
moderate
3 days (approx. 8–13 hours per day)
Moderate — you should be comfortable with multi-hour days, short walks, boarding boats and brief climbs to viewpoints.
Three full days of Cape Town’s extremes—adrenaline on the boat in Shark Alley, cliff drives at Cape Point and leisurely wine tastings in Hemel en Aarde and Stellenbosch. Expect early starts, long days, and wildlife encounters that repay the effort.
The sun is a hard white coin hanging over Table Mountain as the minibus threads out of Cape Town before dawn. You feel the city slip away—steel and glass giving way to fynbos-scrubbed slopes and the coastline that has shaped explorers and fishermen for centuries. By midmorning the Atlantic is a stainless sheet and the crew is briefing you on the ladder, the cage and the rules; later you'll trade that salt-slick horizon for the warm, grassy rows of vineyards in Hemel en Aarde, and the curious bobbing faces of jackass penguins at Boulders Beach.

If you’re prone to motion sickness, take medication 30–60 minutes before boarding; the ocean can be choppy even on otherwise calm days.
Bring a windproof jacket and quick-dry layers—the Atlantic is cold year-round and wind can be biting on the boat and at viewpoints.
Stay on board or behind barriers at penguin colonies and follow crew directions during cage operations to avoid fines and disturbance.
Some boutique estates accept only cards or cash for optional purchases—carry both to avoid missing out on an extra pour or a cheese plate.
The Cape has a long maritime history—Portuguese and later Dutch explorers used these reefs and promontories as navigational waypoints; Huguenot settlers shaped the winelands in the 17th–18th centuries.
Penguin and whale populations are monitored and vulnerable; choose operators who follow responsible viewing codes and avoid disturbing colonies or feeding wildlife.
Reduces nausea on choppy boat rides during the shark-diving day.
Protects against spray and cold Atlantic winds during boat trips and cliff viewpoints.
Useful for boardwalks at Boulders, short hikes at Cape Point and cobbled winelands towns.
Captures wildlife at a distance—whales, penguins and action around the boat.