Rules, not a top-ten list
Where you may braai at the Cape
10 sites with built facilities, plus one where it is expressly forbidden. For each: what is allowed, what is not, and when we last checked it against the operator’s own page.
This page is not legal advice and claims no completeness. It says what the operators publish, links it, and gives the date. Rules, prices and opening times change — check before you drive out.
Prices are deliberately not here. The national park tariffs run from 1 November to 31 October and change every year; a copied figure would be wrong within a year and nobody would notice. We link them instead.
The map
The spots
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Oudekraal
Table Mountain National Park, Atlantic coast · Run by SANParks
Fin.Seaman · CC BY 4.0 Sheltered cove between Camps Bay and Llandudno, right on the water, with built braai facilities.
The best-known braai site on the peninsula and the only one on the Atlantic side where you can legally and comfortably make a fire. The sea is calm enough to swim. There is no shop — bring everything, wood included.
What to watch for There are no bookings. When the site is full the gate closes — on a warm Saturday that means arriving early. Identification is checked at the gate, and payment is by card only.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Gate opens at 08:00. Daily from November to May, weekends only from June to October.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Buffels Bay
Cape of Good Hope, False Bay · Run by SANParks
Peter Southwood · CC BY-SA 3.0 Right on the beach in the Cape of Good Hope section, with a tidal pool for swimming.
The prettiest of the sites and the longest drive — nearly an hour and a half from town. Entry is the park’s daily conservation fee, which also covers Cape Point, so plan a whole day rather than a lunch.
What to watch for Troops of baboons come through regularly, they are after food and can turn aggressive. Leave nothing open and do not feed them. There are no lifeguards anywhere along the Cape Point coast.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
When it is open
Times change with the season and follow the Cape of Good Hope gate times.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Bordjiesdrif
Cape of Good Hope, False Bay · Run by SANParks
kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 The second site in the Cape section, a little north of Buffels Bay, also with a tidal pool.
If you drive out to Cape Point on a public holiday and find Buffels Bay full, this is the second chance. Otherwise the same rules and the same drive.
What to watch for Same baboons, same warning: no lifeguards. The site is more exposed than Buffels Bay and gets unpleasant in a south-easter.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
When it is open
Tied to the section gate times, like Buffels Bay.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Silvermine
Table Mountain National Park, Ou Kaapse Weg · Run by SANParks
China Crisis · CC BY-SA 3.0 At the reservoir up on Ou Kaapse Weg, fynbos all around and a boardwalk circuit.
The site with the best view and the strictest fire rule. The boardwalk around the reservoir takes about 25 minutes and is wheelchair-friendly. No boats, boards or paddle craft are allowed on the reservoir.
What to watch for This is the site where most people run into a sign: during the high fire risk season — summer and early autumn — braaing around the dam is not allowed. It opens again once the Fire Danger Index drops for good, which depends on cooler weather and less wind. Picnics all year, fires not.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Open all year for picnics, last entry an hour before the gate closes. There are no card facilities at the gate.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Tokai
Table Mountain National Park, southern suburbs · Run by SANParks
Michael Rowe · CC BY-SA 4.0 A roomy site in the shade of the pines on the edge of the Tokai plantation.
The site for a big group: plenty of space, plenty of shade, short walks onto the trails through the plantation. The most likely place for a twenty-person family gathering to work without anyone standing on the edge of it.
What to watch for Baboons come into this site too. They will take food off the table if nobody is standing next to it.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Enquiries on 021 712 7471, Monday to Friday.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Newlands
Table Mountain National Park, off the M3 near Rondebosch · Run by SANParks
Abu Shawka · CC0 Under pines at the foot of the mountain, popular at weekends and quick to fill.
The closest braai site to town — twenty minutes from the centre. Several trails into Newlands Forest start from the site.
What to watch for Shut for half the year. Turn up in July with a full boot and you are looking at a closed barrier.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Open daily from November to May. From June to October the site is closed.
Sources
- SANParks — Picnic Sites, Table Mountain National Park
- SANParks — Rates & Entry Fees, Table Mountain National Park
Checked on 2026-09-05
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The Glen
Table Mountain National Park, Kloof Road · Run by SANParks
A small site in the middle of town, reached from Kloof Road.
If you live in Sea Point or Gardens you can walk. Small, shady and far less known than Oudekraal — which at the weekend is the whole point.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Opening times on 021 422 1601, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 15:30.
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Deer Park
Table Mountain National Park, Deer Park Drive · Run by SANParks
The counterpart to The Glen on the Vredehoek side, looking out over the city.
Reached from Deer Park Drive. The site sits above town and is the best place in the late afternoon to watch the lights come on.
What applies
- Fires only in the built facility
- Own wood allowed
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No bookings
On site
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Opening times on 021 422 1601, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 15:30.
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Tweede Tol
Limietberg Nature Reserve, Bainskloof · Run by CapeNature
Kevin Benkenstein benky · CC0 Braai and picnic site by the river in Bainskloof, a good ninety minutes out of Cape Town.
The site for a day out of town: cold mountain water, fynbos, and room for a hundred day visitors before it feels full. The reserve charges a conservation fee per person, less for children.
What to watch for Collecting firewood is prohibited. Fires only in the demarcated spots — not at the river, not on the gravel.
What applies
- Fires only in demarcated spots
- No own wood
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No booking needed
- At most 100 Tagesgäste
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Gate 08:00 to 18:00 for day visitors. The campsite takes cash only.
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Hottentots Holland
Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, Grabouw · Run by CapeNature
Abu Shawka · CC0 Six demarcated picnic sites with a braai grid, up to 36 people each, by permit.
The only site on this list you can secure in advance — for a group that does not want to drive out on spec, that is the decisive difference. Parking, toilets and shade come with the site.
What to watch for Nothing happens without a permit — the site is booked, not driven to. Your own firewood is not wanted; charcoal and eco-logs are for sale on site.
What applies
- Fires only in demarcated spots
- No own wood
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- Permit required
- At most 36 je Platz
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade
When it is open
Get the picnic permit in advance, online or at the booking office.
Sources
Checked on 2026-09-05
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Kirstenbosch
Botanical garden, Newlands · Run by SANBI
Abu Shawka · CC0 No braaing here
The most obvious place for a picnic on the mountain — and the one where braaing is banned.
Kirstenbosch is on this list because the question keeps coming up. Picnics are allowed, furniture you brought is not, and fires certainly are not. Dogs only through Rycroft Gate and only on a lead. You take your rubbish with you — there are almost no bins in the garden.
What to watch for You do not braai here. Fires and braais are expressly prohibited, and so are chairs, tables, umbrellas and tents. Anyone caught pays a fine.
What applies
- No fires
- No own wood
- No alcohol
- No dogs
- No music
- No booking needed
On site
- Water
- Toilets
- Shade