Table Mountain – Cable Car and Hiking Trails on Top
The skyline of Cape Town
The skyline of Cape Town, with the huge Table Mountain massif in the background, is one of the most photographed scenes in the world. The 1086 m high mountain in the middle of the city is the sovereign landmark of Cape Town. It is also one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The 500 m steep slope near the city bowl is the crowning glory of Table Mountain. This impressive mountain front is flanked by Lion’s Head (668 m) on the right and by Devil’s Peak (1000 m) on the left.
If you take the modern cable car up Table Mountain, you will see a vast plateau on top, which is home to some endemic plant species.
The view from the top is breathtaking. In the East, you can spot the townships of the Cape Flats. In the North, you can enjoy stunning views of the Cape Town city bowl, the V&A Waterfront and Table Bay. In the Northwest, you can see Robben Island in the distance (the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for decades). In the West, the chic beach towns of Clifton and Camps Bay and their beautiful sandy beaches come into view.
On the Table Mountain plateau
You can cover a lot of kilometres on the well-developed hiking trails on top of Table Mountain and always enjoy a different view of Cape Town below. Most visitors focus on their short stay only on the area surrounding the cable car station, where it normally teems with tourists – it can get a bit crowdy.
The plateau mainly consists of granite and shale. The upper layers are sandstone. Over millions of years, erosion caused distinct notches on the plateau surface, which is now covered with 1.400 endemic plant species (fynbos vegetation – typical for the Western Cape region). The surface area is around 6500 hectares big. During a walk on Table Mountain it is more than likely to see the cute dassies that live here.
Hiking Trails on Table Mountain
There are 3 marked hiking trails on Table Mountain. The so-called “Dassie Walk” leads to one of the most scenic view points. This is the shortest circular route and can be done in 15 minutes. The 30-minute “Agama Walk” offers a 360-degree view of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. The long “Klipspringer Walk” leads along the rock face to the Platteklip Gorge hiking trail.
Take the Cable Car
From the foot of the steep face, a rotating cable car takes visitors up to the summit of Table Mountain. The modern gondolas have space for up to 65 passengers. Guests can enjoy panoramic views because the cable car rotates 360 degrees while moving up the slopes of Table Mountain. The cable length is 1200 m, the altitude difference is 704 m and the speed of the cable car is 10 m per second. Hence, you will have reached the summit of Table Mountain in around 5 minutes.
Depending on the light and weather conditions, the opening hours are adjusted regularly.
