Half-Day Table Mountain hike

Best option for: Guests who are fit and can withstand some exposure. This is a more adventurous route than the regular Platteklip Gorge route

Duration: 3 – 4 hours / 4 km (2½ miles)

Description: Our favourite route on the mountain that offers both brilliant views and an adventurous ascent. Steep rocky trails wind up the front of the mountain to a series of short vertical faces protected by chains and staples, followed by a series of ledges that swing from views over Cape Town to vistas of Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles. Options exist from the top to continue to the highest point at Maclear’s Beacon (another 1hr of hiking) or traverse across the Western Table to descend via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.

Grade: Hard to Challenging – sustained ascent on mountain trails with loose rock underfoot. Some rock scrambling required and narrow ledges experienced, requiring a good head for heights.

Experience & Fitness Level Required: No previous rock scrambling experience required, but guests should have a good head for heights, a good level of hiking fitness for a sustained climb and comfort walking over uneven ground.

Best option for: Guests who want to walk up the mountain on the least technical route

Duration: 2 – 4 hours / 4 km (2½ miles)

Description: A steep and sustained ascent on a rocky trail through a sheer gorge, with options on top to either visit the highest point at Maclear’s Beacon (another 1hr of hiking) or traverse across the

Western Table to descend via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.

Grade: Hard to Challenging – sustained ascent on good rock steps with gently undulating mountain trails on top of the mountain

Experience & Fitness Level Required: A good level of hiking fitness required to cope with big steps over a sustained ascent along with comfort walking over uneven ground.

Best option for: guests who do not want to walk up the mountain but would like to walk to the highest point

Duration: 2 to 4 hours / 4km (2½ miles)

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 before descending into Echo Valley and returning to the Upper Cableway Station.

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

Experience & Fitness Level Required: A moderate level of hiking fitness is required along with comfort walking over uneven ground.

Best option for: Guests who are very fit, with a good head for heights and have some climbing or scrambling experience

Duration: 4 – 5 hours / 4 km (2½ miles)

Description: A challenging route that verges on rock climbing.  The trail starts with a sustained ascent on rocky steps to the first short vertical wall, followed by a long sustained climb over loose rocky trails to a narrow break in the mountain ridge. Narrow trails along the ridge interspersed with short rock scrambles follows, including a dramatic narrow crack to gain the highest ledge for the traverse around the mountain to the top. All rock pitches are rope protected.  Great views and an exciting ascent that can be finished with a traverse across to the highest point at Maclear’s Beacon (an extra 1½hrs hiking), a walking descent via Platteklip Gorge (an extra 2½hrs hiking) or via the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.

Grade: Challenging to Extreme – sustained ascent on loose rocky trails with several vertical rock faces requiring scrambling and a low level of rock climbing ability. Some areas are exposed and require a good head for heights.

Experience & Fitness Level Required: No previous rock scrambling experience required, but guests should have a good head for heights, a good level of fitness for a sustained climb and comfort walking over uneven ground.