hike, mountain

This is the simplest and most common route for climbing up Table Mountain. You start from Tafelberg Road and proceed up a steep gully to the top of Table Mountain. Once at the top the Cable Station is a short (10 minutes) walk away so you could even take the cable car down. This little add-on is well worth it just for the views over the city, Atlantic ocean and Robben Island.

Lions head is by far the easiest of the three famous peaks to climb, and is for that reason extremely popular – even at night! The path begins at the top of Kloofnek and winds all the way around the mountain itself on the way up. This means that you will have views of the City Bowl, Table Mountain, Robben Island, Clifton, Camps Bay and Signal Hill (the Lion’s rump).

India Venster is an exciting route up the face of Table Mountain that is not particularly well known. It is a fun alternative to the more popular Platteklip Gorge because there is some rock scrambling to keep things interesting.

Silvermine Nature Reserve is located at the top of Ou Kaapseweg between Muizenberg and Noordhoek. The reserve is split by the road and Silvermine West is the larger and more popular section offering beautiful surroundings and plenty of activities.

The Tranquility Cracks are deep fissures in the rocks on top of the Twelve Apostles mountains near the top of Slangolie Buttress (half way along the Twelve Apostles). The cracks are a labyrinth of natural rock corridors often about 5m deep and sometimes completely enclosed. The Tranquility Cracks make an excellent destination for a hike as they are interesting to explore, in a relatively quiet area and offer stunning views.

There are many routes up Table Mountain, and the Diagonal Path is not a very well known one. Starting at the Pipe Track (parking at the top of Kloofnek) you head out above Camps Bay along the Pipe Track. After about 30 minutes of hiking you will come across a sign for the Diagonal Path and there is a steep path to heading up the mountain to the left.

Judas Peak is the 12th peak of the Twelve Apostles mountain range and towers over Llandudno and Hout Bay. It is a tough hike and gets quite steep at times and does require some scrambling. Also once you have climbed out of the gulley above Llandudno it can be a little tricky to find the summit (especially if the weather has come in).

The Mowbray Ridge/Knifes Edge route up Devils Peak is popular but relatively unused. The route begins at the Kings Block House and climbs steeply up Mowbray Ridge before moving along the Knifes Edge and then around to the minor summit of Devils Peak.

Nursery Ravine is one of the paths heading up the mountain from Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. From the top corner of the gardens this route rises up the mountain over hundreds and hundreds of stairs. The path is very well maintained and these stairs are a real help when the path is wet and when coming down.

Chapmans Peak is one of Cape Town's most famous mountains because there is a beautiful cliff-top road running along the mountain with amazing views of Hout Bay and the mountains. However, Chapmans Peak is also a fairly easy hike offering even better views than the road.