Most major cities have one iconic and recognizable symbol to distinguish it from other international cities. San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge; New York has the Statue of Liberty; London has Big Ben; Paris has the Eiffel Tower; Rome has the Colosseum; Sydney has the Opera House; Beijing has the Great Wall; Agra has the Taj Mahal; and, Cairo has the Egyptian Pyramids. For Cape Town, their most recognizable iconic symbol is Table Mountain.
Six years ago, we had traveled to South Africa, and visited Cape Town. There were many sights on our list to visit. However, either time or weather constraints prevented us from seeing and doing everything. The biggest missed opportunity came by not getting to the top of Table Mountain, which is literally like seeing Cape Town from heaven.
Table Mountain looms large over the city of Cape Town. Getting to the base of Table Mountain is fairly easy. On our first visit, we opted to use the Cape Town Explorer. Using this mode, if weather prevented us from getting to the top, we would continue on the Explorer tour of other sights in Cape Town.
Just making it to the base of the mountain is pretty spectacular. Perched high above the city, we were delighted with an aerial view of the City Bowl and the Atlantic Ocean below. We were novices on this first trip, and did not know the rule. That is, if you see the tablecloth, no need to try to make it to the top because it is cold, windy and too dangerous.
Table Mountain is often covered in cloud. The cloud that forms around the mountain is called “table cloth”.
Once exiting from the Cape Town Explorer, there are several ways to continue the climb. The adventurous will hike from the base to the mountain top. We opted for the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, which transports 65 people per car and 800 people per hour. The base of the cable car is a tank that can carry fresh water to the top, as there is no fresh water supply at the top. The floor of the cable car rotates, which affords everyone inside a 360 degree view for the duration of the ride. The trip up the mountain takes about 5-10 minutes.
The general trend is for the weather to come in from the west and move eastwards. Our accommodations were below the mountain, along the waterfront. If the weather looked cold, cloudy and windy, we knew not to go up. The cableway actually shuts down if weather gets too bad. So on our second trip, we looked out of our kitchen window each morning to determine if we should attempt the mountain. On our last day in Cape Town, we got lucky. Rather than take the bus, we quickly took a taxi to the base of the mountain, then the cableway took us the remainder of the way.
Table Mountain National Park is a mix of mountains, beaches, and forests. It also has an abundance of flora and fauna. Our park entrance map provided 3 easy hikes at the top: Dassie, Agama, and Klipspringer. We decided to do the longest of the three hikes, Klipspringer Walk, which has wonderful views along a plateau ridge around the mountain top.
The City Bowl area below the mountain is where Cape Town's central business district is located. The name city bowl is representative of the area's shape, which resembles an amphitheatre. City Bowl is bordered by Table Bay, the mountains of Signal Hill, Lion's Head, Devil's Peak, and of course Table Mountain.
Lion's Head is another mountain in the same area, and peaks over 2000 feet above sea level. There is no aerial cableway that goes to the top of this mountain. We were told it takes an hour to hike to the top.
On a clear day, at the top of Table Mountain, you can see forever. It is definitely a must see for any travel to Cape Town.
On the days leading up to our successful trip up the mountain, we actually went across the water from Cape Town to the former prison Robben Island. On the island, it was possible for us to photograph the entire view of Table Mountain, with the tablecloth about to be laid on top.
Commenti