Law and Sadie Frost – to name but a few. There’s also a cheetah rehabilitation centre on the Spier Estate and a family-friendly restaurant if you want to make more of a day of it.

If you’re over in the Stellenbosch direction, you may want to continue on to ‘Monkey Town’, which is just past Somerset West. ‘Monkey Town’ has rescued and adopted 270 monkeys in ten years of operation, and there are currently around 230 primates on the premises, including species from chimpanzees and lion tailed macaques to vervet and spider monkeys. In a reversal to the usual zoo layout, their primates roam free while visitors view them from an enclosed walkway! On offer are guided tours, feeding time presentations and even personal interaction with the tame monkeys, as well as a monkey jungle fun park, trampoline and play park for kids, and a bush pub for parents.

The ultimate South African wildlife experience is of course the safari. Although the Cape is not typically known for its safaris, this lack of recognition does not reflect the reality. There are a number of game reserves, some of them Big Five reserves, all accessible from Cape Town. ‘Buffelsfontein Game Reserve’ and ‘Fairy Glen Game Reserve’ are both about an hour away from the city. Fairy Glen is particularly well-renowned and is the southernmost Big Five Safari. ‘Aquila Game Reserve’ and ‘Inverdoorn Game Reserve’ in Ceres-Karoo are a bit further away at between two and three hours from the city, but are do-able with the family as long as you break up the journey on the way.

For even bigger beasts than you and your family will get on a Big Five Safari, you need to get to the ocean. Whale-watching off the Cape and surrounding area could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you all. Between about July and November, a number of whale species pass the coastline, the Southern Right Whale being the most common. You don’t necessarily have to get out on the water to spot whales – find some good viewing points along False Bay, Kalk Bay and on the rest spots of Chapman’s Peak Drive. It’s an even more impressive site out on the ocean of course – you can book a trip via any good tour operator in the city.


Other child-friendly activities in Cape Town

Embarking on Cape Town’s wildlife adventures is a sure way to keep the children stimulated while on holiday, but there are plenty of other activities that are perfect for families too.

The city’s ‘Hop-on hop-off’ bus takes you to the city’s major attractions, particularly museums and other points of historical interest. These sites don’t usually appeal to children, but the bus tour has some novelty value for kids while giving adults a more cultural sightseeing opportunity. Everyone on the bus gets a pair of earphones to plug into power points by the seats to listen to the tour. Even if the children don’t hang onto every word, it keeps them amused for a little while.

There are a lot of really interesting and important museums in the city centre. The ‘Iziko Slave Lodge’ has a brilliant audio-tour that provides a more stimulating museum experience for children and is educational about a weighty part of history too.

Table Mountain is a must-visit for anyone to Cape Town, regardless of age. The rotating cableway gives an impressive view of the city and is a fun ‘ride’ too. There’s plenty of space for the family to spread out at the top along clearly marked, flat walkways. The café sells a decent spread of refreshments and snacks.

If you spend a bit of time at the V&A Waterfront, there’s a great mixture of shops, eateries and activities. The ‘Red Shed Craft Workshop’ is of particular interest to families – you can all watch the craftsmen at work, order bespoke goods and buy some gifts and souvenirs to take home. Children also have good fun at the ‘Scratch Patch’ – you can all ‘scratch’ through piles of precious gemstones and buy some to take home – although this is obviously not suitable for babies and toddlers.

There are plenty of boat trips you can take around the Cape, as long as you don’t suffer from seasickness. Take a ferry to Robben Island for a poignant trip to the place where Nelson Mandela and many other prisoners were held. On the other end of the spectrum is the Jolly Roger Pirate Boat trip.

If you’d rather stay on dry land, there are plenty of forests around Cape Town to enjoy a walk and a picnic. Try Newlands Forest, Cecilia Forest, Tokai Forest, or Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. If you do take a picnic or snacks with you, beware of baboons.

You may want to take the children somewhere where they can run around and tire themselves out while you relax. You’re in luck – there are some great options for this in the city. ‘Bizzy Bodies Fun Factory’ in Tokai comes complete with an inflatable bouncer, obstacle course, giant slide, climbing frames, a mini gym, a dress-up house, art and craft outdoor area with a sandpit, jungle gym and water sprinkler. It sounds exhausting just thinking about it.

Alternatively, head over to ‘CityROCK’ in Observatory for a spot of indoor rock climbing. Anyone from the age of five can have a go, although all under 14s must be supervised by responsible adult. ‘The Ice Station’ might be more up your kids’ street – take them to the ice rink over in Goodwood for a couple of hours’ ice skating.

Child-friendly eating out

Eating out is all part of kicking back on holiday, but it can feel a bit restrictive as a family. Cape Town has this covered with all sorts of child-friendly eating options.

Hout Bay is quite the hub of child-friendly eating. ‘Clay Café’ is a café-cum-craft-spot. Choose from a selection of unpainted mugs, bowls and plates and then paint, sculpt and decorate them. It’s as much fun for adults as for children, or you can leave the children to it while you indulge in tea and cake. It’s best to go to the Clay Café earlier on in your stay so that you can leave your crafts to be glazed and fired before you can come back and collect them within a week.

‘Dunes Restaurant and Bar’ is a relaxed eatery in Hout Bay and is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner and sundowners. There’s a decent children’s play area and the children’s menu includes sure-favourites including fish and chips, burgers, toasted sandwiches and corn-on-the-cob. For adults the ‘tapas and terrace’ menu is a bit more refined and includes oysters and smoked springbok carpaccio.

‘Scarecrows Good Food Deli’ is another Hout Bay favourite. Complete with a Wigwam, stepping stones and of course scarecrows in the décor, the surroundings make dining a bit more interesting for children. They’ve got some great healthy options too – ‘finger food’ means fingers of carrots and cucumber rather than deep-fried indulgences.

‘The Barnyard’ in Tokai is also popular with families – there’s an activity area for children which includes a sandpit and jungle gyms. They can also feed the farm animals and take pony rides – remember to wash hands before their feeding time though. Adults can relax with some fresh, ‘farmhouse-style’ food while the children are occupied.

The ‘Deer Park Café’ in Vredehoek, City Bowl is also popular with parents. They serve food suitable for adults and kids, a safe outdoor area for children to play in, and fantastic scenery right by Table Mountain.

There are lots of eateries on the V&A Waterfront, plenty of which are great for children. ‘Ocean Basket’ and ‘Spur’, which is like a South African version of an American diner, are both fun and friendly places to eat. If you’re looking for more authentic African food, there are some great places on and around Long Street such as ‘Nyoni’s Kraal’, ‘Addis in Cape’ and ‘Mama Africa’, although the food might not be to all children’s taste.

If you’re over on the Spier Estate in Stellenbosch, ‘Moyo’ is a bit of a different restaurant to take your kids to. It’s in the style of a treehouse. Children and adults are kept spellbound by dancing and Mbira music played on the African wooden and metal instrument.

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Sasha Arms is a freelance writer, editor and web communications strategist. She has travelled extensively, particularly across South Africa, Europe and the Americas and has contributed to a number of notable publications, including the Lonely Planet Bluelist. Read more about Sasha Arms