A toddler squeals with delight alongside a jumble of boulders, plunking herself thigh high into a sloshing emerald pool within inches of dozens of honking African penguins that squirt in and out of the water like large self-propelled watermelon seeds.
This sparkling cove at Boulders Beach, less than an hour outside Cape Town, South Africa, is part of Table Mountain National Park, and one of the most protected places along False Bay for kids — and birds — to swim. Squint your eyes and you could be in the Seychelles. It's just one of many places — drive-up beaches, malaria-free open spaces and casual cafes — that make Cape Town an easy place for families to decompress. South Africa's safari lodges may dangle attractive kid bait, like hunts for the “little five” (elephant shrews and rhino beetles among them), but they also have safari rules like “no talking,” and “sit still.” In Cape Town, children can make noise when they see animals, swim next to them, and even touch some.
You can forgo the confusing traffic tangle getting in and out of the commercial Victoria and Alfred Waterfront by making Camps Bay your base. The anchor of what is known locally as Cape Town's Riviera feels unpretentious, like a California beach town. On a sunny Saturday morning, cyclists and ponytailed moms with baby-joggers share the palm-fringed seaside promenade in the shadow of the Twelve Apostles mountain range.
Across the street, umbrellas line Victoria Road's outdoor cafes. Young families fill Nando's terrace (Promenade Building; 27-21-438-1915) for its flame-cooked chicken plates (“Kidz Meals” are 19.95 South African rand, or $2.85 at 7.19 South African rand to the dollar). At the long-standing Bayside Cafe (51 Victoria Road; 27-21-438-2650) order grilled just-caught kingklip (71 rand); fish and chips for the children (32 rand).
Camps Bay Village rents stylish apartments (69 Victoria Road; 32 Camps Bay Drive; 27-21-438-5560; www.campsbayvillage.com; two bedrooms, between 935 and 1,980 rand; three bedrooms, 1,100 to 2,200 rand and, villas from 1,800 rand). Its guests can use the nearby Bay Hotel's concierge services, but the hotel does not allow children under 12. The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa does, and will provide robes and a welcome gift for children, toys in the room and spectacular sunset views for you (Victoria Road; 27-21-437-9000; www.12apostleshotel.com; superior sea-facing rooms from 4,620 to 5,600 rand). Your Eloise may prefer the grand pink Mount Nelson, in the city center, for its history, gardens and free bedtime cookies and milk (76 Orange Street; 27-21-483-1000; www.mountnelson.co.za; doubles sleep three, 4,410 rand).
Cape Town has two “must dos” a 10-minute drive away. The first is Robben Island (27-21-409-5100; www.robben-island.org.za; 150 rand; 75 rand for ages 4 to 17; under 4 free). Admission includes the ferry, a three-and-a-half-hour tour, including a bus tour, and a chance to question a former inmate at the cell where Nelson Mandela spent two-thirds of his 27 years in jail. There's a reward for good behavior at the end: a boardwalk leads to a beach full of African penguins.
Next is a ride aboard the Table Mountain Cable Car, with a rotating floor (Tafelberg Road; 27-21-424-8181; www.tablemountain.net; 120 rand; 65 rand for ages 3 to 17; under 3 free). At the top, children can focus on rock dassies (rodentlike hyraxes), while you take in the panoramic views. It gets windy and foggy on the mountain, so check that it's open that day.
If you decide to tackle the city center's main attractions, buy a ticket for the double-decker Cape Town Explorer (27-21-511-6000; www.hyltonross.co.za; 100 rand; 50 rand for ages 2 to 12), a hop-on hop-off tourist trolley. Kids will love riding up top, and you'll like avoiding expensive cab fare.
Now you can escape. Camps Bay gives you a head start for Cape Town's best day trip, down the Peninsula's beaches to the Point on the Cape of Good Hope, for which the Cape Town region is named. Cut in from the coast at Hout Bay for your first wildlife encounter at the quirky World of Birds Sanctuary (Valley Road; 27-21-790-2730; www.worldofbirds.org.za; 55 rand; 35 rand for kids). Here, you can meander through low-ceilinged aviaries fluttering with colorful varieties. The birds are shy, as are the jittery tamarinds, but the frisky squirrel monkeys running loose in the Monkey Jungle might pet you.
Ten minutes farther northeast is the turnoff for Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (Rhodes Drive; 27-21-799-8899; www.sanbi.org; 27 rand; 5 rand ages 6 to 18; under 6 free), with broad, sloping lawns, modern giggle-inducing sculptures and forays to find slime lilies and yellow witchweeds. It's ideal if someone in your group needs some serious running-around time.
Time to hit the beaches. In addition to Boulders (20 rand), a string of family beaches and strollable towns ring False Bay. You can snap photos at the painted Victorian bath houses at St. James while the kids explore the tidal pool. In Kalk Bay, try a light lunch or crisp baked goods at the eclectic Olympia Cafe and Deli (134 Main Road; 27-21-788-6396). Sheltered Fish Hoek has a children's play area, but your little dude or dudette will want to sandboard the sand dunes. In historic Simon's Town, look for the statue of Able Seaman Just Nuisance in Jubilee Square (he was a Great Dane).
A 20-minute drive south, bucks and baboons might greet your car as you approach Cape Point Nature Reserve (27-21-780-9010; www.tmnp.co.za; 35 rand; 10 rand for children; under 2 free). The windswept soaring cliffs and beaches offer bragging rights: the kids can stand at the most “southwesterly” point of Africa; ride the continent's only funicular (single trips 25 rand; round trip 34 rand; 8 and 10 rand for children) to the most powerful lighthouse on the African Coast, and see the spot where the cold Benguela current and the warm Agulhas current meet.
If that whets their appetite for sea creatures, you can plan another day's outing at Two Oceans Aquarium (Dock Road, V & A Waterfront; 27-21-418-3823; www.aquarium.co.za; 70 rand; 32 rand for ages 4 to 17; under 4 free). You can troll for souvenirs while the kids mold or paint theirs at the aquarium's activities area, where they can also sing and dance.
Noon is early for lights out, but a short cab ride away, the Iziko Planetarium (25 Queen Victoria Street; 27-21-481-3900; www.iziko.org.za; 20 rand; 6 rand for kids) has a changing schedule of shows for ages 5 to 10 (adults pay half for kids' shows), with several on weekends. Night owls can attend the Tuesday shows at 8 p.m. The museum is in the Company's Gardens, which resembles a scaled-down version of the National Mall in Washington. The former agricultural plot for the Dutch East India company's seamen is surrounded by historic buildings, Parliament, museums — and a sense of calm. You can view contemporary art at the National Gallery (Government Avenue; 27-21-467-4660; 10 rand; 5 rand for kids; Saturdays free) and then relax beneath the trees.
For lunch, nearby Fork (84 Long Street, 27-21-424-6334) has a stylish urban interior, a convenient location on Long Street, lined with shops, and kid-friendly tapas available all day. Visit in the late afternoon to avoid the smartly dressed business lunch crowd. Try the ostrich or kudu fillets (45 rand), and order a crispy nest of pasta (30 rand) or a simple plate of fries (15 rand) for the children. You can sample a bottle of local chenin blanc for 70 rand (that's per bottle not per glass).
Or pick one up at the source: the Stellenbosch Winelands, a 45-minute drive away. Admission is free at Spier Estate's intoxicating array of animals, gardens, picnic areas, lake and playgrounds (R310 Lynedoch Road; 27-21-809-1100; www.spier.co.za). Touching anything is extra. You can pet cheetahs at Cheetah Outreach; it's 10 rand admission; 70 rand (adults) and 30 rand (kids) to pet a cheetah; 160 rand (adults and children) to pet a cheetah cub. You can also marvel at swooping raptors at Eagle Encounter, a bird show that runs all day (30 rand; 15 rand for ages 3 to 12). On weekends, pony rides and carriage tours (10 rand) start at noon at the Deli & Grill, where you can get quiche (36 rand) or calamari provençal (45 rand), while the children can eat cheese toasties and chips (21 rand).
