Table Mountain National Park

A great view at every turn. The easy spiral walk starts on Signal Hill Drive, below Lion’s Head. The view from its 669m summit offers a breathtaking 360-degree sweep taking in the city bowl; Devil’s Peak and the famous front face of Table Mountain; the majestic Twelve Apostles; the stunning scenery of the Atlantic seaboard from Oudekraal through Bakoven, Camps Bay and Clifton to Sea Point and Green Point; Table Bay, and of course, Robben Island.

The short and relatively easy walk to the top of Lion’s Head is necessary for those wanting to enjoy the very best that the Park has to offer.

• Distance: about 2km one-way
• Time: 1 – 1.5 hours up
• Rating: easy with some minor rock scrambling
• Children: yes but may require help at the chains
• Dogs: Are not recommended
• Water: none available along this route

This walk starts at the junction of Tafelberg Road and Kloof Nek. The Pipe Track is precisely what it says: a path constructed to service a pipeline running below the series of peaks known as the Twelve Apostles. This pipeline was built to carry water from Disa Gorge in Table Mountain’s Back Table, via the Woodhead Tunnel through the mountain in Slangolie Ravine, to the Molteno Reservoir in Oranjezicht to help slake the thirst of the booming, late 19th century Cape Town.

In several places, the path is very stony, but it is an easily accessible and popular walk, with many locals making regular use of certain sections; it is part of the Atlantic seaboard way of life.

• Distance: about 6km one-way to Corridor Ravine
• Time: 4 – 4.5 hours return
• Rating: easy to Slangolie, moderate to Corridor
• Children: yes, but the full route is tough
• Dogs: yes
• Water: tap at the start; take lots in summer

Up – relentlessly up! That’s the only way to describe the path in Platteklip Gorge. It’s the most direct route to the top of the mountain and the most popular. However, it is not a route to be trifled with; the going can be tough. The “highway” to the top.

The walk starts on Tafelberg Road and ascends the main gorge that divides the front face (Africa face) of Table Mountain. The path is well constructed with stone steps and anti-erosion gabions and is not difficult to negotiate at any point. However, it is steep, and the best way to tackle Platteklip is slowly – don’t try to rush it, frequent stops will give you a chance to look back at the great view of Cape Town and Table Bay below.

Allow sufficient time for walking down, even if your plan is to come down with the cableway. Rapid changes in weather conditions often cause the cableway to shut down unexpectedly, leaving hikers stranded in darkness at the upper cable station.

• Distance: about 3km up!
• Time: 1 hour for the super fit to 3 hours for the less-than-fit
• Rating: moderate to tough, depending on fitness and weather
• Children: older children yes, but it is demanding
• Dogs: not recommended, and not on the cableway
• Water: always take plenty of your own, especially in summer

This walk is a must if you want to be able to say you’ve stood at the highest point on Table Mountain, even if at 1 088m it is only 21m above the Upper Cableway Station. To the very top!

From the Upper Cableway Station, choose the main path leading to the diagonally opposite corner of what is known as the Western Table – look for plaques as guide marks to make sure you’re on the right track. It will take you 10 to 15 minutes to walk across to the point where chains and poles have been provided to assist the short climb down the rocky steps at the edge: it is not difficult. Do not attempt to climb down at any other point! The path to Maclear’s Beacon is marked by painted yellow footprints.

• Distance: 5.5km overall
• Time: 45 minutes to an hour one-way to Maclear’s Beacon
• Rating: easy
• Children: yes
• Dogs: not recommended
• Water: none available along this route

The Smuts Track is one of the most popular walks on Table Mountain, and especially in summer when the Afromontane forest offers shade almost all the way up Skeleton Gorge, the toughest section. The climb is steep and unrelenting, although not difficult or requiring more than the ability to climb a wooden ladder and negotiate a few rocky steps. However, many people underestimate the effort required, particularly when they go all the way to Maclear’s Beacon. Be prepared; don’t make the same mistake. The walk starts in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, but the heart of this route begins at the intersection of Skeleton Gorge and the Contour Path. The first 40 to 75 minutes are spent in the forest climbing log and stone steps. About two-thirds of the way up a series of wooden ladders eases the way over steep rocks, which can be slippery when wet.

• Distance: about 4km
• Time: from 2 hours for the super fit to 4 hours for the less-than-fit (one-way)
• Rating: moderate, no shade in the second half
• Children: yes
• Dogs: not recommended
• Water: mountain streams usually flow, but it’s best to take your own

• The tariff is *R438.00 per person for the hiking trail accommodation. Plus a 1% community levy.
• Minimum of x 2 pax required to walk the trail
• Both hiking huts have a base rate in place when booking.
  • The base rate for the 6-sleeper unit is 4 pax
  • The base rate for the 12-sleeper unit is 8 pax
• This does not include the daily Conservation/ Entry fee that is payable on the day of arrival at the Main Gate. Note: South Africans must show SA ID or SA driver’s licence to claim the SA rate on arrival
• No vehicles will be allowed to go up to the overnight hut under ANY circumstances!
• * Tariffs are subject to change without notice, and prices are increased annually on the 1st of November.
• If you have a valid Wild Card, the persons that are loaded on the Wild Card do not have to pay the daily conservation fees.
• Please note that a My Green Card may not be used in lieu of daily conservation fees when staying in the accommodation in Table Mountain National Park
• All hikers to be over the age of 12.
• Children under 18 need to be accompanied by an adult when walking the trail.
• All equipment and sleeping bags are to be carried with you on your hike.
• Alternatively, porterage is available at an additional cost payable on arrival at the gate on the day the hike commences.
• Payment of porterage is via card payment. We do not accept cash at the gate.
• All bags to weight 6 kilograms or less are eligible for porterage. A luggage weighing scale is present at the main entrance at Cape Point gate. Regrettably, any bag/item that weighs above the stipulated  6 kilograms will not be accepted for porterage.
• For the 6-sleeper unit, we offer a bag drop-off and collection service at an additional cost of R318 for 6 bags/items or less. Thereafter, it is R143 per bag/item payable at the Main Gate.
• For the 12-sleeper unit, we offer a bag drop-off and collection service at an additional cost of R636 for 12 bags/items or less. Thereafter, it is R143 per bag/item payable at the Main Gate.
• Please note that we will only transport Backpacks (including sleeping bags attached to the backpack) of less than 6 kg. Only small 2-4 kg carry coolers are allowed with 1 carry handle.
• NO BIG COOLER BOXES.
• NO BIG STORAGE BOXES (like those you buy at Pick n Pay, or the military storage boxes).
• No Small fridges and Gas cooking bottles.
• Duffel bags are allowed, provided the sleeping bag is contained within the duffel bag, as we do not transport loose sleeping bags.
• No suitcases.
• No Black bags with bedding or any other items in them.
• We will not allow any transportation of the above items to the huts by yourselves or friends who are in private vehicles. We return portered items to the Main Gate, and they are kept in the office for you until you arrive. Please do not leave valuable items in your bag for this reason.
• No day visitors/guests are allowed at the overnight huts.
• Your Confirmation Booking form needs to be provided to the Access Control Officer at the gate before 09h00 on the date of arrival.
• Cell phone reception is erratic across the park. 
• Hiking in Table Mountain National Park is at own risk. 
• All hikers on the COGH hiking trail agree that South African National Parks (SANParks), its directors, employees and agents are not liable to you or your co hikers/hikers in your group for any and all
  • loss, damage or destruction of any property; or
  • death or bodily injury to any person even if caused by the negligence of SANParks, its directors, employees or agents. By entering SANParks premises you and them or your and their heirs, executors and administrators also agree that you will indemnify SANParks and hold it harmless against any claim which may be made against SANParks as a result of such loss, damage, destruction, death or bodily injury.

We will email a Cape of Good Hope hiking map to you prior to your arrival.

If this map is not comprehensive enough for you, we suggest you purchase a Pieter Slingsby map prior to arrival that has all the hiking trails in the Cape of Good Hope area marked on it, including the over-night hiking trail.

1. Please leave your valuables at home.
2. A reasonable level of fitness is required to complete the hike.
3. Ensure that you understand the route and what the trail markers look like before you start hiking.
4. Ensure you have the booking form available for check-in, along with proof of identification. Ensure you pack your bank card to make payment for conservation fees and porterage as required.
5. Cell phone reception is erratic across the park. Please ensure that you have a map that is not reliant on a cell phone battery or signal.
6. Prepare so that you have enough water to reach the end of each day. Assuming a clockwise walk:
   1. Day 1 – Hikers can refill their water bottles at Buffelsfontein Visitor Centre.
   2. Day 2 – 20.5 km route with no water refill points available.
7. There is no shop in the park, and bring everything that you need with you.
8. Pack a basic medical kit to cover minor emergencies.
9. Please stay on the trail. Do not step off the trail to take photos and trample the vegetation.
10. If you wish to use your phone, please bring a power bank to recharge the phone as no recharging facilities are available in the hut.
11. Do not forget the matches.
12. Pack a head lamp per person – our solar lights are only as good as the last person who used them.
13. Pack sunblock, a hat, lip ice, a swimming costume, and a windproof jacket.
14. If you need to take medication, please do not forget it at home.
15. Check the weather before you depart. You can expect that there will be wind as you hike.
16. Please expect to encounter baboons while hiking in the park.
17. In summer, snakes are to be expected along the trail.
18. No smoking allowed.
19. Please carry your litter with you and leave only footprints behind you.
20. Please do not build cairns or remove anything from the park on departure.
21. No drones are allowed over the national park or marine protected areas.
22. Don’t forget to fill your water bottle before you depart the hut on day 2, as there is nowhere to refill your water bottle until you reach the gate.
23. Entry at own risk for terrestrial and marine spaces within the national park.
24. Please programme the TMNP emergency number in your phone before setting off on the hike. The number is 086 110 6417. This is a shared number with the City of Cape Town emergency services.

1. Sleeping bag and pillows.
2. Food and drinks.
3. Toiletries and Towels.
4. Clothes (warm jacket, rain wear, hat, sun block, WATER for the walk).
5. Please ensure that you have adequate drinking water with you before you start the hike. Please fill your bottle on arrival at the main gate and again before you depart from the hut on day 2.
6. Own charcoal and matches. No wood allowed into the park.

1. Cutlery and crockery are provided. (Plates, knives, forks, mugs, etc. are in all the huts)
2. Accommodation:
   1. Protea and Restio accommodate 12 people: 2 rooms next to each other, each with six beds. There is a communal bathroom and kitchen with a three-plate gas burner, outside braai.
   2. Each room/hut has 3 bunk beds with very comfortable mattresses
3. Hikers must arrive before 09:00 to ensure the hike will be completed in daylight.
4. There are showers but we ask that you use water sparingly.
5. The hut is solar powered, so please conserve power. A light meter has been installed and lights will only switch on when it is sufficiently dark.
6. Please ensure that the lights are switched off before you leave.
7. All huts have braai places and braai grids. Regrettably no wood is allowed in the Park due to Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Beetle. We ask that all guest bring charcoal and matches along to braai with. Guests to carry own charcoal. Please ensure that all fires are extinguished or secure before going to bed and before you leave.
8. Departure from the hut by 09:00 the following day.
9. Please tidy the hut before you leave!
10. This location is not patrolled at night by a security guard
11. Please be mindful during your hike as there are baboons along the trail and in the vicinity of the Hut. When given the opportunity they will enter the hut and destroy property and your personal belongings. When you leave, please ensure that all the doors and windows of the Overnight Hut are closed and locked so that baboons cannot enter. When hiking with food ensure that no food is visible and request that you do not feed the baboons at any point. The familiarity or aggression demonstrated by certain baboons is a consequence of inappropriate human behaviour over many years, in particular feeding of the animals, which has led them to associate people with food.