Cape Town residents and visitors will have free access to selected city nature reserves over the Heritage Day weekend, providing an opportunity to explore the city’s natural heritage and enjoy its spring landscape.
The City of Cape Town said the free-entry offer will run from Thursday, 24 September to Sunday, 27 September 2026, covering Blaauwberg, Helderberg, Table Bay and Tygerberg nature reserves, which usually charge entrance fees.
Visitors can use the reserves for walking and hiking, birdwatching and picnicking, while taking in the spring blooms and natural landscapes.
The city said the initiative forms part of its Heritage Month programme, aimed at encouraging residents to spend time outdoors and discover nature reserves they may not have visited before.
“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.
“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,” Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment Alderman Eddie Andrews said.
Andrews added that the city manages a network of nature reserves and conservation areas across Cape Town, many of which are ordinarily free to visit.
These areas protect the city’s biodiversity while providing spaces for walking, hiking, birdwatching, picnicking and other nature-based activities.
Among the options available to visitors are exploring the coastline at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, hiking at Tygerberg Nature Reserve, visiting the wetlands at Zandvlei, False Bay or Table Bay nature reserves, or discovering Schapenberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West, one of the newer additions to the city’s conservation network.
Other city-managed reserves include Bothasig Fynbos, Botterblom, Bracken, Durbanville, Edith Stephens, Harmony Flats, Paardevlei, Steenbras, Uitkamp Wetland, Witzands Aquifer and Wolfgat nature reserves.
The city said normal charges will continue to apply to other permitted recreational activities at the reserves, including water sports. – SAnews.gov.za
