How we spent an evening at Green Point Urban Park in Cape Town, South Africa.
Trip date – End of October 2023
Green Point Urban Park was developed on reclaimed marshland during city beautification drive for hosting FIFA 2010, it is adjacent to the iconic DHL football stadium at Green Point. It’s a cool place to hang out during evenings if you are exploring the Sea Point sea-facing promenade or Victoria and Alfred waterfront. We were staying around the area during our trip to Cape Town and found this park to be a good spot for birdwatching.
Entry is free and the park can be visited at any time of the day from sunrise to sunset. It closes around 6-7 pm (season dependent). We visited it in the evening and had the best time birding and enjoying the cool but extremely strong Atlantic Ocean breeze.
Wide expanse of green lawns for family picnics, perfectly maintained outdoor gym and walking/jogging trails through out the park, amphitheater for shows and concerts, swings and jungle-jim for kids, benches for people/bird watching – this park is like a proper community park catering to all age groups and all outdoor interests. It has a café too from where picnic snacks and coffee can be bought to enjoy with a superb view of Lion’s head peak and Signal Hill.
Green Point Park has properly maintained re-created wetlands. We could spot some waders, ducks, reeds and seabirds. The Otter Bridge is particularly a nice place to spot some Cape Clawless Otter and reed birds. Although we were not very lucky with Otter spotting, we did spot some flycatchers and swallows.
The biodiversity trail was great to walk on and observe the flora indigenous to the Western cape. It had information boards about the plants and their uses. The efforts put in to have a perfect balance between maintaining a community park yet standing true to displaying Western cape biome for educational purpose is very much visible.
A stream from Table Mountain flows into the park widening into ponds adding water features and serenity to the park. It is also where we spotted some ducks and coots.
A canal of sorts flows between the park and the adjacent stadium complex. It has benches all along and is a perfect place to just relax, sip coffee from the park’s café and look for some coastal birds.
Opposite to the East gate is the West gate which opens up to Green Point lighthouse erected on the Sea Point promenade. The visit to the park can easily be combined with the visit to the promenade to enjoy a pretty sunset over the deep blue cool Atlantic Ocean. The day we visited, the strong winds were making it impossible for us to even walk or stand – it was a one-of-a-kind experience!
We were just in time for sunset as we crossed over the park and stepped on to the Sea Point promenade. While we enjoyed watching sun submerging into the Atlantic Ocean, it was interesting to see it’s effect on the bare rock of Lion’s head. It seemed as if the Lion was basking in the golden sun.
Best thing about birdwatching as a hobby is that it never seizes to surprise you. Like, while admiring the sunset we caught some movement on the old structure half submerged in the ocean just below the promenade, and on it relishing their last meal of the day were our very first pair of African Oyster Catchers. We saw many more during our month in South Africa, but at this moment they amazed us and kept us spell bound for a while in the freezing Atlantic breeze.
Safety radar – The park is free to enter and guards are stationed on all gates. Anyone can enter freely in case the guard is not around. The park is used as a shortcut by many people passing through to the promenade on the other side.
We ourselves had a bit of run for life while walking to the parks East gate from our accommodation. A drowsy man started following us mumbling threats. We ignored him and briskly walked to get away as fast as we could. We would suggest taking a UBER or self-drive or REDBUS trip instead while visiting the park and maintaining distance as much as possible from any suspicious characters hanging around (especially if you have photography equipment or other valuables on you). Inside the park, it’s much better but would suggest being alert in case the crowd is scarce. Green Point Park although is an urban park – it is an outdoor ‘planned yet wild’ space. Be aware of your surroundings and where you are stepping for snakes and insects in this case, also Otters (there are boards everywhere about what to do incase you encounter one)
We absolutely enjoyed our evening in Green Point Park and it’s undoubtedly a great place to visit for free in the city. But it may be a one-time destination for us unless we are passing it on our way to the sea-facing promenade or V&A waterfront. It’s definitely worth one visit though.
To read more about Green Point Urban Park, Cape town, South Africa – Check this informative official website
Hope this blog has inspired you to plan your trip to Green Point Urban Park, Cape Town, South Africa when (you are) on a break!.
Subscribe to get regular updates on this blog & checkout our Instagram page for more of our photos during the trip.
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel to see the video of our trip with lot more information, photos and clips!
When on a Break! 