Things to do in Camps Bay, by season and time of day

The best things to do in Camps Bay are the beach while lifeguards are on duty, a mountain walk while it is cool and the sunset over the sea. The month decides how you fit them together. In December the sun sets at about 19:54 and the south-easter blows often; in June it sets at 17:44 and it is the wettest month. Our Camps Bay holiday lets make a base for all three.

Pick by the day you have

Match the plan to the weather on the morning. Each row uses the City of Cape Town, SANParks and cableway details further down this page.

The beach and the tidal pool

Camps Bay Beach and its tidal pool have lifeguards from 10:00 to 18:00 and a marked swimming area on the City's 2025/26 lifeguard schedule¹. Swim only between the red and yellow flags, and only in lifeguard season, which the City says runs from late September to about mid-April. Camps Bay Beach and Clifton 4th both hold Blue Flag status for the 2026/27 season, announced on 8 October 2026.

The beaches either side work differently, so check before you get in:

• Clifton 1st, 2nd and 3rd: lifeguards patrol from 10:00 to 18:00, but the schedule lists no safe swimming areas.
• Clifton 4th and Maiden's Cove: lifeguards from 10:00 to 18:00 with a swimming area.
• Glen Beach and Bakoven: not on the City's lifeguard schedule at all. The City describes Glen Beach as a surf spot, and it has strong currents.

Expect cold water in every month. A model estimate for the sea a few kilometres offshore averages about 14°C to 15°C all year, and in December and January single hours have dropped below 10°C. The summer south-easter is the reason: it pushes the warm surface water out to sea and cold, deeper water rises in its place.

Dogs are not allowed on Camps Bay beach from 09:00 to 18:00 between November and March, and never in the tidal pool or Blue Flag area, according to the City's Camps Bay beach page³. Parking along the beach is limited, which is one reason to walk or take the bus.

Mountain walks near the bay

Four walks start within a short drive of the beach, and SANParks publishes the distance, time and water for three of them⁴:

1. Lion's Head: starts on Signal Hill Drive, about 2km one way to the 669m summit, 1 to 1.5 hours up. Children can do it but may need help at the chains. There is no water on the route.
2. Pipe Track: starts where Tafelberg Road meets Kloof Nek, about 6km one way to Corridor Ravine, 4 to 4.5 hours there and back. Dogs are allowed and there is a tap at the start. It is exposed to the afternoon sun in summer.
3. Kasteelspoort: two to four hours up the Twelve Apostles side, starting from Theresa Road and the Jeep Track, according to Cape Town Tourism's route guide.
4. Platteklip Gorge: about 3km straight up the front of Table Mountain, from 1 hour for the very fit to 3 hours.

If you would rather ride up, the Lower Cable Station is about 6km from the beach. From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 a child's return ticket costs R230 online or R270 at the ticket office, South Africans ride free in their birthday month with an SA ID, and tickets stay valid for seven days, according to the cableway's September 2026 announcement⁵, so you can wait for a clear day.

Getting around without a car

Driving times below are for an empty road with no traffic, measured from Camps Bay beach. Times with traffic will be longer.

MyCiTi routes 106 and 107 run from Camps Bay over Kloof Nek to the city centre, and Camps Bay to Kloof Nek takes 9 minutes on the timetable. On route 106 the last bus leaves Camps Bay at 20:37 on weekdays and 20:06 at weekends. Route 109 runs every day along the coast, stopping at Clifton, Glen Beach, Bakoven and Llandudno. You need a myconnect card (R40); a trip of up to 5km costs R19.50 at weekday peak times and R15.00 otherwise, and a one-day pass is R130, on MyCiTi's fare table⁶.

Sundowners and evenings

The sun sets over the sea here. Across Victoria Road from the beach, the City notes many sidewalk restaurants and cafes for meals and sundowners. Drinks belong there, not on the sand, because the by-law bans alcohol on the beach. For a quieter view, walk about 2.5km south to Bakoven, a small strip of sand between granite boulders and home to the NSRI's oldest sea rescue station, opened in 1967.

Plan it by month

Sunset is for the 15th of each month. Rain and average highs are 2016 to 2025 averages from Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis for a point about 6km from the beach, not a weather station. A rain day has at least 1mm.

October to March

April to September

February is the driest month and January the latest sunset. June brings 131mm of rain, more than November to March put together. In the same reanalysis, a southerly to south-easterly wind led on about twice as many days a month from October to April as in June to August, and that is the wind that cools the sea.

Interest follows the summer. Google searches for "things to do in Camps Bay" from South Africa ran at 720 in December and 140 in June, according to OpenSEO data read on 21 October 2026. If you are here for the Cape Town Cycle Tour on 14 March 2027, plan around the road: in 2026 the Cape Argus reported that Victoria Road through Camps Bay and Clifton would be closed for much of race day.

Staying close to it

On our current list, the furnished one-bedroom beachfront apartment (ref 116910944) has a pool and costs R3,500 a day from 22 September 2026, and its listing puts the beach, the tidal pool and the restaurants on the doorstep. Two more are either side of the main beach: a waterfront beach bungalow in Bakoven (ref 115439467) and a seven-bedroom villa in The Glen (ref 117529473), both price on application.

For daily and monthly rates across our listings, and how December changes them, see what renting in Camps Bay costs. When you know your dates, send them to Thelma on WhatsApp with how many of you are coming, and she will tell you which homes are free.