If you are visiting South Africa’s beloved Mother City and you are looking for a relaxing and adventurous way to occupy your day, you might want to consider sea or river kayaking. Kayaking brings you much closer to lovely sea creatures such as dolphins, penguins and whales than other forms of transport. Luck is on your side, since Cape Town offers abundant breathtaking kayaking locations. Here are our top Kayak Cape Town locations:
Kayak Cape Town
Visit the penguins at Boulders Beach on this two-hour guided kayak tour in the warm waters of False Bay. All reasonably fit, able-bodied people are welcome to do the tour and no experience is required. Kayak Cape Town is open right through the year, advocating especially for Winter months that generally have less windy days and a bigger likelihood to see whales. Located in Simon’s Town, Kayak Cape Town is about an hour’s drive from Cape Town Central.
Kayak Cape Town – paddling with penguins
Kaskazi Kayaks
Sign up for the serene experience of kayaking on glassy, reflective waters, enjoying the thrill of an up-close dolphin experience and taking in stunning views. This two-hour tour includes uninterrupted views of Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles. These Kaskazi Kayaks trips are also beginner-friendly and include all the needed gear and equipment. Operating from Three Anchor Bay provides for customers to have spectacular and unique photo-opportunities.
Kaskazi Kayaks – Kaskazi Kayaks & Adventures
Atlantic Outlook
Located in V&A Waterfront, Atlantic Outlook kayak tours are perfect for both beginners and experienced kayakers. This is a two-hour guided tour that includes all equipment and safety gear. During the tour you can appreciate beautiful sightings such as Table Mountain, Lions Head and the Atlantic Sea Board coastline all from the comfort of a kayak. Frequently encountered wildlife during this tour include dolphins, seals, penguins, Sunfish and occasionally whales. Come kayak in Cape Town here:
Aquatrails
If sea kayaking sounds a bit intimidating, maybe exclusive tours on the Orange River, Breede River, Doring River or Palmiet River will tickle your fancy? Based in Fish Hoek, Aquatrails offers exactly that! Not only do they offer exclusive kayak and canoe tours, they also sell and rent both Kayaks and Canoes. This is the perfect activity if you are considering tours longer than a day or want to make a group booking to kayak Cape Town.
Kayak Adventures
Kayak Adventures offers guided kayak tours in Hout Bay, where you can explore one of Cape Town’s most iconic shorelines, the seal sanctuary and Chapman’s Peak from shore. Hout Bay is a vibrant coastal town 20km from Cape Town central. It is famous for its picture-perfect views and lively markets.
Kayak Cape Town-Kayak tours Cape Town-Now up to 10% off (kayakadventures.capetown)
Paddle Experience
Paddle Experience offers kayak tours all across the Cape coastline. Available tours include a bird tour through Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve in Muizenberg, penguin tour in Simon’s Town, seal tour in Hout Bay and finally their dolphin Tour in Three Anchor Bay. They also offer customized family, groups and team-building workshops. Paddle Experience is able to access diverse locations since they operate a fully mobile unit. Whether it is on the sea, an estuary or the river, you won’t regret this two-hour tour!
Paddle Experience – Explore. Adventure. Learn
Cape Kayak Adventures
Cape Kayak Adventures offer a fantastic small-group adventure suitable for all levels of experience. You, your friends and loved ones can enjoy kayaking against the backdrop of Table Mountain National Reserve, along the Cape Town coastline. Your tour will either head towards Clifton or V&A Waterfront, bringing you fantastic views along the way. If you are lucky, you may even see local Heaviside’s dolphins dancing alongside you.
Cape Kayak Adventures (activitar.com)
Gravity Adventures
Gravity Adventures is an established and respected South-African adventure company, based in Cape Town that offers a range of bite size adventures, all within an hour and a half from Cape Town. One of these activities being sea kayaking in Langebaan on the West Coast and the Cape Peninsular. Other activities offered include coasteering near Boulders Penguin Colony, whitewater rafting, tubing in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve and easy Canyoning in the Limietberg.
Gravity Adventures – Experience the Northern Cape, South Africa (experiencenortherncape.com)
Other adventures in Cape Town
People also ask:
Where can I kayak in the Western Cape?
The Western Cape is rich in kayaking hotspots, here are just a few:
The Table Mountain Nature Reserve, V&A Waterfront, Simon’s Town, Hout Bay, Plettenberg Bay and Gansbaai. Multiple kayaking and canoeing businesses operate in the mentioned hotspots, just find the one that ticks all your boxes.
Where can you sea kayak in South Africa?
Sea kayaking is the perfect activity for both adrenaline junkies and eager beginners alike. South Africa has no real, long sea kayaking expeditions, but offers a variety of fun-filled day trips. Almost all of these trips include exhilarating encounters with wildlife such as seals, dolphins and interesting bird species.
On the West Coast, Cape Town is loaded with lively seaside towns like Simon’s Town, Camps Bay, Kalk Bay and Noordhoek that have calm waters, perfect for kayaking. The Eastern Cape, Wild Coast and Garden Route also have fantastic kayaking spots, such as Port Elizabeth, Kleinmond and Morgan Bay. KwaZulu-Natal ‘s warm water makes it the perfect place for numerous sea water activities, such as snorkeling and sea kayaking.
Can you kayak on the Cape Fear River?
YES, You can absolutely kayak on the Cape Fear River! In fact, it is highly recommended. With a compilation of fascinating destinations that are only accessible via a water-bound vessel, the Cape Fear area is a prime destination for various adventurous activities such as kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and river tubing. There are a variety of more-than-a-day trips that you can enjoy.
Is a canoe or kayak better?
To compare these very similar, yet very different types of transport, you need to consider their functions and then weigh it against your main objective.
If you are only looking to explore, relax and have a lot of gear to travel with, canoeing is the better option for you. Canoes are also more efficient when it comes to comfort and stability during longer expeditions. If you are looking for a thrill, Kayaks are more maneuverable than canoes and are the popular choice when it comes to handling whitewater.