If you plan to travel to Cape Town, you definitely should do the Lions Head and Table Mountain hike. Both are a must-do and you shouldn’t miss this incredible and unforgettable experiences. We climbed the Lions Head for sunset and did the Table Mountain hike on New Year’s morning very very early. For both hiking trips you should be a bit prepared and need a good fitness level.
Lions Head
The Lion’s Head is closed until 1st March 2019, because of a wild fire and some renovation work.
The Lions Head in Cape Town is a mountain looking like a Lions Head located directly in Cape Town at the Atlantic coast. Probably you will see the mountain during your arrival in Cape Town. For the hike itself, you should plan 1,5 hours for going up and around 1 hour to walk down again. We needed 4 hours in total and watched the sunset at the summit and took a lot of pictures. During the walk you will enjoy a fantastic view above the coastline and Cape Town. When it will be a really hot day I would recommend you to do the hike very early and take enough sunscreen and water with you. And when it’s windy and rainy the walk can be very slippery – take care.
How to hike the Lion Heads:
Drive to Camps Bay along the Kloofnek Rd. You will find the Lions Head on your right. You will find a Lions Head sign where you have to turn right. After around 200 meters you will see some parking slots on your right and the hike trail on your left.
Table Mountain
The Table Mountain – a significant tourist attraction – is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. The easiest option for getting up the mountain is the cableway. Cars depart from the lower cable station on Tafelberg Road every 10 to 15 minutes, but you can expect to spend a fair amount of time in the queue during peak season. The cableway doesn’t operate if the wind is too strong or the visibility too poor, so check in advance if the conditions seem unfavourable.
We choose to hike and did the Platteklip Gorge trail, a prominent gorge up the centre of the main table, is one of the most popular routes up the mountain. While quite steep, the ascent is pretty straightforward and should take between one and three hours depending on your fitness level. We needed around 2 hours to go up and another 1,5 hours back down. During hot summer days I would recommend to do the hike very very early and start around 5 am. Then the trail will be placed in shadow and it’s easier to go up.
How to get to Table Mountain :
Drive to Camps Bay along the Kloofnek Rd. You will find the Table Mountain on your left and a huge sign where you have to turn left. After about 1 km you will see the cable car station. Drive by and after another 800 meters you will find the parking area for the Platteklip Gorge hiking trail.
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