Lowest rate
South African visitor
The local band
See the tourGroup price check
Cape Point Nature Reserve entrance fee, band by band
Choose from 4 options
Cape Point days compared, from price
Pick a party size and see what each departure starts at, before the gate fee.
- Our full day10 hours · per individual from $44
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View - Longer day10 hours · per individual from $51
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View - Half day5 hours · per individual from $40
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View - Cheaper day8 hours · per individual from $30
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View
Starting prices on GetYourGuide, exchanged at the ECB reference rate. The booking page gives the exact price.
The gate has price levels by visitor type, the funicular is a separate ticket and a tour may not cover either. Here are the rates in rand, the age rules and the hours.
Editorial team, capepointtour.top · Updated November 7, 2026 · Allow 8 min
Overview
- Standard adultThe standard gate entry is R595 for an adult and R288 for a child.1
- Cheaper bandsSouth Africans pay R115 and SADC nationals R242 for an adult.2,3
- FunicularA return ticket is R125 for an adult, bought separately.4
- DatesThese rates are valid from 1 Nov 2026 to 31 Oct 2027.5
- Who sets itThe gate entry is managed by SANParks.6
What the gate fee is and who sets it
Everyone who drives or rides into Cape Point Nature Reserve passes a gate at the edge of the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park, and the gate entry is where the reserve's fee is charged, so the entry fee for Cape Point is really a gate fee. The company that runs the facilities at Cape Point publishes the rates on its visitor page, and it adds that SANParks manages the park's gate entry.6 So the figures below come from the operator's page, while the park authority is the body behind the gate.
The rates on that page are valid from 1 Nov 2026 to 31 Oct 2027.5 That window matters for a trip planned well ahead, because prices at Cape Point increase every year on 1 November.7 If you read an older fee in a blog or a forum, it is probably a figure from a previous season. Check the dated line on the operator's page when you plan, and treat any figure copied from elsewhere with some suspicion.
The fees are quoted in rand, the local currency, and we repeat them exactly as the operator writes them without converting anything into dollars. That is deliberate: exchange rates move, the rand figure is what the ticket office asks for, and a stale conversion would only mislead you. The tour price on our listing is a separate, dollar-priced thing, and the later sections of this page explain how they relate.
Rates in full
Gate entry and funicular, adult and child
| Ticket | Adult | Child | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate, South Africans | R1152 | R572 | With ID shown12 |
| Gate, SADC nationals | R2423 | R1243 | Passport on entry3 |
| Gate, standard | R5951 | R2881 | Everyone else1 |
| Funicular return | R1254 | R654 | Ages 6 to 16 are children13 |
All figures are in rand as the operator publishes them, valid from 1 Nov 2026 to 31 Oct 2027 and raised each 1 November.5,7
The price levels at the gate
The operator's page sets out gate entry in bands by visitor type, with an adult line and a child line in each. South Africans pay R115 for an adult and R57 for a child.2 Nationals of the SADC countries pay R242 for an adult and R124 for a child, and they must show a passport on entry.3 Everyone else pays the standard entry, which is R595 for an adult and R288 for a child.1 The lines are easy to read side by side in the table further down, which also adds the funicular.
The spread between the bands is wide, as the chart in the middle of this page shows at a glance. A standard adult pays several times the South African adult rate, so it matters which band you belong to before you set a budget. A visitor from outside the region should plan around the standard rate, and a traveller with local or regional papers should read the local and regional lines of the list again and carry the proof.
The funicular and the gate are charged separately by design, and for a standard adult the gate is the larger figure. Put the gate figure first when you build a budget, then add the funicular if you want it, then lunch. If you are travelling as a family, add the child gate rate for each child in the age band the operator gives, which the next section sets out. A group tour folds the transport into one price, but the booking page has to say whether the gate is part of it.
Who counts as a child and what ID you need
Children are defined differently for the gate and for the funicular, and that difference is easy to miss when you are planning for a family. For the gate, a child is aged 2 to 12.13 For the funicular, a child is aged 6 to 16, and children under 6 ride the funicular free.13 Every child needs an accompanying adult.13 So a child can be inside the funicular's child band while already past the gate's, and the youngest children ride the funicular free but are still counted at the gate.
The cheaper bands depend on proof. South Africans claiming the local rate must show an ID, a driver's licence or a passport, and a clear picture of the document on your phone is also accepted.12 For SADC nationals the page asks for a passport on entry.3 If you are not in either group, nothing needs to be proved, but it is sensible to carry a passport or a photograph of it for the standard band in case a ticket office asks.
None of this is hard once you know it, but it explains why the same car can pay different totals. If you are travelling with a resident, such as a friend who lives in Cape Town, ask them to bring ID so the local band can apply to them. A friend who qualifies pays the local rate for themselves, and you pay the band that fits you. Do not assume a whole vehicle pays one rate, since the page quotes the bands for individual adults and children.
Pick your plan
Match your trip to what you pay
Say how you plan to visit and see what the fee picture looks like.
If I live in South Africa
Bring ID for the local band
The local rate needs an ID, a licence or a passport.12
If I am visiting from outside Africa
Budget the standard band
The standard gate entry is R595 for an adult.1
If I want the lighthouse without a climb
Buy the funicular
A return ticket is R125 for an adult.4
If I would rather walk up
Skip the funicular
Our record offers a 15-minute walk as the alternative.
If I am booking a day tour
Read what it lists
Our record has no gate fee line, so check the option page.
Where you fit
Ways to pay the gate
Middle rate
SADC national
The regional band
See the tour
Standard rate
International visitor
The standard band
See the tourThe funicular is paid separately
The Flying Dutchman funicular carries a separate ticket from the gate. A return ticket costs R125 for an adult and R65 for a child or a pensioner.4 The ride takes 3 minutes, and the cars leave the lower station every 3 minutes, which keeps the wait short.15,10 The operator says it saves an uphill walk from the car park to the old lighthouse.16 Think of it as a convenience charge for the climb rather than an entry fee for the reserve, since the gate has already been paid by the time you reach the car park.
You can also walk. The record of our own tour describes the choice on arrival as buying a ticket for the funicular to the lighthouse or taking a 15-minute walk up. That makes the funicular optional, which matters for a budget: it is the one part of the Cape Point day that you can drop without losing the lighthouse. If you have a bad knee or a small child, the ride is a sensible spend, and it is wheelchair accessible.15
Pensioners need a little more care. The page says South African pensioners aged 60 and over get special funicular rates with identification, and that those tickets are sold only at the Cape Point ticket office, not online.17 The rate listed for pensioners equals the child fare.4 The arrangement is specific to South African pensioners, so check the page again before you travel and carry the ID that proves it.
A day at the gate
From the gate opening to the last exit
Gate opens
6:00am in summer, 7:00am in winter
Entry starts at 6:00am from October to March and 7:00am from April to September.8,9
9:00am
The funicular starts
11:00am
The restaurant opens
The restaurant at the lower station opens at 11:00am in both seasons.8,9
Afternoon
The funicular's last window
The last funicular hour ends at 5:30pm in summer and 5:00pm in winter.8,9
Sunset
Leave by closing time
Late vehicles are fined, so the exit rule is by sunset.11
What a day tour settles and what it does not
Our listing is the 10-hour tour from Cape Town, from $44, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and 3,399 reviews rated 4.8. Its record lists the pickup, the guide, the stops and the funicular-or-walk choice, but it has no line about the reserve fee, so we cannot tell you whether the gate is included in the price. Check the option on the booking page before you pay, and assume you may need to cover the gate and the funicular yourself.
Other departures differ, so a quick comparison helps. A half-day option runs 5 hours from $40, a longer day with a Hout Bay stop runs 10 hours from $51, and a cheaper 8-hour full day is from $30. The calculator above shows each one's from price. A lower from price is not a lower total if it leaves out something the dearer tour covers, so compare what each says it includes, not just the number.
The fee also changes the value of a long self-drive. If you hire a car, you pay the gate for each person and probably the funicular as well, whereas a group tour spreads the driver and the guide across the vehicle. Neither is automatically cheaper, and the answer depends on how many people share a car. Our tour-or-self-drive page lays that comparison out in full, and it is worth reading before you choose, since the right answer changes with the size of your group and the number of days you have in Cape Town.
Video
Cape Point drive through the nature reserve
Emma & Ofer on YouTube · Your tap on play is what loads the video.
Please note that the gate entry to the park is managed by SANParks
Before you pay
A checklist for fees and tickets
Before you travel3
Hours that decide what the fee buys
The fee buys more when the days are long, because the gate and the funicular both keep longer hours in the warm half of the year. From October to March the gate is open from 6:00am to 6:00pm and the funicular from 9:00am to 5:30pm.8 From April to September the gate is open from 7:00am to 5:00pm and the funicular from 9:00am to 5:00pm.9 The operator adds that exit is by sunset, and that vehicles leaving after closing time are fined accordingly.11
So the same gate fee gives you a longer window in summer, which suits a long walk on the boardwalk. In winter the day is shorter and the weather can close in, so the funicular may be the efficient way to get a view before the light goes. If you are on a tour, the schedule is set by the guide, so ask at the start what time you are expected at each stop and what happens if the funicular queue is long.
A last practical note is food, since a day at the Cape is a long one and the reserve has no shortage of places to stop. The Two Oceans Restaurant is next to the lower funicular station, and the Food Shop sells snacks for a picnic approach.18,14 Both are paid for separately from the gate, so build lunch into your budget, and remember that the restaurant opens later in the morning than the gate does. A packed bag is a sensible way to keep the day's costs predictable without losing the view, as the Food Shop's own picnic approach suggests, and it leaves more of the budget for the funicular and the souvenir shops.
FAQ
Quick questions get quick answers.
How much is the Cape Point entrance fee?
R595 for a standard adult.
The standard gate entry is R595 for an adult and R288 for a child.1
Do South Africans pay less at Cape Point?
Who counts as a child at the gate?
Ages 2 to 12.
For the funicular a child is 6 to 16, and under 6 ride free.13
Is the funicular included in the gate fee?
No, it is separate.
A return ticket is R125 for an adult and R65 for a child or pensioner.4
When do the Cape Point rates change?
What time does the Cape Point gate close?
Does a day tour pay my entrance fee?
Check the option you book.
Our listing's record has no fee line, so read the booking page before paying.
Sources
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Facilities ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Cape Point ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · About ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Facilities ↩
- Cape Point (concession operator of the Cape Point facilities, capepoint.co.za) · Visitor's Info ↩
- Wesgro (Western Cape tourism, trade and investment promotion agency) · Cape Point ↩
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