Table Mountain is one of Africa’s natural wonders and is the most visited attraction in Cape Town.
Most visitors making the trip up Table Mountain get up here with the Cable car, then wander around the top of the mountain for the views. There are much more adventurous ways to get up here and I’ll have a post on that in the next little while. If I live through it. But this time we decided to stick to the very safe, well-trodden paths around the top of the mountain. This post will show what you can expect and the fantastic views you’ll experience at the top.
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Below: The ‘Wheelchair Map’ (Map credit to TableMountain.net - click here to see the full map)
The map above shows the paths around the top of the mountain. The Map is called the “Wheelchair Map” because most of the paths along the top are wheelchair friendly. You’ll see all the great views along the route that make Table Mountain famous, from the different viewpoints on the eastern side looking over the city to those on the western side looking down the coast and over the Twelve Apostles.
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Below: have a look at our 2 minute video. Premiere Elements still a work in progress with me…
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About the Cable car ride: It is ultra-modern, capable of taking 65 people at a time. Time to the top is 5 minutes and it rotates 365 degrees on it’s way up/down so you can see in all direction.
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Below: looking over the ‘Twelve Apostles”, a chain of peaks and buttresses lining the Atlantic Coast.
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Below: views towards the city center.
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Below: Devil’s Peak, the arrow-head shaped outcrop on the left.
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This animal is the Dassie, also known more officially as the Rock Hyrax or Rock Badger. They are actually the closest living relative to the elephant, scientists having figured that out on the basis of similarities in the structure of the feet and the teeth. You’ll see them all over Table Mountain, usually soaking up the sun on a rock.
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Below: more views on the Atlantic coast, the Twelve Apostles rising from the shoreline.
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Below: Looking down at the beautiful beach of Camp’s Bay.
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Below: Cable car and views over Lion’s head.
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Below: more views towards the city center. The island beyond is Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years.
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Below: Looking out at the dramatic coastline.
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Tips and Resources
- If and when to go. Before deciding to go up Table Mountain, I would recommend first visiting the Table Mountain website and checking 1) if the Cableway is open (it can be closed when there are high winds) and 2) the waiting time at the lower station. I’ve seen days and times where the average waiting time can be 2 hours and others where it can be 5 minutes.
- Time to spend. If you’re doing the above non-adventurous walks around the peak, you’ll most likely end up spending anytime between 1-2 hours up top.
- Getting to the Cableway Station: About 15 minutes from downtown Cape Town. It cost us 57 Rand with Uber. If you are taking the city sightseeing bus (which you should take when visiting Cape Town), the Red tour comes up here. TIP: you can pre-purchase your ticket from the bus driver, saving a lot of time in the line.
- Times. First cable car up is at 8 am, the last one down is at 8pm.
- BRING A SWEATER! It gets cold up there.
- More information from the official website.
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