Tiny Flowers, Big Conservation Milestone at Intaka
The critically endangered Cotula Myriophylloides (Floating Buttons) that found home at Intaka Island five months ago, are blooming its first flowers.
November 6, 2026
A NATURE RESERVE IN THE CITY
Intaka Island is a 16 hectare nature reserve at the heart of Century City, Cape Town. It was awarded voluntary conservation status by CapeNature in 2006. Intaka Island has 120+ reported bird species and 200+ reported plant species, as well as mammals, amphibians, reptiles and invertebraes. Find our full species lists here.
MANAGEMENT
The Century City Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA) manages Intaka Island and is guided by the Intaka Island Blouvlei Environmental Committee. This is made up of representatives from the CCPOA and various environmental specialists, including a botanist, an ornithologist, a representative from the City of Cape Town and a member from Cape Nature.
EXPLORE THE ISLAND
You can enjoy all the beauty that Intaka Island has to offer by taking a leisurely stroll around the 2 km of footpaths that are available. Alternatively, let one of our experienced field rangers take you around the 10 stations, giving you added information about the inhabitants and plant life that surround you. Please book in advance.
SCHOOLS + GROUPS
We welcome school groups, eco clubs, garden clubs or any other interested group to take part in the educational programmes on offer. These can be tailor-made to suit the needs, ages and sizes of the groups. A typical visit would entail an orientation talk, a walk around the island, a ride on the Intaka boat and one other educational activity. Please book in advance.
Price List
Things To Do
The aims of Intaka Island are to:
- Conserve a rare type of wetland and Fynbos habitat
- Provide a natural sanctuary for birds
- Preserve the breeding heronries of water birds
- Naturally filter & purify the water of the Century City Canals
- Support vital research, conservation & Enviro-educational programs
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ISLAND
Early in the morning, before the first delivery trucks reach the loading bays, a Giant Kingfisher sits on a reed at the edge of a pan on Intaka Island. Twenty metres away a cormorant dries its wings on a post. Beyond them the N1 is filling with commuters, and the towers of Century City catch the first light. It is simply what the place looks like on an ordinary weekday. Thirty years ago, none of this existed by design. It existed because a handful of people noticed something worth saving and refused to let it go. Intaka Island is a story that goes well beyond birdwatching. It is a case study in what happens when a conservation area is built into the middle of a commercial and residential development instead of at its edge, and what it takes to keep it healthy through decades of growth, drought, a pandemic and changing ideas about what a precinct is for.
INTAKA'S STORY
With Intaka’s 30th anniversary in 2026, our commemorative book tells the story of how it got there. In the words of the people who were there, it follows a degraded wetland on the edge of a new development as it became a nature reserve, an Eco-Centre, a school programme and a working part of the precinct around it. Committee members, scientists, rangers, educators and the CEOs who have looked after it share what they saw, what they learned and why they kept going. Between their accounts you will find thirty years of milestones and photographs from the people who love the island, including some of the entries from our 30th anniversary photography competition.
Read the digital version here
Requests for a printed copy can be directed to info@intaka.co.za.
MyDifference
We’re delighted to confirm that Intaka Island Environmental Trust is officially a registered beneficiary of Woolworths’ MyDifference.
This means that you can raise funds for the Intaka Island Environmental Trust without it costing you anything. Simply go to the Rewards section of your Woolworths app, find the Causes section and select Intaka Environmental Trust as the beneficiary.
A percentage of your spend will go directly back to Intaka, meaning you support Intaka’s ongoing conservation and environmental education efforts, simply by swiping your card.
Our news & blogs
A Thousand Windows
Thirty photographs of Intaka Island, now on display in Ratanga Park, Century City.
November 2, 2026
Bat Week on Intaka Island: meet the night shift
They may be small and often go unnoticed, but bats play a big role in keeping our natural ecosystems thriving. As night falls over Intaka Island, these incredible creatures take to the skies, helping control insect populations and adding to the rich biodiversity of our urban wetland.
October 24, 2026
Reptile Awareness Day: meet the scaly residents of Intaka Island
Reptile Awareness Day falls on 21 October and it gives us a good reason to look a little closer at the reptiles that share the island with our birds. Let’s meet a few of them.
October 19, 2026
DigiOutreach makes a difference at Intaka Island with a new smart weather station
As Intaka Island marks 30 years of environmental conservation, education and community engagement, we are pleased to announce a generous donation from DigiOutreach, part of Super Group.
October 1, 2026
Rangers on the Road: Bringing Environmental Education to No-Fee Schools
Rangers on the Road goes to Springdale Primary School in Mitchells Plain.
September 22, 2026