Hiking trails in Cape Town

From Table Mountain's contour paths to coastal walks along the Atlantic seaboard, Cape Town has the highest concentration of accessible day hikes in South Africa.

Cape Town's hiking is unusually compact for a city this size. Table Mountain National Park runs almost the full length of the peninsula, from Signal Hill and Lion's Head above the City Bowl, down through the southern suburbs forests of Newlands, Kirstenbosch and Constantia, past Silvermine and Hout Bay, to Cape Point. Most of the trails listed here sit inside or right up against that park boundary, which is why so many of them share the same access rules, permit systems and safety advisories.

East of the city centre the terrain changes: Helderberg and Gordon's Bay sit against the Hottentots Holland mountains above False Bay, a separate range from the Table Mountain chain, each with its own reserve, grading system and entry fees. North of the city, Tygerberg Nature Reserve in Welgemoed is a City of Cape Town gate (cashless adults R40 on the 2026/27 table), not SANParks. Blaauwberg Nature Reserve at Eerste Steen is the other northern City gate (cashless adults R20), with official picnic and braai. Closer to town, Green Point and the City Bowl itself are mostly flat, developed areas — better suited to a park walk or a picnic than a mountain trail, which is reflected in what's listed for those areas below.

37 listings are shown here, graded 3 easy, 10 moderate, 6 hard, with measured distances from 2.9km up to 12km. 14 of 37 are dog-friendly.

Hiking places in Cape Town

Hiking places in Cape Town on this hub include Amphitheatre Hiking Trail; Cape Fold Adventure Co; Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Elephant's Eye; India Venster; and 14 more. Table Mountain routes sit with the suburb listings; the table here is the comparison, not a best-of ranking. Sort Cape Town by nearest.

Cape Town walking trails

Cape Town walking trails beyond Table Mountain sit on the Cape Town walking-trails guide: Silvermine, Constantia forests, Kalk Bay, Helderberg and the city-edge reserves. The table on this hub is the full peninsula comparison. Hiking trails in Cape Town guide.

Hiking spots Cape Town

Hiking spots Cape Town on this hub include Amphitheatre Hiking Trail; Cape Fold Adventure Co; Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Elephant's Eye; India Venster; and 14 more. Compare distance, grade and the dog rule in the table, or sort Cape Town by nearest. Sort Cape Town by nearest.

Hiking trails Cape Town

Hiking trails Cape Town beyond the four Tafelberg Road / Kloof Nek standards sit on the Cape Town walking-trails guide. The table on this hub is the full peninsula comparison, not a best-of ranking. Hiking trails in Cape Town guide.

Cape Town trails

Cape Town trails beyond Table Mountain sit on the Cape Town walking-trails guide: southern-suburbs forests, False Bay reserves and city-edge City gates. Compare the full list in the table on this hub. Hiking trails in Cape Town guide.

Hikes in Cape Town with waterfalls

Hikes in Cape Town with waterfalls on this site are Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail and Silvermine Waterfall Trail. Flow is often seasonal — check each listing before you plan the day around flowing water. This filter is not a national best-of. All Cape Town waterfall listings.

Free hiking trails in Cape Town

Company's Garden; De Waal Park; Green Point Park; Rhodes Memorial Picnic Lawns have no listed trail or park entrance fee. Parking or a SANParks dog permit can still apply. Paid City and SANParks gates stay on the main hub. All 4 free Cape Town listings.

Guides for this region

Near you

37 trails listed.

Name Area Distance Grade Fee Hours Dogs
Amphitheatre Hiking Trail Kalk Bay, Cape Town — moderate See listing — —
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve Blaauwberg, Cape Town 4.4 km — R20 Coastal section sunrise to sunset daily. Eerste Steen picnic: November–April 08:00–19:00; May–October 08:00–17:00. —
Cape Fold Adventure Co Table Mountain, Cape Town — — See listing — —
Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail Constantia, Cape Town — — See listing — Yes
Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail Hout Bay, Cape Town 5 km moderate See listing — —
Company's Garden City Bowl, Cape Town — — Free — Yes
Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit Constantia, Cape Town — — See listing — Yes
Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge) Gordon's Bay, Cape Town — moderate See listing Open 1 November–30 April only. Email permit. Confirm the current season. No
De Waal Park City Bowl, Cape Town — — Free — Yes
Elephant's Eye Silvermine, Cape Town 5 km moderate See listing — Yes
Green Point Park Green Point, Cape Town — — Free — Yes
Groot Constantia Estate Picnics Constantia, Cape Town — — See listing — Yes
Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg, Cape Town — — R30 December–February 07:30–20:00; March and November 07:30–19:00; April–October 07:30–17:30. No
India Venster Table Mountain, Cape Town 3.7 km hard See listing — No
Kalk Bay Peak and Spes Bona Forest Trail Kalk Bay, Cape Town 6.9 km moderate See listing — Yes
Kirstenbosch Picnic Lawns Constantia, Cape Town — — R110 08:00–19:00 September–March. 08:00–18:00 April–August. No
Lion's Head Table Mountain, Cape Town 5.5 km moderate See listing — Yes
Newlands Forest Contour Path Newlands, Cape Town — moderate See listing — Yes
Newlands Forest Picnic & Braai Area Newlands, Cape Town — — See listing — No
Newlands Ravine Newlands, Cape Town — hard See listing — —
Nursery Ravine Constantia, Cape Town — hard R110 08:00–19:00 September–March. 08:00–18:00 April–August. No
Oudekraal Picnic Site Camps Bay, Cape Town — — See listing — No
Pipe Track Table Mountain, Cape Town 12 km easy See listing — Yes
Platteklip Gorge Table Mountain, Cape Town 3 km hard See listing — No
Protea Trail, Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg, Cape Town 6.2 km moderate R30 December–February 07:30–20:00; March and November 07:30–19:00; April–October 07:30–17:30. No
Rhodes Memorial Picnic Lawns Newlands, Cape Town — — Free — —
Rondevlei Nature Reserve Grassy Park, Cape Town — — See listing Daily 07:30–17:00; weekends December–February 07:30–19:00. Closed Christmas Day. —
Silvermine Reservoir Picnic Site Silvermine, Cape Town — — See listing — Yes
Silvermine Waterfall Trail Silvermine, Cape Town 4.5 km easy See listing Gate 2 opens 08:00 and closes 18:00 year-round. Yes
Skeleton Gorge Constantia, Cape Town — hard R110 08:00–19:00 September–March. 08:00–18:00 April–August. No
Sugarbird Walk, Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg, Cape Town 2.9 km easy R30 December–February 07:30–20:00; March and November 07:30–19:00; April–October 07:30–17:30. No
Tokai Forest Picnic & Braai Area Tokai, Cape Town — — See listing — No
Tygerberg Nature Reserve Cape Town — — R40 May–August 07:30–17:00 daily. September–April weekdays 07:30–18:00, weekends and public holidays 07:30–19:00. Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday. —
Vergelegen Picnics Helderberg, Cape Town — — R540 Picnic season closes 1 May 2026 and reopens 1 November 2026. No
Waboom Trail, Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg, Cape Town 7 km moderate R30 December–February 07:30–20:00; March and November 07:30–19:00; April–October 07:30–17:30. No
West Peak Trail, Helderberg Nature Reserve Helderberg, Cape Town — hard R30 December–February 07:30–20:00; March and November 07:30–19:00; April–October 07:30–17:30. No
Woodcutters Trail Newlands, Cape Town — moderate See listing — Yes

Hiking trails in Cape Town — common questions

Where are hiking trails in Cape Town?
Hikeza lists 37 listings in Cape Town — 22 trails and 15 picnic spots. Compare distance, grade, fee and dogs in the table on this page, or sort Cape Town by nearest.
Where are walking trails in Cape Town?
Cape Town walking trails on this hub include contour paths, forest walks and summit routes. Amphitheatre Hiking Trail; Cape Fold Adventure Co; Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Elephant's Eye; India Venster; and 14 more are among the listings. Compare distance, grade and the dog rule in the table.
Where are hiking places in Cape Town?
Hiking places in Cape Town on this hub include Amphitheatre Hiking Trail; Cape Fold Adventure Co; Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Elephant's Eye; India Venster; and 14 more. Table Mountain routes sit with the suburb listings; the table here is the comparison, not a best-of ranking.
Where are hiking spots in Cape Town?
Hiking spots Cape Town on this hub include Amphitheatre Hiking Trail; Cape Fold Adventure Co; Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Chapman's Peak Hiking Trail; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Elephant's Eye; India Venster; and 14 more. Compare distance, grade and the dog rule in the table, or sort Cape Town by nearest.
Where are hiking trails Cape Town?
Hiking trails Cape Town beyond Table Mountain sit on the Cape Town walking-trails guide. The table on this hub is the full peninsula comparison, not a best-of ranking.
Where are Cape Town trails?
Cape Town trails beyond the four Tafelberg Road / Kloof Nek standards sit on the Cape Town walking-trails guide. Compare the full list in the table on this hub.
Where are hikes in Cape Town with waterfalls?
Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail and Silvermine Waterfall Trail are the waterfall-tagged Cape Town listings on Hikeza. Flow is often seasonal — the falls can run dry for months. Compare both on the Cape Town waterfalls filter.
Where are waterfall hikes in Cape Town?
Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail and Silvermine Waterfall Trail are the waterfall-tagged listings here. Flow is often seasonal. Compare them on the Cape Town waterfalls filter.
Where are free hiking trails in Cape Town?
Company's Garden; De Waal Park; Green Point Park; Rhodes Memorial Picnic Lawns have no listed trail or park entrance fee. Parking or a SANParks dog permit can still apply. Filter this hub to free entry, or compare on the Cape Town free filter.
Which hiking trails in Cape Town allow dogs?
Cecilia Forest Waterfall Trail; Company's Garden; Constantia Nek - De Villiers Dam Circuit; De Waal Park; Elephant's Eye; Green Point Park; Groot Constantia Estate Picnics; Kalk Bay Peak and Spes Bona Forest Trail; and 6 more. Leash and permit rules still vary — read the listing before you go.
Which nature reserves are listed in Cape Town?
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve; Helderberg Nature Reserve; Rondevlei Nature Reserve; Tygerberg Nature Reserve. Filter this hub to Nature reserves to hide picnic lawns and signed contour paths that sit inside a park.
Which hiking trails in Cape Town have published hours?
14 listings on this hub print hours from the official page, including Blaauwberg Nature Reserve; Crystal Pools (Steenbras River Gorge); Helderberg Nature Reserve; Kirstenbosch Picnic Lawns; Nursery Ravine; Protea Trail, Helderberg Nature Reserve; Rondevlei Nature Reserve; Silvermine Waterfall Trail; and 6 more. Set Hours to Published, or open Cape Town published hours. A dash in the Hours column means we have not found published hours — confirm before you go.

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