Local residents can explore the Mother city’s nature reserves free of charge over the Heritage Day weekend, with the City of Cape Town waiving entrance fees at four reserves that normally charge.

The free access runs from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 September, giving residents and visitors a chance to enjoy the spring landscape and discover a nature reserve they may not have visited before. Walkers, hikers, birdwatchers and families looking for a picnic spot are all catered for.

The offer applies to Blaauwberg, Helderberg, Table Bay and Tygerberg nature reserves, which usually charge entrance fees. The City also manages a network of additional nature reserves and conservation areas across Cape Town that residents can ordinarily visit free of charge.

Natural Heritage

“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,” said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, alderman Eddie Andrews. “We encourage Capetonians to use the Heritage Day weekend to visit their local nature reserve or discover one they have not explored before. Take a walk in nature, enjoy a family picnic, go birdwatching or simply spend some time outdoors.”

Where to Go

Residents could explore the coastline at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, walk or hike at Tygerberg Nature Reserve, visit the wetlands at Zandvlei, False Bay or Table Bay nature reserves, or discover the Schapenberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West, one of the newest additions to the City’s conservation network.

For Helderberg residents, three reserves are right on their doorstep: Helderberg Nature Reserve in Verster Avenue, Somerset West; Harmony Flats Nature Reserve in 11th Avenue, Strand; and Schapenberg Nature Reserve in Romulus Street, Rome Glen. Paardevlei Nature Reserve in De Beers Avenue and Steenbras Nature Reserve along Faure Marine Drive (R44) are also nearby.

A full list of City nature reserves is available on the City’s website. Normal charges will still apply to other permitted recreational activities at the reserves, such as water sports.