Iziko South African Museum Museum

Address: 25 Queen Victoria Street, Company’s Garden, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

Website: https://www.iziko.org.za/museums/south-african-museum

Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00am-5:00pm, closed Mondays

Admission: Adult R40 (approx. $2-3), concessions available; some exhibitions charged separately

Iziko South African Museum is a natural-history and cultural-history museum in Cape Town, South Africa, established in the early 19th century. It is part of the Iziko Museums of South Africa group and holds long-running collections used for scientific research and public display.

Displays focus on natural history specimens and cultural objects from southern Africa, with exhibition galleries that include paleontology and zoology material. The museum sits alongside other national cultural institutions in a compact central complex, making it an accessible stop on a cultural walking route.

The institution traces its origins to the early 1800s and developed into a formal museum over the 19th century, expanding its collections and public galleries through subsequent decades. It later became incorporated into the Iziko Museums umbrella that groups several Cape Town museums and heritage sites.

The museum occupies a site in the Company’s Garden in central Cape Town, close to Parliament and the South African National Gallery, with Table Mountain visible from nearby streets on clear days.

• Central location: Sited inside Cape Town’s historic Company’s Garden, immediately adjacent to other cultural institutions and within walking distance of Parliament and the city centre.

The museum is in the Company’s Garden precinct in central Cape Town, a short walk from the Parliament and the South African National Gallery. From the city centre take the MyCiTi bus (lines towards Civic Centre) or walk from the CBD; the nearest rail station is Cape Town Station, about 10-15 minutes on foot.

• Start in the fossil and mammal halls - the articulated whale skeletons and Khoisan-related exhibits reward early attention before crowds arrive.
• Combine this visit with the Company's Garden just outside; the museum sits in the same precinct as the Planetarium and South African National Gallery.
• Check the Iziko website before visiting - some galleries rotate exhibits and sections close occasionally for conservation work.