CapeNature is celebrating Youth Day this year by inviting anyone under the age of 35 to explore the reserves by foot, bike or with a picnic basket for free.
All visitors need to do to gain free entry is provide an identification document to verify their age.
The access fee on a usual day depends on the reserve, but is close to R50 per adult and R30 per child.
The free entry special applies only to general access to the reserves. Visitors can hike, mountain bike, swim, watch birds and picnic freely in the reserves.
However, they will have to pay the normal access fee if joining extra activities such as the Whale Trail, canopy tours, bouldering, or horse riding.
The special is not applicable if visitors have booked overnight accommodation in the reserve.
It runs on Youth Day which falls on Sunday, 16 June. The special does not apply to the public holiday (Monday, 17 June).
CapeNature is providing free access to youths on this day to live out their philosophy of nurturing nature and providing access to the outdoors for all.
Here are a few laid-back activities you can do in a day at the reserves:
Hike in the Rocherpan Nature Reserve along the beach or vlei. These gentle walks are between 7km and 9km along well-laid paths. They take about 4 hours to complete. The reserve lies 25km north of Velddrift.
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Swim and snorkel in the large, clear rockpools of De Hoop Nature Reserve, which is a 3-hour drive from Cape Town to just outside of Bredasdorp.
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Go bird-watching at the two hides in the indigenous forest of Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve near Swellendam. The reserve boasts two hides which are accessible from the hiking paths. One is a triple-storey wooden structure.
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Picnic just outside Stellenbosch in the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve along the river. It allows only 60 visitors a day and fills up quickly, so be there early to secure your spot.
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Mountain bike along the 8km scenic trail through the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve near McGregor. The trail takes about an hour to do.
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Image: CapeNature.
