[category]
[title]
Whoever said nothing in life is free hasn’t visited South Africa, obviously. Our nation is alive with possibility and freebies, come Heritage Month.
We’ve got SANParks Week (7 - 13 September) and now, to sweeten the deal, the City of Cape Town has announced free access to its nature reserves on Heritage Day (Thursday, 24 September).
Spring is the opportune time to visit some of the Mother City’s natural heritage sights. We’ve got blooming wildflowers, birdwatching and some of the most awe-inspiring hikes, all within city limits. Well, mostly.
“This Heritage Month, we want to celebrate Cape Town’s natural heritage. These reserves protect extraordinary landscapes and biodiversity, and they are also places that residents can experience and enjoy,” commented Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
Options are not in short supply. Living in Cape Town sometimes desensitises us to our surroundings. Which other city lets you hike to a lookout spot, watch the metropolis below shake off its hazy slumber, and go quad biking on dunes before 3pm?
Pick your fighter
Choose one or more spots and make a full day of it.
- Blaauwberg Nature Reserve
Good for: Fynbos, sandy coastlines and a dip in the frigid Atlantic.
- Bothasig Fynbos Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, birdwatching and plant identification (fancy explanation for “Oh, look, a flower with pink and yellow petals.”)
- Botterblom Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, hiking. The nature reserve also conserves critically endangered Swartland silcrete renosterveld.
- Bracken Nature Reserve
Good for: Birdwatching, picnicking, walking. It’s a no-bin zone, so leave no litter behind.
- Durbanville Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, picnicking and birdwatching.
- Edith Stephens Nature Reserve
Good for: A seasonal wetland; the reserve has an environmental programme for schools. Also an idyllic picnic spot.
- False Bay Nature Reserve
Good for: 290 hectares of pristine wilderness to watch pelicans and flamingos, and maybe the occasional hippo. Other activities include a museum, auditorium, a network of footpaths, viewing towers, and several bird hides.
- Harmony Flats Nature Reserve
Good for: A biodiversity gem, Harmony Flats protects a surviving fragment of critically endangered Lourensford Alluvium Fynbos vegetation.
- Helderberg Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, hiking and picnicking. Also views for days, overlooking False Bay from the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain.
- Paardevlei Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, birdwatching, sculpture art.
Time Out tip: The Paardevlei wetland was formerly owned by an explosives and chemical group before being granted nature reserve status last year.
- Schapenberg Nature Reserve
Good for: Walking, hiking, birdwatching and picnicking.
- Steenbras Nature Reserve
Good for: Home to the popular Steenbras River Gorge and Crystal Pools hiking trail. Hiking, abseiling and kloof jumping.
- Table Bay Nature Reserve
Good for: Water sports, birdwatching, hiking and picnicking.
- Tygerberg Nature Reserve
Good for: Hiking, birdwatching, picnicking, panoramic views of the city.
- Uitkamp Wetland Nature Reserve
Good for: Nature walks.
- Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve
Good for: Quad biking on the Atlantis Dunes, which cover 500 hectares of the reserve.
- Wolfgat Nature Reserve
Good for: Picnicking, fishing and paragliding.
- Zandvlei Nature Reserve
Good for: Boating, walking and windsurfing.
While entry is free, normal charges still apply to other permitted recreational activities at the reserves.
Take a few notes from Alderman Andrews, who encourages residents to “use the Heritage Day weekend to visit their local nature reserve or discover one they have not explored before.”
Sign up to Time Out Cape Town's free newsletter for expert recommendations on new things to do, see, eat and drink in the Mother City. You can also follow Time Out Cape Town on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok!