Braamfontein Spruit Trail: Emmarentia Dam/Botanical Gardens/Delta Park

Braamfontein Spruit is the longest stream in Johannesburg, stretching roughly from Paulshof to Braamfontein. Athletes will find some of the best running in Johannesburg along the banks of the stream and in its surrounding parks. A favorite starting place is the Emmarentia Dam, located on the east side of the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. Runners can start with a loop around the gardens and dam, which is ~3,5 km. There is no fee to enter the parks, and there are numerous brick and paved paths and a reassuring security presence. A loop is roughly 3.5 km.

For those who want to continue on, run north on the Braamfontein Spruit Trail, a dirt singletrack which starts from the north end of the parking lot, across Olifants Road. The trail passes through sections of Roosevelt and Ketih Flemming parks before meeting the riverbank in Parkhurst. North of here, runners will arrive in Delta Park, one of Johannesburg’s largest green spaces at 108 hectares. Here, runners can add a 5k loop around the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary and dams. At the northeast corner of Delta Park, the path meets Bordeaux Riverside Park and continues to Cyprus Walk and Riverside Park before ending at Witkoppen Road in Paulshof. As a one-way, it’s 20.7 km. For those seeking a shorter run, we recommend an 8 km out and back from Emmarentia Dam to Delta Park. From the Botanical Gardens, it’s 3 km to Delta Park and 6.5 km to Bordeaux River Park.

Note: Delta Park is also home to Parkrun, a free 5k held Saturdays at 8 am.