Table Mountain (1,086 m at Maclear's Beacon) is the flat-topped sandstone mountain that rises straight out of Cape Town in South Africa, one of the New7Wonders of Nature and the only feature on Earth to have given its name to a constellation, Mensa. Its level summit plateau is about 3 km from end to end and stands roughly 1,000 m above the city, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and Lion's Head to the west. When the south-easter blows, a sheet of cloud forms on the rim and pours down the cliffs: Capetonians call it the tablecloth.
The mountain is the heart of Table Mountain National Park, South Africa's most visited national park, and part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site: about 1,500 plant species grow on the mountain and its Back Table, as many as in the whole of the United Kingdom, most of them fynbos. You can reach the top in about five minutes in the rotating cars of the Aerial Cableway, open since 1929, or on foot in one to four hours by routes such as Platteklip Gorge or Skeleton Gorge. It is a real mountain in a city, with sudden mist, wind closures of the cableway and, on some trails, a risk of muggings.
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Few cities are framed by a mountain the way Cape Town is. Seen from the city or from Table Bay, the skyline runs from the pointed Devil's Peak (1,000 m) on the left, across the long level top of Table Mountain, to the cone of Lion's Head (669 m) and the low ridge of Signal Hill on the right. Together they form the amphitheatre that holds the city centre. In November 2011 Table Mountain was named one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
The mountain is also a botanical treasure. It lies in the Cape Floral Region, the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms, whose protected areas were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. About 2,285 plant species grow on the mountains of the Cape Peninsula, and some 1,500 of them on the 57 km² of Table Mountain and the Back Table alone, at least as many as in the whole of the United Kingdom. Most of the vegetation is fynbos, a fire-adapted shrubland of proteas, heaths and restios. The rare red Disa uniflora orchid flowers in wet places from January to March, and the Table Mountain ghost frog lives nowhere else.
The plateau is about 3 km long and edged by sheer cliffs on the city side. Its highest point is at the eastern end: Maclear's Beacon, a 5 m stone cairn built in 1844 for Thomas Maclear's survey of the curvature of the Earth, at 1,086 m (3,563 ft). SANParks gives 1,088 m, and older sources 1,085 m. The upper cable station at the western end is at 1,067 m, about 20 m lower. South of the main plateau lies the slightly lower Back Table, and along the Atlantic side runs the chain of buttresses called the Twelve Apostles.
The top 600 m of the mountain is hard quartzitic sandstone, 450 to 510 million years old, resting on a 70 m band of maroon mudstone and on Cape granite. The flat top is no accident: the mountain is a syncline, the floor of an ancient fold, and its hardest sandstone layer has resisted erosion while softer rock above it was stripped away. Table Mountain is often called one of the oldest mountains in the world; the claim refers to the age of this rock.
When the south-east wind blows, usually in summer, moist air is pushed up the mountain into colder air and condenses on the rim. The cloud spills over the edge and seems to pour endlessly down the slopes while the plateau stays hidden. Legend says it is the smoke of a contest between the Devil and a retired pirate called Van Hunks, who sat on the slopes smoking his pipe.
Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate: dry, warm summers and mild, wet winters, with most rain falling between April and September. Average temperatures on the Peninsula range from about 26 °C by day and 10 °C at night in January to 17 °C and 7 °C in July, but the top is much colder and windier than the city, and frost forms there on winter nights. Dense mist, cold or extreme heat can arrive without warning at any time of year.
The mountain is open all year. Summer (December to February) brings long days and the latest cableway hours, but Platteklip Gorge faces north and has almost no shade, and the strong south-easter often closes the cableway. Winter brings cold fronts and rain, and the shortest hours. The spring months from September to November and autumn from March to May avoid both the worst heat and most of the winter rain. Whatever the season, start early, check the cableway status before you set out, and treat a clear morning as no guarantee of a clear afternoon.
The mountain belongs to Table Mountain National Park, run by South African National Parks (SANParks). Nelson Mandela proclaimed it on 29 May 1998 as the Cape Peninsula National Park, after decades of campaigning that gathered pace following big fires in 1986 and 1991. The park now covers about 221 km² of the Peninsula's mountain chain, from Signal Hill to Cape Point, and with about 4.2 million visits a year it is the most visited national park in South Africa. Walking on Table Mountain itself is free; conservation fees are charged only at fenced areas such as the Cape of Good Hope, Silvermine and Boulders Beach.
A railway to the summit was proposed as early as the 1870s, but war twice stopped the plans. In 1926 the Norwegian engineer Trygve Strømsøe presented a cableway design; the German firm Adolf Bleichert & Co. of Leipzig built it, and the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway opened on 4 October 1929. It was rebuilt in 1958, 1974 and 1996–97, when Swiss-built Rotair cars arrived: each carries 65 passengers, and the floor turns through 360° during the ride of four to five minutes, from the lower station on Tafelberg Road at about 302 m to the top at 1,067 m. About a million people ride it every year; the 28-millionth visitor came in January 2019. In October 2024 a fire in the lower station's car park, caused by an exploding back-up lithium battery, halted the cableway with about 400 people at the top. The operating company's 99-year lease ended in 2025, and SANParks extended it for three years while a new operator is chosen by tender.
Ticket prices valid from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027:
Tickets are valid for seven days, so if the cableway is closed by weather you can use them on the next open day or claim a refund. Hours change with the season: from 1 December to 31 January the first car goes up at 08:00, the last at 20:00 and the last car comes down at 21:00; from May to August the hours are 08:30, 17:00 and 18:00. At the top there is a café, a restaurant, shops, a Wi-Fi lounge and free guided walks. The cableway runs only when the weather allows and can close at any time in strong wind, so walkers who plan to ride down should always leave enough daylight to walk.
Dozens of paths reach the plateau. Distances and times below are from SANParks.
Along the lower slopes runs the Contour Path, linking Constantia Nek, Kirstenbosch, Newlands Forest and the front of Devil's Peak with Tafelberg Road. The Slingsby maps endorsed by the park show all the routes.
Carry your own: there is no water on Platteklip Gorge, on the walk to Maclear's Beacon or on Lion's Head, and SANParks advises taking plenty, especially in summer. Mountain rescuers recommend about 2 litres for a day out, 3 if you sweat a lot. On Skeleton Gorge and the Back Table, streams usually flow and their brown, plant-stained water is generally drinkable, but they can dry up in summer. The Pipe Track has a tap at the start. When the cableway is running you can buy drinks and food at the upper station.
You can often get a signal, especially where the mountain looks over the city, but do not count on it: SANParks warns that some parts of the park have no reception, although you can always reach a spot with signal faster than a landline. At the upper cable station there is a Wi-Fi lounge. Carry a fully charged phone, and if you are visiting from abroad make sure roaming works. Rescuers advise switching to flight mode when signal is poor to save the battery (GPS still works) and learning beforehand how to send your location by SMS or WhatsApp.
Wilderness rescue in South Africa is free, so call early rather than trying to get yourself out of trouble.
Many people assume a mountain in the middle of a city is an easy walk; it is not. People regularly get lost, hurt or stranded, often because they underestimated the climb, ran out of daylight, or reached the top to find the cableway closed. SANParks' rules: do not hike alone (four is the ideal number), start early and tell someone your route, carry waterproof and warm clothing even in midsummer, stay on marked paths and never take shortcuts into ravines, and turn back if the weather turns or you are running late.
Crime is the other risk. SANParks and the British government warn of violent attacks and muggings on hikers in the park, including on Lion's Head and Signal Hill, and as of 2026 hikers are advised to approach Devil's Peak from Newlands Forest. Hike in groups of four or more, on busy trails and on busy days, avoid quiet areas early in the morning and in the evening, keep valuables out of sight, and if confronted do not resist. Wildfires are a hazard in the dry, windy summer: fires in January 2006 killed a tourist, and in April 2021 a fire spread from the slopes to the University of Cape Town. Do not light fires or drop cigarette ends, and do not feed baboons or dassies.
The Khoekhoe called the mountain Huriǂoaxa, usually rendered as Hoerikwaggo, "the mountain that emerges from the sea". The Portuguese navigator António de Saldanha, the first European to land in Table Bay, climbed it in 1503 by Platteklip Gorge, and called it Taboa do Cabo, the Table of the Cape; the Dutch later turned this into Tafelberg. He is also said to have carved a cross into the rock of Lion's Head. In 1796, during the British occupation, three blockhouses were built on the slopes; the King's Blockhouse above Rhodes Memorial still stands. Between 1896 and 1907 five reservoirs were built on the Back Table to supply Cape Town with water; a steam locomotive used to haul materials across the plateau is kept in the Waterworks Museum by the Hely-Hutchinson dam.
How high is Table Mountain? 1,086 m (3,563 ft) at Maclear's Beacon, the highest point; SANParks gives 1,088 m. The upper cable station is at 1,067 m.
How long does it take to hike up? By Platteklip Gorge, the most direct route, one to three hours for about 3 km and 600 m of ascent. Skeleton Gorge from Kirstenbosch to Maclear's Beacon takes two to four hours one way.
How difficult is the hike? Platteklip Gorge is steep but has no technical sections; Skeleton Gorge has ladders and slippery rock. India Venster involves real rock scrambling and is officially described as extremely dangerous for the inexperienced.
How much does the cableway cost? From 1 July 2026, an adult return ticket costs R475 online or R530 at the ticket office, and a one-way ticket R300 or R330. Walking up is free.
Is there water on the trails? Not on Platteklip Gorge or Lion's Head. Carry about 2 litres; streams on Skeleton Gorge and the Back Table usually flow but may dry up in summer.
Is there mobile coverage on Table Mountain? Often, especially where the mountain faces the city, but some areas have none. Save Wilderness Search and Rescue, 021 937 0300; from a mobile you can also dial 112.
When is the best time to go? Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) avoid the worst summer heat and the winter rain. Go early in the day and check whether the cableway is running.
Is it safe to hike Table Mountain? Yes, with precautions: hike in a group of four or more on busy trails, start early, carry warm clothing and water, and do not count on the cableway to get you down.
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