Full Day Table Mountain hike

Duration: 5 to 8 hours / varied mileage

Description: This is a circular walk that starts from the Upper Cableway Station and assumes the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is operating. The best route choice if guests enjoy hiking without the climbing, this involves a circular route offering great views, the highest point of Maclear’s Beacon and includes a loop onto the Back Table to the seldom visited Hely-Hutchinson Reservoirs and the interesting Reservoir Museum before returning to the Upper Cableway Station.

Grade: Moderate – good mountain trails that can be rocky underfoot and the occasional short but steep ascent.

Experience & Fitness Level Required: A good level of hiking fitness required to cope with a potentially long day of hiking along with comfort walking over uneven ground.

Duration: 5 to 8 hours / varied mileage

Description: An open-ended day making use of our intimate knowledge of the mountain to customise a route to the climbers’ requirements. Routes can range from simple ascents and rambles around the dams on top of the mountain to challenging scrambles and long traverses of remote sections of the mountain – the focus is on exploring areas not normally seen by most visitors to Table Mountain.

Grade: Moderate to Challenging – sustained ascent and possible steep descents on rugged mountain trails. Possible rock scrambling and exposed ledges on certain routes.

Experience & Fitness Level Required: A good to advanced level of hiking fitness required to cope with a steep ascent and potentially long day of hiking, along with comfort walking over uneven ground.

Duration: 2. 5 to 4 hours / 6.6km (cable car) OR 5 – 6 hours / 9.5 km (hiking up)

Description: Hikers can opt to walk up Table Mountain or take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain where the hike starts. Then it’s an easy walk to the highest point at Maclears Beacon, along well-defined and manicured paths and trails. From here, the route continues downhill on well-used trails. We descend to Kirstenbosch via Skeleton Gorge with its gum pole ladders over rocky descents, or Nursery Ravine’s steep switchbacks and rocky forest trails.

Our guides can conduct a tour of the gardens at the end of the hike or guests may opt to wander at their own pace.

The sustained downhill at the end of this hike may make it unsuitable for guests with knee problems.

Grade: Moderate to challenging – sustained ascent if hiking up Table Mountain and  steep descents into Kirstenbosch are the most difficult part of this route. Descending Skeleton Gorge via the ladders carries the risk of falling.

Experience & Fitness Level Required: A good level of hiking fitness required to cope with a steep ascent if walking up Table Mountain, along with comfort walking over uneven ground. Strong knees require for the descent.