Table Mountain is Cape Town’s most famous attraction and a must-visit place. Several hiking trails on Table Mountain offer spectacular views of different parts of the city. Walking up following one of the Table Mountain hiking trails is challenging, but the views are rewarding. If you find walking 600 m up too difficult you can take a cable car and explore the mountain following several hiking routes on the top of it. These have no ascents and offer great views.
You can walk up and down, or if you don’t feel like it or don’t have enough time, you can use the cable car one way or return. Don’t worry about skipping the hiking part if you take the cable car; there are a couple of very nice trails on the top of the mountain. The views from the cable car are amazing; the floor rotates clockwise during the ride you get 360° panoramic views of Cape Town. The cable car operates daily, but working hours change depending on the month.
Hiking Table Mountain in Cape Town is free. There is no entrance fee to Table Mountain National Park. Skeleton Gorge is the only trail where you pay the entrance fee because the route starts inside the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.
There are tons of trails on Table Mountain. If you zoom in on Table Mountain on Google Maps, you’ll see what I mean! That being said, there are 4 popular hikes to climb up and I’ve included them all in this Table Mountain Hiking Guide.
Table Mountain and Lions Head are Cape Town’s two most iconic mountains and most iconic hiking trails. They both allow for a physically stimulating hike, and both afford some of the most breathtaking views in the world.
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One of Cape Town’s top attractions, Table Mountain was recently voted as one of the new wonders of the world. It’s not hard to see why. Its impossibly flat peak is visible from all of the surrounding area and is perhaps the most iconic landmark in Cape Town. Sandwiched between Devils Peak and Lions Head, Table Mountain stands 1km above sea level. It is also one of one of the oldest mountains in the world being hundreds of millions of years older than even the Himalayas.
Panoramic views of Cape Town, all the way down to Cape Point can be seen from its peak allowing for breathtaking photos.
Unlike Lion’s Head, which can only be hiked, there is the incredibly popular table mountain cable cars that will take people straight to the top. Two cars, holding 60 people a piece go up and down this thing and it’s only a short 7 minute ride. However, during high season on ANY nice day, the line for this place is ridiculous.
The cost for the cable car if you’re willing to wait is 210R round trip. Tickets can also be purchased ahead of time online, but you still need to wait in line.
The hike up Table Mountain is no joke. It’s physically more demanding than the Lion’s Head hike and far less fun. It is, to sum it up, just non-stop stair-master. The hiking trail is very structured, and consists of thousands of rocky steps. The hike starts from the Plattekip entrance, about 1km down from the cable car.
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The signs here say it’ll take 2.5 hours to hike to the top, but if you’re in decent shape, which I’d consider myself to be in, it should take no more than 2 hours.
With a few breaks in between, we completed the hike in 1.5 hours. They also recommend 2 liters of water for the hike, I think that’s a little ridiculous. 0.5-1 liter should be plenty because you don’t want to weigh yourself down. The hike was taxing, but we took about 5 short breaks (1-2 min), and we were up before we knew it. There were some crazy people that more or less ran up the mountain and did it in an hour. I’d also recommend doing this hike in the morning or before sunset so to avoid the heat.
After 1.5 hours, we’re finally at the top, and what a gratifying feeling it is. The top of the mountain is huge and you have to walk to the edges in order to have a view. There are many viewing points and I’ve yet to find the ultimate picture spot but I’m sure I will be back. There is a restaurant/cafe up here that serves food, and beverages, including alcoholic ones to celebrate the climb! We stayed up here for about 1 hour to have some drinks and take our pictures. We took the cable car down as we had enough to hike for the day.
Compared to the first time I climbed this, I was not hungover, and I wore proper shoes which made it much easier to climb. I wasn’t winded at any point and I think this is one of the best hikes I’ve ever done.
The hike up Lion’s Head is much easier physically than Table Mountain. Not only is it a shorter hike but it zig zag’s around the mountain whereas Table Mountain is a straight shot up. Lion’s Head is also a more fun hike in my opinion as there are some very minor rock climbing (chains and ladders) aspect to it!
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All in all, the hike will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When you’re at the top, you’ll see many other hikers soaking up the views. There are no bars and no restaurants here, it’s completely untamed which I absolutely loved. During the summer months, the top can be quite packed but can you blame people for appreciating such stunning views?
Fewer places in the world offer nicer views than Lion’s Head!
It’s easy to find your spot at the peak of Lion’s Head.
If I had time to only see one of these mountains, which one should I go to? Both mountains offer spectacular views of Cape Town and both can offer an adventurous and gratifying hike. Table Mountain is the obvious choice for individuals that have weak knees or just don’t have the physical capacity to hike because of the cable car but I think that’s about it. Here is a comparison of the two:
| Feature | Table Mountain | Lion's Head |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Height | 1062m | 669m |
| Length of Hike | 1.5-2hr | 45min-1hr |
| Cable Car? | Yes | No |
| Type of hike | Stair-master | Obstacles, Rock Climbing, etc. |
| Views | Central CT, Camps Bay, Cape Point | Camps Bay, Greenpoint, Seapoint, Central CT |
In my humble opinion, Lion’s Head is the better choice. Table Mountain is beautiful no question, but if I had to only go up one, it would hands down be Lion’s Head. The hike is shorter but it is more fun, unlike the endurance based stair-master hike of Table Mountain. When you ascend to the peak, there are far less people on Lion’s Head and it feels more isolated and special whereas there are SO many people at all times on Table Mountain.
From Lion’s head, you are closer to the city and ocean which affords it better views in my opinion. Also, Lion’s Head is one of the only places where you can actually see Table Mountain, which is stunning to look at from any angle! Lion’s head is the best place in the city to get a picture of yourself.
If I had to choose, I would hike Lion’s Head. But I would also want to see the top of Table Mountain just for its iconic views and history. Therefore, if I was not a serious hiker, I would do the following in no particular order: Hike Lion’s Head for the sunset.
Popular Hiking Trails on Table Mountain
5 routes go to the top some of them are easier some quite tough. Here are a few popular routes:
1. Skeleton Gorge to Maclear’s Beacon
The Skeleton Gorge hiking trail starts inside the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Entry cost is R80/pp for SA residents or nationals of African countries with valid ID. If you hike all the way to the upper cable cars, take an Uber to the gardens so you can hike down or take the cable cars for your descent. The Skeleton Gorge trail starts near the entrance of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Once you enter, take a left and you’ll soon see the sign. There are entry points to Skeleton Gorge throughout the garden; you can easily walk 5km just around the gardens so decide if you want to get here early and do that as well or plan the gardens for another day.
We started the trail at 12pm so we didn’t have time to explore the garden and I went back a couple of days later. Start hiking up the trail. The next 20 minutes is a crawl up ladders and a Billy goat scramble up a stream in a make-your-own-path adventure. There can be some foot traffic around this area as only one person should go up/down a ladder at a time. The stream isn’t really a gushing river… It’s more like wet rocks you must climb over and around, so you don’t need waterproof shoes. After 20 minutes of climbing, you’ll make it out of the forest. But you’re not done! You still need another 20 minutes until you’re at the “plateau”. This is not the top. This is fake news.
If you want to see the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir dam up close, take a small detour to Breakfast Rock and follow the path. There are five dams on top of Table Mountain! They were constructed to help Cape Town’s water supply issues in the 1890s, though nowadays they only contribute about 5% of the city’s water. Once you’re out of tree cover, you’ve still got an incline to climb until Maclear’s Beacon. If there is land that looks like it’s above you, you’re gonna climb it. At some point, look back and see the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir dam. You can also take another detour here to the Aqueduct Trail to check it out.
It should take you an hour and 40 minutes (more or less) to reach Maclear’s Beacon. This is the highest point on Table Mountain. You’ll find maps on rock pillars throughout Table Mountain National Park. They are super helpful with time and distance markings to major points in the park.
From Maclear’s Beacon, you can choose to go along the edge of the cliffside or inland to reach the cable cars. We attempted to take the inland trail but somehow managed to end up on the edge of the mountain… so we did something wrong. Once you reach the upper cable car area, you can wander around the trails for views of Cape Town’s coast along the pathways. Be sure to look out for Lion’s Head too! You can purchase a one-way ticket on the cable car for R200 You may need to wait a while in line before boarding the cable car. The last car down is 4:30 pm in the winter and 8:30 pm in the summer.
Or, you can hike down Platteklip Gorge to get back to the road. You can easily get an Uber to pick you up from there.
2. Platteklip Gorge
This steep (SUPER STEEP) hike is more of a staircase + scramble up rocks to reach the Table Mountain upper cable car area. You’ll drive about halfway up the mountain to park and start your hike at the base of Platteklip Gorge. The hike is all uphill.
If you’ve got a moderate fitness level, you’ll likely reach the top of the gorge in 2 hours. We did not hike up, we hiked down. It was encouraging to see so many people of all fitness levels hike up on Heritage Day. It took us an hour and 20 minutes to hike down from Table Mountain to the start of the trail. More agile peeps will do it faster.
Platteklip Gorge hike is the shortest (about 3km long) and most direct ascent up Table Mountain. Somehow this translates to many calling it the easiest but I think they are lying. You start with a pretty vertical trek up for about 200m. Some may call it taking steps, I call it scrambling, and 200m will be a lot longer than you think it is at this point. Then you have the choice to turn right and return to the bottom cable car station or continue left.
Eventually, my family sprinted along, which I didn’t mind because this way I could take my time and have enough breaks to take pictures/ catch my breath. As Platteklip Gorge is the shortest and one of the most popular routes, it means it gets quite busy. Something I also didn’t mind because it meant that Platteklip Gorge safety is high and wasn’t scared to hike on my own. The last part was the most challenging and the meaning of mind over matter became a whole new … well, matter. I ran into a group taking a break, and a girl told me I had almost made it. That was 40 minutes before I actually made it, something I luckily didn’t know yet. Once in while you need a little white lie to keep you going or the wishful thinking of a stranger.
My crappy knees also helped as they kept me from going back down as did my stubborn mind. And so I made it eventually. Just know that once you think you are all the way up, you aren’t quite there yet. A short stretch of rockface and some chains to pull yourself up, now you are all the way on top of Table Mountain!
On top, the infamous dassies (a rock badger which closest living relative today is an elephant) await as well as the best views over Falsebay, the Atlantic, the Cape Town city, and Lion’s Head. By now you will feel probably a little bit exhausted but even more proud. So proud you might be tempted to high five some strangers or even take a wohooo I made it! Was it worth it? Absolutely! Am I lying? Maybe. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes you just have to climb that goddamn mountain and prove just how stubborn you really are.
You have to be surefooted and should be reasonably fit but then again look at me - I am neither, and I managed. Drive up Table Mountain Road like going to the cable car station (there are signs on Kloof Nek Road and Camps Bay Drive which you cannot miss). Just go beyond the cableway station until you see a green sign on the right saying Platteklip Gorge - this way you can park your car directly at the beginning of the hike. Can you hike Table Mountain without a guide? Absolutely, many people go hiking Table Mountain without a guide and Platteklip Gorge is the ideal route because you cannot get lost. There is only one point when you can go left or right, and there are clear signs which way will lead you to where.
There have been reported muggings on Table Mountain but when we came it was positively crowded, so I wouldn’t be scared of going solo. That is if the weather is nice and there are other people around. In general, it is, of course, more fun to go in a little group.
3. India Venster
The India Venster trail is one of the most (if not the most) difficult trails on Table Mountain. Although the trail is just 4-ish km, it is a tough, steep trek and dangerous in some places. You should have moderate fitness and be comfortable scrambling up and down rocks. Hikers have reported it taking around 2 hours to reach the top. We did not hike this trail. This trail starts on the right of the Table Mountain lower cable cars area, by the car park. Apparently, the route is even more dangerous going downhill. Wilhelm, his brother, and my brother did this trail down Table Mountain. Although they had to scramble a bit, they didn’t run into any difficulties while hiking.
4. Kasteelspoort Trail
If visiting the upper cable car station isn’t necessary for your hiking views, then park/uber to the Pipe Track starting point, take the Diagonal Trail, and then loop back to Pipe Track on the Kasteelspoort Trail. This 7km loop will likely take around 2 hours, according to Google Maps. You can add on different trails on the hike so it can be longer. We haven’t hiked this trail yet but it’s on my to-hike list!
Tips for Hiking Table Mountain
- Best Time to Hike: In the hottest months (December - February), early morning is the best time, especially if you’re planning to walk on one of the trails that are exposed to the sun such as Platteklip Gorge or India Venster. Evenings are a good time as well just make sure not to walk any of the routes in the dark for your own safety. In cooler months (April - October) you can walk pretty much any time just make sure you won’t get a lot of rain. And don’t start later as the sunset in winter is much earlier than in summer.
- Weather Conditions: The weather can change rapidly on Table Mountain. One minute it’s sunny and warm, the next you’re in cloud cover with no views (and possibly rain). Bring a warm layer with you just in case. Clouds are another thing to watch for. If you see massive clouds on the top of the mountain postpone your visit it’s simply dangerous to hike in poor visibility. You won’t see anything from the top.
- Safety: As with most trails in South Africa, it is not advised to hike alone or after sunset. We felt safe on the trail and didn’t encounter anyone other than serious hikers. However, there are stories of people being robbed on the Skeleton Gorge trail. We only brought one cell phone with us, one ID, and one credit card.
- What to Bring:
- Bring enough water! I’d recommend at least 1.5L per person.
- Make sure to wear sunscreen and bring a hat.
- While my nephew hikes up Cape Town Table Mountain barefoot, I recommend good trainers.
- Facilities: If you want facilities at the end/middle of your hike, then put the upper cable car station on your itinerary for the day. Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Cafe has water, drinks, food, and snacks for sale. Buying a bottle of wine for sunset sundowners is a popular choice.
Prefer to hike Table Mountain with a guide instead? Take enough water. There is no shade at all.
Check the weather forecast - you don’t want to be caught on the mountain when the wind is howling. On the top, you will find a little cafe, and you can buy your cableway ticket to get down. Bring cash or your credit card, the tickets are ZAR 150, and in most cases, you will not need to buy your ticket in advance. For those who aren’t too keen on cableways, yours truly included, note that the inside rotates so everyone can enjoy the view.
Guidebooks will tell you the hike takes 3-4 hours. I managed it in just over two hours while it took my cousin and niece an hour. I also met a lady in her 60s who does the hike every day and manages in thirty minutes.
Renting a car is the easiest way of moving around Cape Town. Using a hop-on-hop-off bus is another option for getting to Table Mountain. There are four different sightseeing routes including one that goes to the Lower Cable Car Station (the red route) and one that goes to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden (the blue route). A 2-day ticket includes 2 walking tours, a seal & harbor boat cruise, and a sunset bus.
Don’t hike along even if popular routes. Bring enough water with you there are no water sources on the mountain. Make sure you have a working phone in case of emergency.
In a way hiking on the top of Table Mountain reminds me of the Mount Roraima hike in Venezuela. The surface of Table Mountain is a massive area with a couple of water reservoirs, overnight huts, several hiking trails, and monuments. One can spend hours if not days walking and exploring it.
There are free guided walks on the top of Table Mountain that anybody can join. The meeting point is near the exit from the coffee shop. Tours depart daily every hour from 9am to 3pm. These are not long hikes mostly on boardwalks near the cable car station.
The best Table Mountain Hiking Trail: Kasteelspoort| | Capetown Vlog || South Africa
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