The best things in life may well be free in nature-immersed Cape Town.

Here, hiking trails crisscross Table Mountain and locals hit the beach before work. The weak rand helps foreign visitors enjoy South Africa’s legendary food and wine at low cost, but the 370-year-old city’s diverse neighborhoods can keep you enthralled without costing a cent. Here are the best free experiences in Cape Town.

Make the most out of every adventure with help from our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.

1. Climb Table Mountain

Hiking the trails of varying difficulty on Table Mountain is not only free but a Capetonian rite of passage with sweeping views at the top. The most popular route is Platteklip Gorge, which plows straight up the mountain’s front face, with the option of catching the revolving cable car back down.

From Kloof Nek, the Pipe Track contour path leads towards the buttresses of the Twelve Apostles, with Lion’s Head and Camps Bay Beach on your right. In the same area, Kloof Corner offers a relatively gentle climb, linking with the contour trail along the front face to the lower cable car station of Platteklip Gorge. Alternatively, climb from the mountain’s Camps Bay side via Kasteelpoort, from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden via Skeleton Gorge or Nursery Ravine, or combine the two sides by crossing the tabletop plateau in the middle. You can also walk (or drive) along the adjoining flat-topped Signal Hill (aka Lion’s Rump), passing a kramat en route to a viewpoint overlooking the Atlantic suburbs.

Planning tip: Time your visit with a full moon to strap on a headlamp and follow nocturnal locals up Lion’s Head, when a chain of torchlight snakes up the leonine outcrop.

Source