Cape Town 30-minute V&A Harbour Cruise: Explore Nautical History and Wildlife

Embark on a thrilling 30-minute cruise through Cape Town’s V&A Harbour, discovering nautical history and encountering fascinating wildlife. Enjoy live commentary and uncover the city’s rich maritime heritage.

Duration: 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Two Oceans Aquarium - Main departure point can be found here
What's Included
  • Headsets for clear audio of the guide’s commentary
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Embark on a captivating 30-minute cruise ride and encounter not only resident seals but also international ships and luxury yachts gracing South African shores. With live commentary, rediscover the city from a new perspective and delve into Cape Town’s rich nautical history as you cruise the Victoria and Alfred basins. Join us for an enlightening…

Location
40 Dock Rd
Dock Road
Infront of the 2 Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(26 Ratings)
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1 star
Odys62
Oct 8, 2024
Relaxed boat cruise - Amazing views from the v&a waterfront good insight of cape town harbour and canal. Many sightings of seals. A bit cold if you go on September.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide38430225861
May 23, 2024
Fantastic - Definitely an amazing adventure - great crew on board with great vine and very friendly And thank you to the co ordinator Zailen As he was very helpful with info needed before hand and was very helpful with the confirmation of my cruise and very responsive online for any issues - very accommodating and lovely experience overall Thank you to the team
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N2932calouiseg
May 20, 2024
Harbour tour Cape Town - It was a lovely experience - very informative, beautiful views and friendly staff. It was a great experience as a South African and we can really be proud of what we have to offer as tourism experiences. Thank you
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Passport531317
Jan 10, 2024
Great cruise of the V&A Harbour!!!! - The cruise was fantastic! It covered the V&A Harbour superbly. The information provided is interesting, our young kids enjoyed the kiddies channel through the ear phones. The ear phones where very comfortable and clear. It's a nice little bonus that we could all keep our ear phones. The boat is in great condition,very comfortable and safety is always a priority. We found the crew onboard to be very polite and knowledgeable. I highly recommend V&A Harbour Cruise, the and its great value for money.
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Compublic
Nov 13, 2022
Cancelled because of bad weather but fully refunded - Unfortunately the harbour cruises were all cancelled the whole day because of strong winds (also the tablemountain lift was closed because of strong winds). But we got an automatic full refund, so that is positive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cornel56
May 23, 2024
School had lovely time doing the combo - Hi, I went on two consecutive days with two primary school groups of 13 kids each. On Saturday we first did the canal trip and then the harbour trip. On both your personal were very friendly and made us feel welcome. On Sunday we started with the harbour trip. When we got to the canal boats no-one was there at the boat, so we walked around the corner to look around. When we saw the second boat returning we turned around but suddenly there where a big group of people waiting. We thus weren't the "first group" anymore and we had to look on as the boat was filled in front of us. We had paid tickets that were booked on line long ago. I asked if we could not be taken on the second boat but they said they could not and we had to wait for this boat to return. We unfortunately had a time limit so could not do this. I was however pleasantly surprised when I was repaid for this canal trip at the office (and in cash!) when I went there and explained what happened and why we could not come back for this trip on another day! There is one thing small thing or two that bothers a bit about the trip. Not all information on the headphones is correct. We are not in a drought anymore and our dams are not empty, also the Chavonnes Battery-museum has been closed for more than a year now (with no explanation anywhere to find out why) but you keep on encouraging people to go there. Rather give information about the part of the wall we can see and the canons on top of it. Also on the Saturday's trip the captain gave direct instructions where the kids had to sit (some wanted to sit on the outer side but could not) according to their size, while on Sunday no such orders or instructions were given at all and they could sit either on the left or the right seat. We still had a good time. Thanks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
869shirleys
Mar 31, 2024
Great trip - Great 30 minute trip round harbour. Loved hearing the history and seeing the seals resting on the tyres. Good introduction to Cape Town
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ichicorp
Jun 10, 2023
Nice ride. Agradable paseo - Fast and easy way to know facts about Cape Town’s Harbor. We were able to see sea lions!!! Professional staff. Please note that is just 100-150 feet from Station #1 of the hop off hop on bus station. Rápida y fácil manera de conocer hechos acerca de el puerto de Cape Town (ciudad del Cabo) Tuvimos la oportunidad de ver focas, ellas habitan usualmente por ahi. El personal es muy profesional. Nota, el barco sale a unos 100-150 pies de la estacion #1 del autobus Hop on Hop off.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ar2003ies
Oct 14, 2022
Beautiful Morning - This was my third time being on a cruise and it was a fun experience. It was absolutely amazing to be on a cruise going around the waters and seeing the seals up close, it was a different experience from the usual swimming in the ocean. Thank you to the staff for giving my family and I a wonderful time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
933garethj
Sep 21, 2023
never again - Good morning It is with much regret that I am sending this communication and would appreciate a response. I received the below and took advantage of the offer. I went online and purchased another ticket for 1 adult and 1 child to accompany my daughter and her cousin. Checking in was a breeze with my vouchers at the Waterfront desk and we were on the bus within 5 minutes. Enjoying the sights and commentary, we hopped off in Houtbay as this is not the first time myself and the kids experienced the red bus and have done all the sights in the past We spent approximately an hour until we waited for the bus to head back to town. As we were waiting, the bus on the opposite side of the road stopped and the driver signalled that we can cross the road and get on the bus which we did. The tickets were requested and I presented the tickets that was issued to me. The lady shouted at me that I did not have tickets for all the passengers and with this told the driver to leave as I am not a valid ticket holder. NO effort was made to assist me and the bus left. A few minutes later, another bus arrived and crossed the road to the bus stop. By this time, it was really cold and many of the people were heading back to town. I was asked for my tickets whereby I was given a very suspicious look by the person that checked the tickets. I then explained that the one ticket was a birthday ticket which allows a guest and the other ticket was paid for online. The lady lost her cool completely and shouted that she has NEVER heard of a birthday ticket before and where was everyone going without tickets and attended to the rest of the passengers wanting to board the bus. As there was no one else, they were forced to deal with me and by this time the driver came to join and see what the hold-up was. I then explained the ticket situation to the driver whereby he laughed and got back in the bus, not interested in offering any assistance after which he shouted that he is waiting only 2 minutes then he will be leaving. There I was standing, holding up the bus and being the centre of attraction to all who can see what was going on. After exchanging words with the ticket person and me requested assistance in the form of calling the office as she was literally not going to do anything to resolve the matter as she did not offer any help or ways to get us on the bus. The ticket lady then called someone and I had to speak to this person via cellphone. this lady then took a picture of the code printed on the below ticket and she got back on the bus and spoke to the driver. I was still standing in the wind, being treated like a liar with the uttermost disrespect as a client and as a human being. After just under 10 minutes, I was told that I can board the bus without an apology and without uttering a word further. Left embarrassed, I had to look for seat downstairs to avoid eye contact with the rest of the passengers as the My questions are as follows: 1. Is this how people from the "general public" are treated. If I spoke another language, would I have experienced the same treatment? 2. If i was not a person of colour, would this have been my experience? 3. Why was it so quick to assume that I was a thief wanting to hitch a ride back to town? 4. Are your staff members not trained and updated on things like "birthday vouchers" 5. Why is the staff so unhelpful to resolve matters in a humane manner without judgement? 6. Why could the matter not be resolved in a minute instead of treating someone with no dignity? Upon my return back to the Waterfront, I spoke to the lady that issued the original tickets and they were completely disgusted at my story and furthermore encouraged me to draft this email. I would like this matter to be investigated as I am not happy with what was presented on Saturday. The driver and that ticket lady needs to be trained on how to managed members of the public as this country are reliant on the tourism industry and also local travel off peak seasons. I have to admit that this experience has left me disgusted with the product that is supposed to be something the City should be proud of instead, I look at it now as something that is not for the local market as our money does not matter at all. I hope that bus driver and ticket checking person will not experience what I had or maybe as life would have it, you get back in return what you do to others. Looking forward to a response
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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