SANParks.org Forums

What would be the best trail to use to climb Table Mtn. in Nov. '12? My husband and I are in reasonably
good shape & are thinking of climbing up and then riding the cable car down. We were thinking maybe starting
at Kirstenbosch- is that a good plan? Which is the most scenic without being too strenuous?

Hi lioness7, a warm welcome to the forum.

I've not done a walk up Table Mountain but I do have a colleague from work who did what you are proposing to do on a visit to CT earlier this year. I'll ask him tomorrow which route he took.

Table Mountain Can see it from my house..
I have "climbed " up several ways ..
Kirstenbosch is a good start .. easy climb up Skeleton gorge ( Jan smuts fav climb ) just a small chain over a few leetle rocks . Mostly in the shade of trees and lovely little streams . When reaching the Top you can either walk on to the cable car or what we do is turn to the left and climb down nursery ravine .. very easy as they have made some steps to prevent arosion of the area. and of course you land back in Kirstenbosch and there you can wander around the gardens and have a meal or coffee at one of the eating places
Another way is take the cable car up and then enjoy the views on the mountain and then climb down Platteklip gorge . Very easy But murder on the knees if you have a knee problem . Dont climb up platteklip as its one steep slog .. and your car will be parked at the base of the cable station and you just walk to it ..
another lovely "climb" is from Constantia Nek ... You walk up a small service road to the top.. passing the resevoirs en route .. it long and it will take a day to go both ways . Myself and the real Hugh have usually taken our children now grown up and my 6 year old managed well .
You can also approach the mountain from the camps bay side . You first walk alone the pipe track and then climb up from there .. Not sure which rivine is open . But I have done that as well . nothing too difficult .
YOu can always climb Lions Head and you get spectacular vie3ws of the apostiles and the surrounding areas from there . Easy climb just a few chains . But if i can do it anyone can !!
Happy climbing

Welcome to the forum lioness7.

Just a few words of advice from a local.

Weekly, people are rescued from TM. Not all alive.
Take it seriously. wear decent shoes, buy a map book, and take sufficient water/food.
The weather can change raidly so take warm clothing.
Sadly, muggers operate on the mountain, so leave your diamond gongs etc at 'home'. There are patrols, but they cannot be everywhere at the same time.
Be careful as you walk/climb. There are poisonous snakes and scorpions on the mountain, but you would be 'lucky' to see one.
Enjoy the nature. You might see klipspringers, or the black eagles, or orange breasted sunbirds among others.

This is not meant to put you off, but just to make you aware.

I hope that you enjoy it immensely.

lioness7,

The routes suggested by Hugh are also my favourite ones and Skeletal Gorge can be a good one to start with. I also agree with BB that you need to get a good map and take the necessary safety precautions. I see than the SANParks website refer to Slingsby maps if you want to get detailed information on the route.

Browse under the park website to get more info.

http://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mou ... hiking.php

http://www.slingsbymaps.com/

My favourites are Kasteelspoort, Skeleton gorge and Platteklip.

Several years ago we booked and had a fantastic time on a 3 day 2 night walk. Started in harbour on first morning for a boat trip round harbour,guided walk through Cape Town, night at the Wash Houses, next morning a walk up Table Mountain and across to accommodation on top, next day a morning walk to look for frogs (our request) lunch then a walk down to Kirstenboch... only draw back is that was where it ended but we asked for a lift back into Cape Town. Hope this is still running as it was perfect, even walking up table Mountain in the rain and cloud didn't spoil it as we were able to admire the views that evening and the next day... roaring fire waiting to warm us when we reached the accommodation on top of Table Mountain. We booked it through SANParks by phone. Hope it's still running, if your from UK walking in rain is what you do on a British holiday.