Table Mountain

Table Mountain is the flat-topped icon of Cape Town, a sheer-sided sandstone massif rising over a kilometre above the city and the Atlantic, often draped in a rolling 'tablecloth' of cloud. Part of a national park rich in unique fynbos plant life, its summit plateau, reached by a rotating cable car or by hiking trails, offers breathtaking panoramas over the city bowl, the coast, Robben Island and the peninsula stretching south.

History

About 2,000 years ago Khoe-speaking herders moved towards the Cape Peninsula from the north, into land used before by !Ui-speaking foragers, and the !Uriǁʼaekua, the High Clan, were the leading people when Europeans first sailed into Table Bay; they called the mountain Huriǂoaxa, the mountain emerging from the sea. António de Saldanha, the first European to land in Table Bay, climbed it in 1503 and named it Taboa do Cabo, the Table of the Cape, and the cross he carved on Lion's Head can still be traced. Three blockhouses were built on the mountain in 1796, of which the King's blockhouse still stands; between 1896 and 1907 five reservoirs were made on the Back Table for Cape Town's water, and calls for a national park, heard from the mid-1930s, led after big fires in 1986 and 1991 to the park now run by SANParks (Wikipedia, Table Mountain).

The landscape

• The summit plateau - the flat top with its panoramic views and trails.
• The rotating cable car - the revolving car up the sheer cliffs.
• The fynbos - the unique Cape flora of the mountain.
• The views - the city, coast, Robben Island and the peninsula.

When to go

October to April, the warmer, drier summer, for the clearest weather, though the famous 'tablecloth' cloud and high winds can close the cable car at short notice; go up on a clear, calm morning and check conditions first.

Before you go

The cable car closes in high wind or heavy cloud, which is common, so go up on the first clear, calm morning of your trip rather than leaving it to the last day. It is very popular, so queues build; book online. The hike up is strenuous and should not be underestimated or done alone.

Nearby

The V&A Waterfront, the Cape of Good Hope and the winelands are all in the Cape Town area.

Key facts