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Table Mountain, Cape
Town
Cape Town’s icon, Table Mountain, stands with her base firmly within the
Table Mountain National Park, 1 086 metres above Table Bay. The imposing
table top, more often than not draped in rich cloud that seems never to
quite tumble from its sides, is a national monument and her shape has been
adopted as a ubiquitous scribble for many a company logo of those working
within her shadow. |
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Photographs
of Table Mountain Courtesy of and © South African Tourism |
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The mountain is sculpted from
sandstone and her summit measures nearly 3km from end to end. Views from
up here are remarkable and the panorama stretches from Table Bay to False
Bay around the mountain to Hout Bay and Kommetjie.
When skies are clear, one can see right across the Cape Flats to the
Hottentots Holland Mountains. No surprise then, that the cable way is the
most popular tourist destination in Cape Town or that well over 16 million
people have visited her summit since its opening in 1929.
The cable way, which, weather permitting, allows one to reach the top of
Table Mountain in minutes, rivals some of the best in the world. Recently
upgraded in 1997, the new cars, or Rotairs, have revolving floors that
give passengers a 360-degree view over Cape Town and Table Mountain as
they ascend and descend.
There are about 350 paths to the summit that range from undemanding to
extremely difficult and a network of over 550 walks on Table Mountain. The
Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain Trail is a luxury 3-day, guided and portered,
fully catered hike launched in December 2005. It incorporates some of Cape
Town’s major attractions, such as the District Six Museum, Table
Mountain’s summit, two nights in the Table Mountain National Park and
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
Nowhere else in the world does an area of such rich bio-diversity exist
almost entirely within one metropolitan area as the Table Mountain
National Park. It stretches from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in
the south and includes the seas and coastline of the peninsula. Infact,
Table Mountain National Park has more plant species than the British
Isles.
Table Mountain is covered with a wide variety of wild flowers and is the
natural home of the Silver Tree. She is floodlit during specific times of
the year, including Christmas and New Year, and her imposing strength then
looms over the city both night and day. |
