There is almost no corner in Cape Town where you can’t see the huge rock that embraces the city, Table Mountain, 1086 metres over the sea level, with its flat 3 kilometre surface and the popular peaks Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head.
There is a cable car connecting the mountain’s peak with a cable station a few kilometres from the city centre. I used to live in the Southern Suburbs, so I had to take the railway’s red line to the centre. There, a minibus would take me to the metropolitan area’s limits and in less than half an hour I could walk to the cable station.
To get to the top there are also several trekking routes among the rocks. The visitors can walk them and reach the flat surface exhausted, but flabbergasted in front of the amazing view. The trails vary for length and difficulty: Platteklip Gorge, for example, crosses the mountain’s flank in almost a straight line and takes about two hours and a half. A longer walk takes to Table Mountain from Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine go up the solid range.
Personally, hiking up through Table Mountain is about the maximal expectation of my dynamic life, but for real adventurers Cape Town’s most popular natural attraction also offers climbing experiences, mountain bike trails and speleological trips.
A degree in journalism and a professional limbo ranging from press offices to newspapers, magazines and finally the web. I lived in Verona, Zurich, London, Cape Town, Mumbai and Casablanca. I hate flying and I love jodel music. And when I grow up I wanna be a cosmonaut.
Gorgeous photos! I’m not a hiker, but I’d consider the easy trail just for the view.