No trip to Cape Town is complete without some time spent experience the beautiful Table Mountain National Park.
By far the easiest way to get to the top of Table Mountain is to take the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. It takes you straight from Tafelberg Road to the top of the front table, and provides fantastic views on the way up, and when you’re on top. You can spend a bit of time on top, and walk a variety of paths to different view points looking over both the City Bowl and the Atlantic Seaboard.
It’s generally worthwhile booking your ticket in advance, which can be done at https://www.tablemountain.net/. It can also get very busy and it is worth considering getting the fast track tickets, which are more expensive but enable you to skip the queue.
Platteklip Gorge hike is the quickest, easiest and most direct route to the summit of Table Mountain and therefore also the most popular. It is a well trodden path, so it is very difficult to go off track, and there are many other hikers on the route, so it is safe. If you are wanting to hike without a guide it is definitely the easiest way to experience the hike to the top of Table Mountain.
That said it is not a walk in the park. There is no scrambling or exposure to narrow ledges, but it is still a lot of climbing and should not be underestimated. The sun can also absolutely bake the front of the mountain, so our recommendation is to start your walk early in the morning.
You can easily jump onto the cable car on the way down. For this hike remember to wear decent shoes, take a sun hat, and bring along suntan lotion, snacks and water to drink. There is a shop, cafe and restaurant at the top on the mountain by the Cableway.
A fantastic alternative to hiking up Table Mountain is a hike up the adjacent mountain, Lion’s Head. In many ways it’s a nice hike, mainly because you spiral up the mountain so your viewpoint is continually changing from Camps Bay, around to Clifton, Sea Point, the City Bowl and then Table Mountain.
It is also a shorter hike, and if you are fit and rush it, can be completed in under 1h30 up and down, so it can be a good option to do early in the morning, or in the evening, and still have a full day of other activities. 2h30 to 3h00 is a relatively leisurely pace.
Lion’s Head is a popular hiking route and you’ll be sharing the mountain with many other people. You will also find quite a few people doing sunrise and sunset hikes (especially on a full moon; but bring a torch or headlamp).
There are a multitude of other routes up Table Mountain. We’d generally recommend going with a professional mountain guide on the less frequented routes though, to ensure that you don’t go off the path, and that you are well prepared and stay safe.
Chat to the team at https://hiketablemountain.co.za/ if you’d like to try something long or more adventurous than the options listed above.