Durban’s Golden Mile and Cape Town’s Camps Bay come out tops as places to run, cycle and swim

Given our year-round good weather and natural beauty, it’s not surprising South Africa ranks among the best countries in which to run, cycle and swim.

A study conducted by online UK retailer SportsShoes.com last year looked at more than 100,000 Tripadvisor reviews for more than 760 running paths, cycling routes and swimming locations in 10 countries to determine where some of the best routes can be found based on the most mentions of “running”, “cycling” and “swimming”.

According to the data, Durban’s Golden Mile bagged the top spot for runners and cyclists, while Cape Town’s Camps Bay was rated the best spot to swim.

The US came out on top in all the categories. Reviewers were particularly impressed by the running and cycling routes in New York’s Central Park.

According to the study’s findings, these are the top places for a run in South Africa:

1. Golden Mile, Durban;
2. Durban Botanic Gardens, Durban;
3. Pretoria National Botanical Gardens, Pretoria;
4. Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Johannesburg; and
5. Hermanus Cliff Path, Hermanus.

These were the top five spots for cycling:

1. Golden Mile, Durban;
2. Giba Gorge Mountain Bike Park, Pinetown;
3. Holla Trails, Ballito;
4. Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Town; and
5. Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Johannesburg.

And to go swimming:

1. Camp's Bay Beach, Cape Town;
2. Umhlanga Main Beach, Durban;
3. Silvermine Nature Reserve, Cape Town;
4. Grotto Beach, Hermanus; and
5. Buffalo Bay, Knysna.

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