Table Mountain
- About Table Mountain
- What is “Scrambling”?
- Half-day & Full-day hikes
- Grades & Difficulty
- Route Options
About Table Mountain
By far the most famous land-mark in South Africa, the imposing profile of Table Mountain rises out majestically high above the Mother City. If you are an adventurous soul you cannot help but be tempted to go play on her flanks, explore her ravines or climb to her summit. The highest point on the mountain is known as Maclear’s Beacon and reaches an altitude of 1086m above sea level.
Table Mountain has many beautiful footpaths and exciting scrambling routes to explore; and with one of our highly qualified mountain guides you can be assured of an excellent and safe adventure. We offer half-day and full-day programs on Table Mountain and the surrounding peaks like Lion’s Head and Devils Peak or further along the Peninsula Mountains from Silvermine to Cape Point.
What is “Scrambling”?
Scrambling refers to very easy rock climbing and/or boulder hopping to negotiate an obstacle. On scrambling routes you can expect to use your hands to hold onto the rock and you may have to cross more difficult and exposed terrain. Our guides will always assist you on these parts of the route and may even rope you up for some of the climbing to ensure your safety. Following a scrambling route is an exciting and fun way of getting up the mountain and seeing the lesser known parts, away from the main tourist routes.
Half-day & Full-day Hikes
We offer various options on Table Mountain. Our popular half-day hikes normally make use of the well-known Cableway to descend the mountain after hiking to the top. Full-day hikes allow for seeing more of the mountain and often involve hiking both up and down, avoiding the cable car.
Grades & Difficulty
There are so many options available for hiking on Table Mountain and we able to cater for all age groups and all levels of fitness and experience. Most of our Table Mountain hikes are booked as Private Guiding, so the itinerary is flexible and we can consult with you about the various options before choosing a route.
Hikes are graded using the traditional South African system:
- A-grade: Indicates an easy footpath on moderate terrain
- B-grade: Indicates a route that requires some easy rock scrambling
- C-grade: Indicates a route that requires more difficult rock scrambling and exposed terrain
Table Mountain offers a route for everyone!
Route Options
The following Table Mountain hikes and scrambles are recommended based on previous client’s comments and popularity. Table Mountain, however, offers numerous route options - far too many to list - so if none of these routes appeal to you please contact us so that we can offer further suggestions.
Table Top Circuit
- Upper Cableway Station to Maclear’s Beacon (1086m) return
- A - Grade; Easy, flat walking with little exertion
- Hiking Time: Approximately 2 hours at a leisurely pace
Table Mountain has two “tops”, divided by Platteklip Gorge, often referred to as “the right table” and “the left table” as seen from the City side of the mountain.
The Table Top Circuit follows the easy footpaths on these flat tops of the main Table Mountain massive. The trail is circular giving hikers the opportunity to view, from above, the City of Cape Town and some of its historical landmarks; Table Bay and Robben Island; the Cape Flats; False Bay; the Twelve Apostles (peaks) and Camps Bay. The vista also includes views of Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak nearby with the imposing spires of the Drakenstein Mountains in the distance.
From the trail hikers can also see onto the Back Table where the historical Table Mountain drinking water reservoirs are situated. Hikers will reach Maclear’s Beacon (1086m ASL), the highest point on Table Mountain, during the hike. We use the cable car for ascending and descending the mountain.
India-Venster Path
- Tafelberg Road to the Upper Cable Way Station (can be extended)
- B - Grade; Mostly moderate walking with some strenuous uphill sections
- Hiking Time: Approximately 3 hours at a leisurely pace
This excellent route offers an exciting and lesser-used alternative to the Platteklip Gorge route on the City side of Table Mountain. Departing from near the lower Cableway station the route follows a good quality footpath with some exciting, but easy rock scrambling sections. The route stays on the City side of the mountain up to Fountain Ledge, where it makes a sharp turn to traverse around to the Camp’s Bay side of the mountain and then up to the Table Top. The route offers spectacular views of the Atlantic Coast, Robben Island, City, Camp’s Bay and Twelve Apostles Peaks.
Hikers choosing a half-day option take the cable car back down. The route can also be combined with other routes to create a full-day option. Options include exploring the Back Table and viewing the historical water reservoirs or walking across to Maclear’s Beacon (highest point on the mountain, 1086m) and descending to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Kloof Corner Ridge
- Tafelberg Road to the Upper Cable Way Station (can be extended)
- C - Grade; Mostly strenuous uphill hiking on rough trails
- Hiking Time: Approximately 4 hours at a fair pace
One of Table Mountain’s most exciting scramble routes; Kloof Corner Ridge follows the exciting knife edge between the City and Camp’s Bay sides of the mountain. The route follows a footpath for most of the way with a number of challenging and exposed scrambling sections and the awesome “11-inch chimney” that has to be negotiated. The route offers spectacular views of the Atlantic Coast, Robben Island, City, Camp’s Bay and Twelve Apostles Peaks.
Hikers choosing a half-day option take the cable car back down. The route can also be combined with other routes to create a full-day option. Options include exploring the Back Table and viewing the historical water reservoirs or walking across to Maclear’s Beacon (highest point on the mountain, 1086m) and descending to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Skeleton Gorge
- Kirstenbosch Gardens to the Back Table
- Descend via Nursery Ravine or Descend via Cable Car
- B - Grade; Mostly strenuous uphill hiking with some wooden ladders to climb
- Hiking Time: Depends greatly on further route choice
Departing from internationally famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens this route follows a magical forest gorge up to the Back Table and the historical reservoirs. The route involves some adventurous climbing on a number of wooden ladders to get over exposed and rocky areas. As an excellent half-day option this route can be combined with a return hike down Nursery Ravine or, for full-day options, with a hike to Maclear’s Beacon and to the upper Cable Way station with a cable car descent.
Add-ons and Options for these adventures:
- How about expanding your mountain resume by doing a guided Rock Climb on Table Mountain, all levels of experience catered for.
- Cape Town offers numerous adventure options like cycling, quad-biking, paragliding, horse riding, shark cage diving, scuba diving or wine touring. Discuss your options with us and we’ll make the arrangements.
Numbers and Guide/Client ratio:
- We can accommodate any number of people on this adventure. Larger groups accommodated on special arrangement only.
- Minimum of 1 guide: 6 clients.
Participant Requirements:
You will need to be of at least average health and fitness to enjoy most of the hiking routes on Table Mountain, however even the very unfit can be catered for with various options. No previous trekking experience is required.
Catering and Porters:
Catering arranged on request. You need to have at least 2 litres of water with you and food for the day. Porters are not available as an option on this trek.
Equipment:
You will require a small backpack, warm jacket, good footwear, water bottle and sun protection. Certain items can be hired from Venture Forth.
Transport:
Venture Forth can arrange transport from your accommodation or you can meet the guide at the start of the hike.
Recommended follow-up programs:
- A day at a spa! (or any other Soft Adventure)
- MDT Basic Mountain Leader course
- Introduction to Sport Climbing course
- Why not attempt a longer trek in the Cederberg
