Animals & Farms in Cape Town

Cape Town's world-class aquarium, home to over 8,000 animals — penguins, sharks, turtles and the famous kelp forest — with touch pools and daily feedings the kids love, plus a playroom and puppet shows. Read more

Setting

Indoor aquarium

Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Hours stretch to 9–6pm over the school holidays.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9:30–6pm

Pony rides and riding lessons on Main Road, with gentle, well-cared-for horses and staff who are patient with nervous first-timers. Read more

Setting

Outdoor riding centre and petting area, with an indoor and outdoor café

Pony rides last about 10–15 minutes and need no booking — Mon 2:30–3:45pm, and Tues–Sat 9:30–10:45am and 2:30–3:45pm. They're for ages 2–10.

Hours

Mon 1:30–5:15pm · Tue–Fri 8:30–5:15pm · Sat 8:15–4pm · closed Sun

A sanctuary providing lifetime care to lions and other rescued big cats from abusive captive situations. Families view the animals without touching or performances; the sanctuary does not breed, trade or allow visitor-animal interaction. Read more

Setting

Outdoor big-cat rescue sanctuary

A genuine sanctuary visit: observation only, with no cub petting, breeding, performances or direct interaction. Visitors need to stay quiet around the animals. There is a small play area with swings and a slide.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9:30–5pm · closed 25 Dec

A working farm with 300+ alpacas, a petting zoo (llamas, dromedaries, donkeys, angora goats), a weaving studio, a jungle gym and a coffee shop with Table Mountain views.

Setting

Indoor & outdoor farm visit

Barn tours leave every hour on the hour, with no booking needed. The jungle gym has no shade.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9:30–5:30pm · closed 25 Dec

Free-to-visit sanctuary for rescued farm animals where families can wander the property, pick up a food tray to connect with the animals, see artworks by Pigcasso and Baanksy, and stop at the plant-based café or wine tasting.

Setting

Indoor & outdoor farm sanctuary

Farm-animal sanctuary with animal feeding and petting, a kids' play area, pony rides, putt-putt and a small coffee shop.

Setting

Outdoor farm sanctuary

Putt-putt is free. Pony rides run at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Hours

Tue–Sun 9–5pm · closed Mon

Booking

Pre-book groups of 10+

Wildlife-awareness centre between Klapmuts and Stellenbosch where kids meet giraffes and other African animals. Feeding sessions happen on weekends. Children (2–15) R60, adults R90.

Setting

Outdoor wildlife centre

Creepy-crawly encounters run at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on weekends and in school holidays. No alcohol on the premises.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9–5pm · closed 25 Dec

A working farm with old-world charm: established trees, shaded forest walks, a bamboo grove, and hiking and mountain bike trails up past the vineyards to a panoramic viewpoint. Read more

Setting

Outdoor working farm, forest walks, playground and picnic areas

Open every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day. Dogs are welcome on a lead once registered, with a once-off permit from the Tea Garden. Animal feed is sold there too. Strawberry picking runs Oct–Dec, not on Sundays.

Hours

Mon–Sun 8–5pm

A 118-hectare working farm in the Van der Stel Pass Valley, about 90km from Cape Town, offering guided animal encounters with lions, cheetahs, meerkats, zebra and more. Read more

Setting

Outdoor working farm

Encounters are guided walking tours, private tours, cheetah runs and sunset game drives. Overnight guests pay a reduced rate. pram friendly, not wheelchair friendly, easy parking, no online bookings, no baby zone, no changing table, feeding friendly, no high chairs, no food, not dog friendly.

Hours

Mon–Sun 8–4:30pm

Africa's largest bird park — walk-through aviaries and a monkey jungle where the squirrel-monkey feeding is a highlight. Adults R145, children 3–18 R60, under-3s free — ask about memberships.

Setting

Outdoor aviaries

The monkey jungle is open 11:30–1pm and 2–3:30pm; leave bags outside, as the monkeys grab things. Pushcarts can be hired, and picnics are welcome.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9–5pm · last entry 4pm

The former Butterfly World, now an exotic-animal sanctuary — monkeys, meerkats, birds and reptiles. Children under 3 free, 3+ R49, adults R88.

Setting

Indoor & outdoor sanctuary

The official website still labels these as 2024 day rates; confirm before travelling if price is important. Keepers give animal talks at 11am and 2pm on weekends and public holidays, and most of the sanctuary is under cover, so it works on a rainy day.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9–5pm · last entry 4:30pm · closed 25 Dec

Reptile park with guided crocodile-pond tours, an indoor snake exhibit, a weekend snake show at 12:10pm, catch-and-release fishing, rowboats, a children's play area and wood-fired pizza — plus crocodile cage diving for the brave. Activities are ticketed separately.

Setting

Indoor & outdoor reptile park

Crocodile cage diving is for ages 9+ and runs September–April. The snake-shaped cycle track suits ages 3–7; bring a bike or hire one.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9–5pm · closed 25 Dec

Booking

Book activities online

Working family farm with a coffee shop, deli and farm shop, ceramic painting and other craft activities, pony rides and free-roaming farm animals including donkeys, alpacas, horses and bunnies.

Setting

Indoor & outdoor farm visit

There is a separate toddler play area with a sandpit and slide, and a guided farm walk on Sundays at 11am. The deli doesn't take bookings.

Hours

Tue–Sun 8–3:30pm

Booking

Contact the farm for bookable activities

Imhoff Farm has a collection of family activities, shops and places to eat on a working Kommetjie farm. Higgeldy Piggeldy Farmyard is a shaded area where children can feed and touch ponies, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, emus, rabbits and birds.

Setting

Outdoor farm

Hours

Farmyard: Mon–Sun 9–4pm · other operator hours vary

Booking

Check individual operators

A behind-the-scenes look at a working seabird rescue and rehabilitation centre rather than a conventional animal attraction. Read more

Setting

Indoor and outdoor seabird rehabilitation centre

This is an active rehabilitation facility, so access and what families see depend on the birds receiving care that day. Penguin feeding is at 11am and 3pm. If a bird is being treated during your tour you may see it, which can upset sensitive children.

Hours

Mon–Sun 9–3pm · hourly tours · home-pen feeds 11am & 3pm

A quieter, cheaper alternative to Boulders, and a lovely stop on the scenic R44 coastal drive, about 1.5 hours from town. A boardwalk winds through the colony so you can watch the penguins up close without disturbing them, and you'll often spot dassies too. Read more

Setting

Outdoor boardwalk through a penguin colony

CapeNature publishes the gate hours as 8–4:30pm, not 5pm, and the reserve office number as 087 087 3001.

Hours

Mon–Sun 8–4:30pm · Last permits at 3:45pm, boardwalk closes at 4pm

A genuinely magical stop near Cape Point Nature Reserve, where pigs, goats, dogs, two white horses and a trio of donkeys roam free and will happily join you at your table. If they get too cheeky there's a gated seating area. Read more

Setting

Outdoor farm café with free-roaming animals

Play fee

Free entry · café extra

No dogs, because of the free-roaming animals.

Hours

Tue–Sun 8–5pm

A conservation centre where you meet the ambassador cats. General tour R10 per person weekdays, R5 weekends, free with entry — an hour with a guide covering cheetahs, caracal, servals, jackal, meerkats, bat-eared foxes and Anatolian shepherds. Read more

Setting

Outdoor conservation centre

Hours

Mon–Sun 10–5pm