Cable Car

Bridge

Adventurous souls climbing up the mountain

View from the top

Dassie

To Cape Town's original Khoesan inhabitants, Table Mountain was known as Hoerikwaggo (Mountain of the Sea).

To Nelson Mandela and his fellow prisoners on Robben Island, the magnificent mountain was a shining beacon of freedom and hope.

To the millions of travellers who have fallen under its spell, the mountain's1085m summit has offered an amazing view of the city below.

Cape Town's Table Mountain has meant many things to many people.

This world famous landmark has an unforgettable profile: a flat-topped mountain, which features prominently on the city's flag.

Table Mountain has exerted its powerful and charismatic pull over many a traveller who has felt compelled to either climb it or take a cable car to the top.

The mountain is truly a hiker's paradise, with approximately 350 paths to suit both experienced and novice walkers.

Alternatively, travellers can choose to take a cable car, which features revolving floors that give passengers a 360-degree view of the city and mountain.

Once on the mountain, guests can enjoy many beautiful photo opportunities, a light meal at the Table Mountain Café and a chance to get up close to the mountain's most common animal - the dassie or Rock Hyrax.

In a strange twist of nature, the dassie's closest relative is the African elephant. There's zero family resemblance; the dassie is the size of a cat and it doesn't have a trunk or tusks.

The Famous Tablecloth

A visit to Cape Town would remain incomplete without a glimpse of the world's most famous tablecloth, a meteorological phenomenon that causes clouds to tumble down the sides of Table Mountain like billowing fabric.
Guests are not permitted to travel up the mountain in adverse weather conditions e.g. when the mountain's 'tablecloth' affects visibility or during strong winds.

Therefore the best time to visit the mountain would be from November through to March.

According to one popular legend, the clouds on the mountain are the direct result of a smoking contest with the devil.

Retired pirate Jan Van Hunks, met the devil on the mountain, and in order to save his soul, he challenged the devil to a smoking contest. They stoked their pipes and have been smoking ever since.

The 260 million year old mountain has hosted many illustrious visitors including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as Oprah Winfrey, Sting, Stefi Graf, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Magaret Thatcher, Prince Andrew, Micheal Schumacher, Brooke Shields, Micheal Buble, Tina Turner, Jackie Chan, Dolores O'Riordan, Skunk Anansie and Paul Oakenfold.

Table Mountain is currently competing for a place among the top new 7 wonders of nature, which will be announced in 2011.