View from the Top of Table Mountain, Cape Town

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“Change of plans.  We’re going up Table Mountain now,” David told us.

Now?  We had literally just stepped off the Blue Train.

“There are no clouds on top of the mountain today.  The weather probably won’t be this good again.”

It turns out that although Cape Town has a fantastic climate, Table Mountain can be a bit finicky and is often ensconced in a thick, heavy cloud.  If there are no clouds on Table Mountain one day, that is your cue to ascend it immediately!

I’m glad we didn’t hesitate.

And how to go up it?  By cable car.  We zoomed to the top in style in a very cool revolving cable car.  There were a few windows open, and we clamored for them whenever the cable car spun their way.

Hiking up Table Mountain is also possible, though it’s a bit of a challenging hike.

As we neared the top, Lion’s Head rose ahead.  This magnificent mountain is one of the most recognizable symbols of Cape Town.

(It’s also a center for adventure sports, and we were supposed to paraglide off the top of it on our last day — yikes!  Sadly, it was too windy, and we had to nix the activity.)

From the top, we were greeted with the ultimate view of the city.

People always say that Cape Town is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world.  I could not agree more!  While Rio de Janeiro tops this list for many people, Cape Town undoubtedly has the most gorgeous natural setting of any city I’ve ever seen.  (Though keep in mind I haven’t been to Rio yet!)

And this is only a fraction of its beauty — wait until you see my pictures from the Cape Peninsula.

Looking over Cape Town, I felt like I was really going to like this city.

From that point, we had time to wander on our own and take pictures.  The plateau of Table Mountain is immense, flat, and very easy to get around.  I got by in flip-flops, though I’d recommend better shoes than that.

My favorite part was just exploring the different areas — because from every angle, the views are wildly different, each one more sensational than the last.

This is the view from the opposite side of Table Mountain.  (A version of this shot was also the most popular picture I shared on Instagram on the whole South Africa trip!)

I wandered the paths of the back part of the mountain, photographing the brush-covered cliffs.  This area reminded me of the scenery on Game of Thrones.  Into the Eyrie with Catelyn’s wacky sister.

Interestingly, the Cape Town region is home to a completely unique ecosystem.  You see many flora in this region that you can’t find anywhere else in the world — as well as some large rodents that look like mini-capybaras.

Maybe these flowers are unique as well.  All I knew was that they looked brilliant against the blue sky.

Don’t fall off the cliff!  (I got a little too close for comfort here.)

We spent about 45 minutes on top of the mountain, but I would have gladly stayed for longer.  My recommendations?  Wear good hiking sneakers, pack a lunch, and make an afternoon of it!  It was so nice just exploring the mountain and seeing all the different gorgeous views, but I know I only got the slightest teaser of what Table Mountain has to offer.

Essential Info: To take the cable car up Table Mountain, one-way/round-trip tickets cost 105/205 rand for adults ($12/24) and 53/100 rand ($6/12) for children ages 4-17.  Slightly cheaper rates are available by purchasing online.  You can also hike up and/or down if you dare.

Many thanks to Visit South Africa for hosting my stay in Cape Town.  All opinions, as always, are my own.

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17 thoughts on “View from the Top of Table Mountain, Cape Town”

  1. Stunning views and great tip about the clouds. I always try to go to lookout points even though heights give me the heebie jeebies. The photo of you standing in the corner of the platform looking relaxed and happy? – I couldn’t do that!

  2. That’s exactly how my adventure up Table Top Mountain started too! Hungover though we were after a day in Stellenbosch, there was no way we could pass up on going up the mountain on a clear day 🙂

  3. Simply mouth dropping views! And I was totally thinking about Game of Thrones when I saw these too! I’m sure it was great being able to start exploring Cape Town by looking upon the entire city to start, you don’t get that chance many times. Great photos!

  4. Hi Kate! I’m actually a Joburger from South Africa. I’m so glad you loved my country. I’ve just recently descovered your website and I was ecstatic when I saw that you were coming here. There’s nothing like it in the world is there? I’m happy your trip to Alex went well, and I’m also happy that you enjoyed Joburg! Cape Town may be the Mother City but Joburg is the hip teenager ready to strut her stuff with cool cafes, theatres, markets and so so much more.
    Though I have just started, my newly refreshed blog is going to have a lot of SAs hot spots, so if you’re ever back here in search of a different experience, take a look at my blog 🙂
    It’s:
    http://www.iampetiteynamite.blogspt.com

    Anthea

  5. Beautiful photos, Kate. My husband grew up in South Africa and his parents have climbed Table Mountain. We’re avid hikers, but they like to remind us that THEY have climbed Table Mtn and we haven’t … so we hope to equal their feat one day soon. Glad you got to get up there on such a beautiful day.

  6. hi kate! i hope you had a great time in south africa! you inspire me a lot! i too would like to travel there. how is it for women there in terms of safety? i keep a close eye on its events, it tends to go up and down but the country itself seems to have a lot of hope for a better future.

  7. Cape Town – one of my most favourite cities. I would move there in a heartbeat. I’ve visited twice – the first time we climbed Table Mountain (phew, hard work!), the second time we caught the cable car.

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