Nature & outdoor activities

In Cape Town

Cape Town is a paradise for nature-lovers and adrenaline junkies alike.

Whether you’re looking for scenic hiking trails, picnic spots or something more adventurous, you’ll find them all in the Mother City.

National Parks in Cape Town

The City of Cape Town manages several nature reserves and natural areas, with beautiful mountain settings and lots of outdoor activities to experience. For provincial and national reserves in the Western Cape that offer a mountain experience, we recommend browsing the following websites:

  • South African National Parks (SANPARKS): Manages five national parks within the Cape, including Table Mountain National Park.
  • Cape Nature: Manages 24 nature reserves and wilderness areas across the Western Cape. Most offer overnight accommodation, camping facilities, and a variety of activities.

Cape Town’s Weather and Climate

When is the best time of year to enjoy outdoor activities in Cape Town? 

The region enjoys a Mediterranean climate with warm summers, rainy winters, and milder in-between seasons.

  • Summer (December to February) is usually hot and sunny with an average temperature of around 26°C. This is the most popular time to visit Cape Town and tourists and residents usually enjoy about 11 hours of sunshine every day.
  • In Autumn (March to May) temperatures range between 13°C and 20°C. Days start to become cooler, with occasional drizzle and a little wind.
  • Spring (September to November) is milder, with temperatures ranging between 9°C and 24°C. During this season you can enjoy lush, green vegetation, cooler nights, and pleasant weather.
  • Winter (June to August) is Cape Town’s rainy season, with an average of about 12 rainy days per month and an average rainfall of between 82 and 93mm. Temperatures during winter usually range between 7°C and 18°C.

Find out more about exploring Cape Town’s mountains, fynbos, and forests, and start planning outdoor activities for your next visit to this gem of a city.

Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities in Cape Town

If extreme sports aren’t your thing, there are plenty of scenic spots to enjoy more relaxing outdoor activities for kids and parents visiting Cape Town.

Have a picnic on the grassy lawns of Kirstenbosch Gardens, spend the morning at one of the city’s much-loved farmer’s markets, or take a dip in one of the Cape’s beautiful tidal pools – natural swimming pools filled by the ocean tides.

Hiking in Cape Town

The Cape Peninsula, with Cape Point at one end and Table Mountain at the other, offers a network of crisscrossing hiking trails that will lead you through indigenous fynbos and forest. Cape Town’s unique floral kingdom boasts the richest concentration of plant species on the planet. 

The Table Mountain National Park stretches approximately 60km from Signal Hill to Cape Point and includes a large portion of the mountain chain of the Peninsula, as well as 1 000 square km of coastline and sea.

Read more about Hiking Trails in and around Cape Town.

Outdoor Adventures for Cape Town Explorers

Here are some of the most popular adrenaline-fuelled outdoor activities on offer in Cape Town:

  • Abseil down Table Mountain: Enjoy an exhilarating experience with the world’s highest commercial abseil, at 1 000m above sea level. Abseil down the side of Table Mountain and take in the spectacular views as you go.
  • Sandboarding and quad biking on Atlantis Dunes: Spend an action-packed day out on the West Coast sand dunes, where you can learn to sandboard and ride quad bikes.
  • Ziplining in Cape Town: A nature reserve in Elgin gives you the opportunity to zipline over fynbos forests, waterfalls and lush green valleys. This exciting canopy adventure includes 13 elevated platforms and a suspension bridge over a double waterfall.
  • Mountain biking in Cape Town: From forest trails to farmland rides, cyclists are spoiled for choice with the rich variety of mountain bike trails in and around Cape Town. 

Visit

Cape Town offers an incredible variety of places to visit and things to do. From Blue Flag beaches to award-winning wine and everything in between. This beautiful city is nestled at the foothills of one of the New7Wonders of Nature, Table Mountain.

Study

Cape Town is Africa’s most desirable city for students. Now that you can study virtually from anywhere, why not do it from Cape Town with some of the most picturesque college campuses in South Africa.

Work

Cape Town is among the world’s top cities for remote working. The Mother City ranked 16th out of 75 cities in a recent study by global housing rental platform Nestpick. The index score was based on factors including cost of living, infrastructure, leisure activities, and overall liveability.

Invest

The world is moving to emerging markets, looking to grow into the future, and Cape Town is at the forefront of this movement. A stable and growing economy, the province was named the 8th strongest economy in the entire continent in 2016.

Play

Cape Town is an adventure seeker’s paradise. You could stay for weeks and still not tick off all the activities on offer. From paragliding to kayaking, kitesurfing and sand boarding, Cape town offers all the high speed thrills.