How To Hike Table Mountain

Today we're talking about this mountain. More importantly, how to get up this mountain. There are a hundred ways up Table Mountain. You will have a far clearer picture in your mind of this puzzling city after you've looked down upon it from this wonderful vantage point over 3,000 feet high. Table Mountain is of course that giant rock that overshadows Cape Town and looks like some kind of monster that came up out of the Atlantic Ocean. It's what people think about when they think about South Africa and is one of the most beautiful natural sights in the world. You can see the mountain from almost anywhere in the city but in my opinion the best way to experience it is to get up close and hike it. Humans have been running around the mountain for almost 2,000 years and there are lots of trails to explore and mountain secrets to discover. There's caves and ruins and waterfalls and epic vistas and you'll never run out of things to see on this mountain. So let me explain the shape of the mountain to you. Most people think of Table Mountain as this, the flat rock, Devil's Peak over there, Lion's Head over there. We're on top of Signal Hill right now and these structures form what we call the City Bowl. But this is only one side of the mountain. If you look at it from space it looks like this. This whole section here is what we call the back table. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean, Camps Bay, Oticrol Nature Reserve and Llandudno. To the south is Heart Bay, Constantia and the Oranjekrove Nature Reserve. This nature reserve by the way is protected. You have to book in advance and only 12 hikers are allowed in here each day to protect the endangered indigenous forest found in this valley. The east side is called Neelands and is covered in lush forest. This garden over here is called Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and you can access some of the hikes on the side of the mountain if you buy a If you've never done a hike in Cape Town you should start with Lion's Head. I know it's not part of the table but it's so worth it. It's one of the best reward for effort hikes out there. If you start from the parking lot it's an hour and a half's hike to the top where you'll be rewarded with 360 degree views of the city, the ocean and the mountain. Capetonians will often do this hike before work or sometimes even at night during a full moon. This makes Lion's Head look like a To scale the north face of the mountain the most straightforward way is Platterclip Gorge. If you go 1.5 kilometers past the cable car station on Table Mountain Road you'll find the trailhead of what is basically a giant staircase. This route can be hard on the knees but it's totally worth doing and it's a great option for coming down the mountain if you took a sketchier route up like India Fenster. And talking about India Fenster, India Fenster is a challenging and epic hike straight up the north face. Starting at the cable car you'll make your way up India Gorge where you'll find quite a few scrambles and ladder climbs along the way. Near the top the route will get less intense as you take a scenic walk around Cliff Corner and top out joining the masses of people spilling out the cable car. Devil's Peak has some awesome ridges and 360 degree views of the city. You can get to the peak via the saddle which is accessible either from Table Mountain Road or if you go up Newlands Ravine on the other side. If you need something to get your adrenaline going you can start at the King's Blockhouse and hike up Mowbray Ridge to get to what is called the Knife's Edge Walk which is basically a thin stone walkway with a sheer drop on either side. The east side is where you can find the lush Affermantain and Pine Forests. Affermantain is the dense indigenous jungly stuff you can find on the higher slopes. While the Pine Forest was planted by the British in the 1800s the main ways to get into the forest is from Rhodes Memorial, the Newlands Forest Fire Station or Kirstenbosch Gardens. There's this trail that runs from Cliff Corner on the north face all the way around to the back of the east side called the Contour Path. This is one of the main paths through the forest and you can access the main ascents from here. The two best ways to get up the east side of the mountain is Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge. Both of these are shaded from the sun, super fun and jungly. Nursery Ravine is considered to be easier while Skeleton Gorge can get sketchy and scrambly at times. This little gap between the back table and Constantia Berg is known as Constantia Neck. From this parking lot there's a jeep track that goes to the top of the mountain. It's probably the easiest way to get to the top other than using the cable car. There's also a hike here called Constantia Corner which has a viewpoint here called Eagle's Nest. Brannacliff is kind of a mystery to a lot of Capetonians. We are notoriously afraid of commitment and having to book this in advance means that I've never done it. I'm sure it's great. This stretch from Cliff Corner all the way to Judas Peak on the west side of the mountain is known as the Twelve Apostles. To get onto anything on the Twelve Apostles you can start at the beloved Pipe Track. The Pipe Track is a gradual 10 kilometer walk that follows an old that's been supplying the city with water for over a century. This track is actually a great option for a hike for those looking for something with less elevation and is a great place to see the sunset surrounded by nature and you don't even have to break a sweat. There's actually quite a few options to ascend the mountain from this site. Most notable are Diagonal Route, Corridor Ravine and Castile Spurt. All of these are well maintained and accessible but Castile Spurt is my favorite. It follows a route used to construct the old waterway back in the 19th century and you can see the ruins of the construction cable along the route. About two-thirds of the way up you turn into Castile Spurt Ravine and you've got a great view of the ocean through the buttresses. You can also take a detour to find this diving board which makes its way onto Instagram all the time. At the top of the mountain you'll obviously want to take in the sights. There's loads of viewpoints and buttresses where you can stop, have a picnic and take in the view. If you're into gift shops there's a gift shop and restaurant on the north rim close to the upper cable car station. There's also a few dams on the top that make for great picnic spots, a waterworks museum and even some overnight huts you can book in advance if you feel like having a sleepover on top of the mountain. Finally it's really important to stay safe. People get airlifted off the mountain all the time and I don't want you to be one of them. Remember to hike in groups, stay on the trail, wear your sunscreen, drink your water, take a headlamp and an extra layer and have emergency services saved on your phone. This video is only meant to give you a taste of what you can find on If you want more details there's a local app called Forge which has most of the routes listed and if you want to learn more about Cape Town there's a full course about the mother city over on brighttrip.com. Justin will give you a rundown on everything there is to see, do and eat. Hopefully this has made you amped to get out there and get up the mountain. See you next time!