A View Above the Clouds on Cape Town’s Table Mountain

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Table Mountain is Cape Town’s most iconic landmark yet ironically, quite shy. The flat topped mountain (which looks like a dining table) is often hidden beneath the clouds, under its “table cloth” so to speak, and so I wondered if I’d have a chance to see the mountain during my brief stay in Cape Town.

Fortunately, luck and the sun were on my side and one afternoon we raced to catch the cable car to the mountain top before the clouds could pull in. The cable car itself is a convenient, quick way to reach the peak. Each car holds about 65 people and the inner platform rotates, so that no matter where you stand you get a 360 view as the car ascends the mountain. It’s quite cool!

Alternatively, you can choose to hike the mountain as well. It’s quite popular for both tourists and locals and there’s a variety of trails for different levels of difficulty. Take Platteklip Gorge if you’re looking for a straight upward climb (~1-3 hours) from the center, or head around back to take Smut’s track, which begins at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden and up via Skeleton Gorge.

Once I got to the top of Table Mountain, I was surprised to see lots of plants and flowers. The mountain is quite high up and you get a beautiful, albeit windy, view of the city and beaches below. The clouds shift constantly so a beautiful view one minute quickly becomes cloud soaked the next. The mountain itself is also quite large and a full journey along the circle top will take approximately ~1.5 hours via the walking paths. There’s also tons of nooks and crannies to get you closer to the edge, should you wish, and plentiful viewing decks.

Cape Town in general is a very beautiful city and I noticed the locals are REALLY keen on their plants. There’s over 2,200 different species of plants on Table Mountain and 1,470 flower species! I had a great time at the peak and definitely recommend a visit, no matter how you choose to ascend!

Check out Christine’s photos of Table Mountain here!

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22 Comments

  1. Joyce
    October 6, 2015 / 1:07 pm

    Love how you captured the clouds, makes it look like you’re above them in heaven or something, lol! I can almost feel their texture through the photos. Love the breathtaking sea and city view. And I’ve never seen a rotating cable car, that seems so cool!

  2. Helen Chik
    October 6, 2015 / 8:22 pm

    Wow!! That view is absolutely stunning – I am dying to go to Cape Town and your images are giving me serious Wanderlust!! You Rock x

    • Sher
      Author
      October 7, 2015 / 1:12 pm

      Thanks Helen! You definitely need to visit – the view is even better in person ;)

  3. TIFF
    October 11, 2015 / 12:02 pm

    Amazingly stunning!!!
    But I think I’ll freak out first in the cable, as I even do just a short ride at Sun Moon Lake :(
    The place has been captured very beautifully, even though I have no idea when I’ll ever get to Cape Town, but I have a glimpse of what it is like in my mind now :D

    • Sher
      Author
      October 12, 2015 / 2:13 pm

      The cable car went upwards pretty fast but I thought it was really cool! Then again, you always hear horror stories of glass cracking on bridges and viewing decks so maybe I should have exercised more caution… haha

  4. Livia Pangdoko
    October 12, 2015 / 10:14 pm

    wow amazing place!!! so beautiful <3

  5. Svet Dimitrov
    November 26, 2015 / 7:47 am

    Wow, these are just some stunning photos! I am super impressed and left without breathe! Thanks for sharing!

  6. Ajaya Kumar Rout
    April 25, 2016 / 3:02 pm

    Hey, absolutely stunning photographs.The place looks so unreal.

    • Sher
      Author
      April 25, 2016 / 6:56 pm

      Thanks Ajaya! It definitely felt surreal to be above the clouds

  7. Emma Hart
    April 25, 2016 / 3:58 pm

    You have some absolutely beautiful photos here! What a great experience and it’s good to know which trails to walk up if I ever go :)

    • Sher
      Author
      April 25, 2016 / 6:56 pm

      Hi Emma, thanks for the kind words! Yup hiking is a great afternoon activity. You can also take the cable car directly if you get tired

  8. Claire
    April 25, 2016 / 4:23 pm

    Lovely! I’d love to hike up there, looks so scenic!

  9. Angela
    April 25, 2016 / 6:45 pm

    Stunning views! You look like you are floating on the clouds! Not for the faint of heart!

    • Sher
      Author
      April 25, 2016 / 6:57 pm

      Angela, yeah it definitely gave me a bit of vertigo haha. There are clearly delineated hiking paths and viewing platforms though, so no fear of falling :)

  10. Jade
    April 26, 2016 / 5:50 am

    Wow, seriously beautiful photos, the views look incredible! You’ve got me wanting to visit :)

  11. Katie
    April 26, 2016 / 4:10 pm

    I like that there are different level hikes for your ability level! Hiking Table Mountain in Cape Town is majorly on my wish list of hikes to take! Looks gorgeous!

  12. Tom
    April 27, 2016 / 9:28 am

    Table Mountain lookd incredible. South Africa has been on my list of places to visit for ages now!

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