Welcome to hiking in Cape Town, a place with so many mountains and oceans and biodiversity that you are never short of an outdoor experience. With the infamous three peaks -- Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, and Lion's Head-- in the heart of the city, and gorgeous rock formations all around you, this post doesn't even begin to cover all the best hikes around! For more South Africa content, be sure to also check out my posts on the Garden Route, Cape Town Neighborhoods, and Cape Town Beaches.
I was studying and living at University of Cape Town which is tucked into the backside of Devil's Peak and has a bunch of pretty trails of its own. Thanks to joining the UCT Mountain and Ski club, I had the mountains at my fingertips and the best local crew to conquer them with... but in case you don't have a car, almost all these trails you can access with a quick Uber ride! But mostly, I would recommend you either find a local hiking group online, or travel with friends because you should never hike alone in Cape Town. With the exception of the short, popular trails, hiking alone is not safe for a) crime reasons and b) general hiking safety, especially in places with rapidly changing climates. Don't let that stop you from getting out there, just make sure to stick to trails where there are lots of people!
Table Mountain Hikes
Easy, 1.9 km
This wonderful hike is a Cape Town staple, super easy for people of all ages and fitness, and has some crazy rewarding views of Lions Head and the ocean! It's just about a 15 min walk up on some steps from the parking area. You don't end up on the top of Table Mountain, but rather you get to sit along the rocks halfway up. This place is so accessible and you can even walk down once it's dark with a flashlight, so most Fridays I would head up here with a group of friends and a couple bottles of wine or beer to take in the sunset. You won't be the only one with the same idea!
Intermediate, 1.6 km one way
This is your quickest way up Table Mountain (other than the cable car!) We read most people do it in 2 hours, and that inspired us to send it from bottom to top in just one hour! It is pretty much just steps straight up, so take your time to rest and bring plenty of water. It is short but intense so don't underestimate this one! I recommend taking this route up, and the cable car down so you can catch sunset on the mountain.
Intermediate, 2.5 km one way
As the second most popular hiking route up Table mountain, this is a good option if you want to start on the backside, right in the Botanical Garden. This trail stars off in the beautiful old-growth forest and ascends some ladders through the "gorge. The route is more forested and shady, and less steep, but also less direct. For me, this hike will always be very very memorable because...
STORYTIME: On one fine Cape Town summer evening we decided to take this route down Table Mountain as the sun was already setting... definitely was NOT a good idea as we didn't have many maps downloaded and was the first time doing the trail. This for me was the craziest hiking experience of my life-- thank goodness I had a bit of AllTrails loaded because we lost the trail as the sun was going down and lost another 20 minutes searching for it... then as darkness approached we got into the forest and heard freaky sounds all around us and started RUNNING until we got let out into the garden. This was mostly a scary experience because there are tragic hiking incidents on Table Mountain every year-- people being robbed or much worse-- and I think we could've easily been a victim to something if we hadn't luckily found the trail. I recall me and my hiking friends were a little frenzied by the experience for a few hours after we realized we had just put ourselves in a risky situation. Lesson learned: don't be dumb, stick to your plan, and be off the trail by last light!
on the table top.... i loved hiking table mountain because the "mesa" at the top is one of the most special, calm places i have ever been.
India Vestner
Hard and technical, 2.9 km one way
Amateur and solo hikers be warned, this way could be considered more or less “class 3 or 4” because you will have to climb vertically on a few parts. In fact, if you're on the mountain, there are signs posted everywhere that say *this is not the easy way down* I did this route going down Table Mountain with the UCT Mountain and Ski club, and I wouldn’t really recommend going alone or without someone who knows the route. It does have beautiful views and is a fun way to get a different angle on the mountain, and you pass right by people in the cable cars! We did this hike as an attempt to do the Three Peaks Challenge (Devils Peak, Table Mountain, and Lions Head all in one day), but it was just our luck that a fire started right as we were about to start our last peak, Lions Head :(
5.6 km roundtrip, hard
This was the last peak I accomplished and it's probably the trickiest over Lions Head and Table Mountain. It takes about 2-3 hours to go up and down and lots of parts have slippery rocks... the view is well worth it and it's possible to combine this hike with other trails along the route. It is not as frequently hiked so make sure you save it on AllTrails and hike in a group! The weather can change rapidly so don't get stuck in a cloud or rainstorms either, be smart. The route I linked goes up the frontside and is the most popular, but I've also done it up the backside from UCT campus.
4.3 km, out and back; intermediate
As its just one well-marked trail up to one of the iconic three peaks, you can’t leave Cape Town without doing this one. Going for sunrise is my top recommendation— start in the dark or at first light, to be the first ones up the mountain! There are several parts where you do some slight bouldering with the assistance of chains, and people tend to bottleneck here. To make your hike up and down more smooth, I would go as early as possible to avoid that.
There are a bunch of other hikes I enjoyed in my time here-- from caves, to coves, to stunning vista points but these are just a summary of the most popular ones!
A few more honorable mentions that I loved and recommend here: Newlands Forest, the Pipetrack, and Tranquility Cracks via Woody Ravine. If you have any questions about this, feel free to comment and I will try to give (limited) insight on my experiences! Happy happy hiking :)
I miss you every day, Cape Town!
