Winter in Cape Town gets a bad rap: a little sideways rain, the wine farms hit snooze, and your one friend who insists they’re moving to Durban “just because it never gets this cold there”. But the truth is, if you know where to look, you’ll see that the Mother City doesn’t really shut down in winter. She just puts on her mood lighting and leans into a slower, snugglier groove.

This isn’t your standard “go sip Shiraz in Stellenbosch” roundup (though, to be fair, we’ll never say no to a good glass… or two). This one’s for the adventurers, the wanderers, and the ones who secretly prefer off-season energy.