Climbing Table Mountain

One tourist attraction that is a must do while in Cape Town is to go to the top of Table Mountain, which is a range of mountains that overlooks the city of Cape Town and is what makes the city look so picturesque. I’ve hiked up Table Mountain three times since I’ve been in South Africa. It’s probably been one of my favorite things to do here. You can either take the cable car up to the top, or hike up one of the numerous trails up to the top. It’s not an easy hike. It is mostly a steep incline to the top on stone stairs. It can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to the top, depending on which route you take. Table Mountain attracts a lot of clouds so it is important that you attempt the climb when it is a sunny day, otherwise you might end up with bad weather on the way down, which is not the safest thing to do. Also, local South Africans will warn you not to go alone because there is a risk of muggings, but as long as you stick to the popular routes and go on a sunny day, it should be pretty safe. The most popular route goes up a gorge to the left of upper cable station, if you are looking at Table Mountain from the Gardens area. To get to the trailhead, just keep going on the road past the lower cable car station for another 5 minutes and you will see the trailhead.

Once you reach the top, there are beautiful views of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There are clear views of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Also you will be able to see the Table Mountain range all the way to Cape Point on a clear day. Also, there are plenty of extreme sports to participate in at Table Mountain, including abseiling, hanggliding and basejumping. At the upper cable car station, you will meet all the other tourists that took the easy way up. There is a restaurant and gift shop. (Great place to pick up some water and an apple). One thing I would not advise you to do is run all the way back down. Ok, that’s what I did and now my calves are really sore.