What to Wear on a Cape Point Tour

Cape Point is windier and colder than Cape Town. What to wear and bring for a Cape Point tour in every season: layers, shoes, sun protection and baboons.

Cape Point looks tropical in photos: turquoise water, white sand, bright sun on the fynbos. In person, the wind rewrites the dress code. Even when Cape Town city is basking at 28°C, the walk up to the lighthouse can feel like 15°C with gusts strong enough to take your hat to sea.

Here's what to wear, and what to bring, for a day at the tip of the Cape Peninsula.

Why Cape Point is colder than Cape Town

Cape Point sits at the end of a long, narrow finger of land pointing into the ocean, with the Atlantic on one side and False Bay on the other. There is nothing between you and the Southern Ocean to stop the wind, and the cliffs funnel it upward. The famous Cape Doctor — the south-easterly wind that blows through summer — is at its strongest here. Add sea spray and the temperature difference between the city and the lighthouse can be dramatic.

The weather also changes fast. Clear skies at the car park can turn into drifting mist at the top in the time it takes to walk up.

What to wear

Layers, not one heavy coat. You'll be warm in the vehicle and at sheltered stops like Boulders Beach, and cold and windblown at the lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope. Layers let you adjust all day.

• A windbreaker or light shell jacket — the single most important item, in every season
• A warm mid-layer — a fleece or light jumper, even in summer
• Long trousers or leggings — shorts are fine in summer, but you'll feel the wind on exposed viewpoints
• Closed, comfortable shoes with grip — the paths and boardwalks are steep in places and can be damp; flip-flops and heels are a bad idea
• A hat that fits snugly, or one with a strap
• Sunglasses — the glare off the water is intense

What to bring

• Sunscreen. The fynbos doesn't offer shade, the air is clean and the UV is strong even when the wind makes it feel cool. Sunburn at Cape Point is extremely common.
• Water, especially if you plan to walk up to the old lighthouse rather than take the funicular.
• A small bag you can keep closed. Baboons live in the reserve, and they know exactly what a tourist's bag looks like. Never carry food openly, never feed them, and keep vehicle windows closed.
• A camera strap. The wind is not kind to phones held over cliff edges.

Dressing for the season

Summer (November–March): hot in town, windy at the Point. Light layers, a proper windbreaker and plenty of sunscreen.

Autumn (April–May): often the calmest, clearest weather of the year. A light jacket is usually enough.

Winter (June–August): cooler and wetter, but with beautiful clear days between fronts. A warm jacket, a waterproof layer and a beanie.

Spring (September–October): the fynbos is in flower and the whales are in False Bay. Changeable weather — bring a bit of everything.

On our tours

Our Cape Town Icon Series finishes at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope — the south-westernmost point of Africa — after Table Mountain, Chapman's Peak and the Boulders Beach penguins. It's a long, full day across very different microclimates, so dressing in layers is the best advice we can give.

We keep a spare blanket in the vehicle for the Cape of Good Hope photo stop. You'll thank us.

Planning your Peninsula day? Read our guides to Chapman's Peak Drive and seeing the penguins without the crowds, or ask us anything.

Related experience: The Cape Town Icon Series