Knysna, but not the Knysna you think
Locals help us uncover the hidden treasures of this Garden Route gem
30+ ways to be active without a gym contract. Most are free!
Free and budget-friendly like zumba, karate, yoga & more
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Gyms can be expensive (and if you're a beginner, intimidating). There are so many other ways to exercise that’s both accessible and affordable: Yoga, martial arts, zumba, ballet, pole dancing, cycling, skateboarding, running and hiking clubs... We’ve found 30+ ways to be active and reach your fitness goals. Most of them are free!
BEGINNER-FRIENDLY HIKES FOR WOMEN
This is for women of all body types and fitness levels! Curves on Trails is a hiking and walking group where women can make friends, catch up and meet their step count. The events happen weekly at different trails around Cape Town. Find the hike schedule on the Curves on Trails Instagram account.
Takes place: Saturdays and Sundays
Cost: Free
Various locations | @curves_on_trails | Image: Curves on Trails
FREE GROUP SKATING SESSIONS
Between October and April, you can join Promenade Mondays, where people ride along the Sea Point Promenade on skateboards, rollerblades, and scooters. The group meets at the Queen’s Beach Parking Lot and freewheels their way to the Sea Point Library. Promenade Mondays is beginner-friendly and a great way to make friends and learn new tricks.
Takes place: Mondays at 6pm (October to April)
Cost: Free
Queen’s Beach parking lot | Sea Point | @promenademonday | Image: Promenade Mondays
FITNESS CLASSES WITHOUT THE GYM CONTRACT
The Mova: Made to Move app lets you access 27+ gyms and fitness studios with just one membership. On the app, you buy credits which can be used at a variety of different gyms and studios for yoga, boxing, pilates, HIIT and more. Packages start at R690 for 65 credits, which gives you access to between four and six classes a month.
Hours: Class dependent
Cost: R690 for 65 credits (four to six classes)
Various locations | @mova.za | Image: Mova: Made to Move
FREE SOCIAL CYCLING
Pedal Power Association organises weekly social rides which are free of charge and open to everyone; you just need your own bike and helmet to join. The beginners route is 1.5 hours on flat terrain and you get a well-deserved cup of coffee afterwards. They meet at 9 Hill Park Lane in Mowbray every Saturday.
Takes place: Saturdays at 7am
Cost: Free
Various locations | @pedal_power_association | Image: Chris Hitchcock
RUNNING & TRAIL RUNNING GROUPS
Cape Town is home to many scenic roads, trails and the ever-popular Sea Point Promenade that make it a great place for running, walking, or trail running. If you prefer to exercise in the company of others, there are plenty of run clubs to join. Popular ones include:
Various locations | Image: Gabin Vallet/Unsplash
LEARN YOGA BASICS FOR FREE
The Yoga Loft has branches in Gardens and De Waterkant. While drop-in classes start at R220, both studios offer beginner classes that are free. Whether you’re new to yoga or returning to your mat, you can learn the foundation for a vinyasa yoga practice, including the basics of breathing and the fundamental yoga postures.
Hours: De Waterkant Studio: Mondays & Wednesdays at 7pm. Kloof Lifestyle Centre: Tuesdays at 7:15pm
Cost: Free
Lifestyle on Kloof | Gardens | @theyogaloftstudios | Image: Yoga Loft
LEARN KARATE UNDER A FIFTH-DEGREE BLACK BELT
The Kenwyn Martial Arts Centre in Lansdowne offers classes in karate and kobudo (a type of martial art that incorporates weaponry). Owner and chief instructor Kamal Hamdulay has over 40 years of experience in karate and is graded ‘Godan’, which is a fifth-degree black belt.
Hours: Class dependent
Cost: 2 classes per week for R510 per month
9 Civic Rd | Kenwyn | @kenwynmartialartscentre | Image: Kenwyn Martial Arts Centre
KICKBOXING, MUAY THAI, AND BOXING
Shorin-Ji Martial arts and Fitness centre in Bergvliet also offers karate as well as kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing. Sensei Ian Arendse has over 50 years of experience in martial arts and trained with the last Ninja Grand Master, Master Masaaki Hatsumi, actor Billy Blanks, and even Chuck Norris.
Hours: Class dependent
Cost: 2 classes per week for R650 per month
20 Childrens Way | Bergvliet | @shorin_ji | Image: Shorin-Ji Martial Arts and Fitness Centre
PARTY INTO SHAPE WITH ZUMBA
The Latin dance fitness craze that gained popularity in the early 2000s is still going strong. At the Claremont Civic Hall, you can join Zumba Claremont for a one-hour class. While it is an easy-to-follow cardio workout, members say that it feels like a dance party. Your first class is free, then they cost R60 for a drop-in, R290 for 5 classes, or R540 for 10.
Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:15pm
Cost: R60 (first class free)
Claremont Civic Centre | 231 Main Rd | Claremont | @zumbaclaremont | Image: Zumba Claremont
FREE SURFING FOR MOMS
Moms On Board is a weekly surf session at Lifestyle Surf Shop in Muizenberg where moms are given access to free surfboard and wetsuit rental. There is also a coach from 9:30 to 10:30 to give a group lesson, and the women often meet for coffee afterwards. See why moms call this free weekly social their “sea therapy”.
Hours: Tuesdays at 9:30am
Cost: Free
21 York Road | Muizenberg | 021 788 8218 | info@lifestylesurfshop.co.za | @lifestylemomsonboard | Image: Sharon Waugh
BALLET CLASSES FOR NOVICES, EXPERTS
Cape Ballet Centre offers a range of ballet classes for adults. They cover levels from beginner to advanced and even pointe classes where you dance on your toes. A once-off introductory 60-minute lesson for new students costs R90, otherwise, dance cards for 10 classes start at R1200.
Hours: Class dependent
Cost: R90
2 Hof St | Gardens | @capeballetcentre | Image: Cape Ballet Centre
FREE OUTDOOR GYMS
In Cape Town, your tax money covers your gym contract, because we’re fortunate enough to have access to a number of free outdoor gyms. There are 47 of these scattered around the city. Some of the favourites include:
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Sea Point, Three Anchor Bay
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Green Point Park, Green Point
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Mandela Smart Park, Khayelitsha
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Paradise Park, Newlands
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Bagzane Street Park, Delft
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Maynardville Park, Wynberg
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Surfers Corner, Muizenberg
Various locations | Image: Workman Kapotnya/Unsplash
COMPLETE BODY WORKOUT ON A POLE
Pole dancing or pole fitness offers a unique way to get fit and build upper-body and core strength. At Up Pole & Aerial Fitness, instructors Nichola and Jasmine will walk you through a warm-up before teaching you spins, tricks, and transitional moves, before incorporating them into a dance sequence.
Hours: Class dependent
Cost: Trial class at R130. After, one weekly class at R680 per month
138 Main Rd | Fish Hoek | @up_poleandaerialfitness | Image: Up Pole & Aerial Fitness
START THE DAY WITH A COLD WATER DIP
The Cold Water Social Club meets two to three times a week, year-round, at sunrise at different locations on the Atlantic seaboard (depending on where the conditions are best). People stay in for as long as they feel comfortable, which, in these chilly waters, can be anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes.
Hours: Determined per cold dip
Cost: Free
Various locations | @coldwatersocialclub | Image: Cold Water Social Club
OCEAN AEROBICS WITH THE WATERBLOMME
The Waterblomme or ‘Waterblommetjies’ are a group of women who have become legendary for doing ocean aerobics in frilly swimming caps in Camps Bay. They meet on Mondays and Fridays at the Camps Bay tidal pool, rain or shine. You can join them and instructor Florence Poretti for some aqua aerobics and laughs.
Hours: Mondays at 7:30/7:45am & Fridays at 10:30am
Cost: R90
Bakoven | @water.blomme | Image: Waterblomme
TAKE A HIKE (OR SEVERAL)
ComeHike is a hiking community that arranges one to two hikes per weekend. They grade their hikes from easy to difficult, so you don’t commit to something beyond your fitness level. For R300 a year (and a once-off R150 joining fee), you get unlimited access to all of the organisation’s hikes and socials. Alternatively, non-members can join a hike for R100 per hike.
Hours: Determined per hike
Cost: R100
Various locations | @comehike | Image: ComeHike
BEACH VOLLEYBALL IN CLIFTON
Friends Who Volley is a free weekly event that takes place in the summer on Clifton 1st Beach. People meet here on Thursday evenings to play volleyball, listen to music, swim and watch the sun set. Players of all levels are welcome, and the vibe at Friends Who Volley is more of a social than a competitive sporting event.
Hours: Thursdays at 5pm
Cost: Free
Clifton 1st Beach | Clifton | @friendswhovolley | Image: @amarens
MONTHLY PROTEST, ON BICYCLES!
Though this is often mistaken for a cycling club, Critical Mass actually arranges cycling events to highlight the safety of cyclists on the streets. It’s a call to governments and road planners to be mindful of cyclists when designing cities. They cycle on the last Friday of every month and participation is free.
Hours: Last Friday of the month at 7pm
Cost: Free
Various locations | @criticalmasscapetown | Image: Renato Ulpiano/Unsplash
FREE AFRO-LATIN DANCING WITH A VIEW
On every second Sunday in summer, the Sea Point Pavilion Forecourt hosts an Afro-Latin event. Sun-Kissed Salsa takes place from 15:30 to sunset. At this lively social, friends and complete strangers dance together to salsa, bachata, and kizomba. It also comes with stunning views of the sun setting over the Atlantic Ocean.
Hours: Every second Sunday in summer, from 3.30pm to sunset
Cost: Free
Sea Point Pavilion | Lower Beach Rd | Sea Point | @sunkissedsalsa | Image: Sun-Kissed Salsa/Elroy McKay
By Sharon Waugh
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EMBARK ON MORE FITNESS ADVENTURES
Visit Africa’s first bike hotel in Elgin, Trail’s End.
Plan your hike along the Krom River.
Experience one of the city’s favourite outdoor spaces, Green Point Urban Park.
Discover even more things to do in our weekend guide.
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