The 6 best summery activities in and about Cape Town

Summer is the perfect time to spend a morning picking fresh fruit– and you can do it just outside of Cape Town. This is a relaxed outdoor activity great for families, couples, or anyone who enjoys farm-style experiences. From juicy strawberries to sweet blueberries and ripe peaches, there’s a little something for every palate. Prices vary per farm but it is usually R40-R80 entry per person, plus cost per punnet. Here is where you can do your sweet summer picking: 

Polkadraai Strawberry Farm is a charming, family-friendly farm located just outside Stellenbosch (about 30 minutes from Cape Town). While they're known for their strawberry fields, they also offer mini golf, pony rides, and educational “tractor rides” on their Polkadraai Express. 

ICYMI: Best ways to savour the taste of summer with strawberries

The Blueberry Bar is a hidden blueberry farm tucked away on the Klapmuts Simondium Road in Paarl. You can take a stroll in their lush orchards and fill your bucket with blue goodness. While you’re there, you can browse and purchase farm-made blueberry treats, or simply relax and enjoy a picnic. 

Fruit picking is the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors and take home a taste of summer. Hoogwater Farm  is in Wolseley and only 110km from Cape Town. The farm grows nectarines, figs, peaches and pears. Visitors can pick their own fruit, walk or cycle through the orchards, and fish off their dam– something for everyone. 

Klondyke farm was planted with cherry trees in 1968, and since their first blossoming have been providing many visitors with exquisitely-delicious, mouth-purpling cherry plucking (and eating)! It’s a fair bit of a journey away from Cape Town but is worth every single one of the 180 odd kilometres because of the delectable pears, red and yellow cherries and apples on the farm. The farm is cashless, so take your cards and can get chilly, so remember to bring along a jersey, in case. And get out your grandma’ secret recipe for Christmas cake as you are going to have a lot of cherries to play with!

Nothing says “summer” like rose gardens and sweet scented afternoons in the sun. Nestled in the heart of the Southern Suburbs near Wynberg Park, picturesque Chart Farm offers a charming farm-style escape from the city. 

Much like the fruit-picking above, at Chart Farm you can select and pick your own roses. Take the time to stroll through their English-style rose garden, wander among grapevines and lemon trees, browse the farmstall, grab a coffee, or go horse riding. And you can do this all while taking in breathtaking views stretching across to False Bay. 

Chart Farm is also a beautiful place to take photos– if you would like to do so, you can request a photoshoot beforehand. There is a small picking fee, and the roses are priced per stem at R10.

If you want to indulge your senses in fresh food, fruit, vegetables and the fruit if the grape (wine!), Babylonstoren is a very special place– a farm, garden, winery, and retreat all in one. It is one of the oldest Cape Dutch Farms in South Africa, famous for its immaculate fruit and vegetable gardens, farm-to-fork restaurants, and serene winelands setting. It is set at the foot of Simonsberg in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, just within two hours from Cape Town.

The eight-acre garden is laid out like a living pantry with seasonal produce, aromatic herbs, orchards, and water features that you can take a stroll through– as well as special “plant collection” tours: gardeners take guests to see cycads, succulents, a Healing Garden, and other curated plant areas. You’re encouraged to pick, taste, smell, and touch plants on the tour. 

And when you are finished meandering through their garden, pamper yourself at their Garden Spa that offers signature treatments: hammam water ritual, bamboo massage, classic massages, facials, wraps, etc. 

There are also all sorts of animals to make friend with, including donkeys, tortoises, chickens, ducks, wild birds (they’ve spotted 78 bird species), and squirrels. Kids can feed donkeys, collect eggs, harvest produce, and help bake bread.

The Krom River Trail, located in the Limietberg Nature Reserve near Du Toitskloof, is one of the Western Cape’s most loved summer hikes. It's perfect for anyone who loves summer swims, a scenic half-day adventure, and a good waterfall reward at the end. The route follows a shady, forested path along the clear Krom river, and leads you past rocky pools and sparkling run-offs, all the way to two breathtaking waterfalls with deep turquoise swim spots. 

It's a moderate hike (about 6-7km) with lots of places to dip your feet or to take a full swim. You can expect mossy rocks, fynbos-covered mountains, wooden bridges, and that peaceful “in-the-middle-of-nature” feeling. 

A CapeNature permit is required– the day‑hike permit is R55 per adult and R35 per child, and the hike is best done early before it gets too warm.

Check out our list of the best day hikes in Cape Town

The Cape Canopy Tour is a wonderful adventure experience set in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its striking mountain scenery and rich fynbos biodiversity. The tour begins with a 4×4 drive up steep mountain roads, giving you a taste of the rugged terrain and glimpses of panoramic valley views of Elgin. 

Once you're at the top, the real adventure begins: 11 professionally engineered zip lines stretch across the mountain ravines, some reaching over 300 metres in length. This allows you to glide above ancient forests, waterfalls, and pristine rivers. The tour is designed to combine thrill with education–  guides share fascinating insights into the ecology, plant species, and wildlife of the Cape Floral Kingdom as you move from platform to platform. There are also suspension bridges over deep gorges and a dramatic double waterfall– perfect for photos. 

The tour takes about 4–5 hours, including transport, orientation, and a few short nature walks. The combination of adrenaline, picturesque views, and being immersed in nature makes it one of the top summer adventure experiences near Cape Town. Many visitors describe it as exhilarating, inspiring, and refreshingly connected to nature. 

Make the most of your holidays this year – take a leaf from nature’s book and go exploring the bounties of nature. From cherries to berries to gardens to roses, there’s a little gift from Mother Nature for everyone’s Christmas stocking this year!

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