Last Updated on July 26, 2024 by Hannah Stephenson
Table Mountain is an iconic symbol of not only Cape Town, but South Africa as a whole.
This flat-topped mountain is the city’s most famous tourist attraction. It’s visible from pretty much everywhere in Cape Town and it’s impossible to imagine what the city would be like without it!
I’ve been up to the top of this famous mountain many times, both on foot or via the cable car.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the specifics of getting up Table Mountain to make sure that you reach the top for those stunning 360° views!
About Table Mountain
Table Mountain is thought to be one of the oldest mountains in the world! It’s just over 1,800 meters (3,500 ft) tall at its highest point.
It’s the only landform in the world that has a constellation named after it (the Mons Mensae, in case you were wondering). It also hosts the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is the richest on Earth.
Pretty cool, right?
Table Mountain is an integral part of Cape Town’s identity. Hiking or riding the cable car to the top is a must do for anyone visiting the city.
How to get to the top of Table Mountain
You’ve got two choices to get up Table Mountain: hike or take the cable car.
There are four main hiking routes that will take you to the top of Table Mountain, which I’ll get more into later on. You can hike up both ways, or hike one way and take the cable car.
Taking the Cable Car
How to get to the Cable Car
If you’re renting a car while you’re in Cape Town, then you can drive to the Cableway, as there’s free parking along the road outside.
Alternatively, you can Uber there, as there’s a drop-off point right outside.
You can also take MyCiti bus route 106 or 107 to the Kloof Nek bus stop and then walk for 20 minutes to the cable car station.
*There used to be a free shuttle service to take people right to the cableway, but this stopped during the pandemic and has yet to resume.
How long is the cable car ride?
The cable car is 765 metres long (2,510 ft) and the ride itself only takes about two minutes.
Some online sources say five minutes, but as someone who has ridden the cableway multiple times, I can confirm that it’s actually WAY quicker!
What’s cool about the cable car is that it rotates on the way up, so you get a 360° view of the city below without having to move.
I’m not particularly afraid of heights but the cable car ride is fast and pretty steep. It’s nothing terrifying, but it does make my tummy do little flips!
How much do cable car tickets cost?
Return tickets
Online Price
- R430 for an all-day ticket (adult)
- R370 for an afternoon ticket (adult)
- R215 for an all-day ticket (kids)
- R185 for an afternoon ticket (kids)
Ticket Office Price
- R490 for an all-day ticket (adult)
- R420 for an afternoon ticket (adult)
- R245 for an all-day ticket (kids)
- R210 for an afternoon ticket (kids)
One-way tickets
Confusingly, prices for one-way tickets are the same in person and online. They are also the same in the morning and the afternoon.
- R280 for adults
- R150 for kids
Where can I buy Table Mountain cable car tickets?
You can buy tickets at the upper and lower cableway stations, or online.
If you want a return ticket, then I recommend buying them online because it’s cheaper to do it this way. It also means you don’t need to queue up at the ticket kiosks.
You can print your e-tickets or just show them on your phone on the day.
Online tickets are valid for 7 days after your chosen date. So if you book your tickets for 10 December, they will be valid until 17 December.
If you’re hiking up or down the mountain, I suggest that you buy your tickets on the day. One-way tickets stay the same price all the time, and you don’t save any money by booking them in advance.
What time is the cable car open?
The cable car times change throughout the year, with longer hours in the summer and shorter hours in the winter. It also closes during winter for maintenance. The schedule is as follows:
- 16 December – 31 January: 8 am – 8 pm, with the last car down at 9 pm
- 1 February – 30 April: 8 am – 6:30 pm, with the last car down at 7:30 pm
- 1 May – 15 July: 8:30 am – 5 pm, with the last car down at 6 pm
- 16 July – 1 September: closed for annual maintenance
- 1 September – 14 December: 8:30 am – 6 pm, with the last car down at 7 pm
During certain times of year, you can stay up at the top of Table Mountain for sunset, which is a pretty spectacular experience! The dates you can do this on are:
- 2 September – 10 October
- 15 December – 31 January
- 1 March – 30 April
How to hike up Table Mountain
There are four different official hiking trails that will take you to the top of Table Mountain, so I’ll break them all down for you here in order of difficulty, starting with the easiest.
Note: Not all of these hikes will take you to the upper cableway. Table Mountain’s flat top is vast, so in some cases you’ll have to add several kilometres onto your hike if you want to ride the cable car down.
Platteklip Gorge
Distance: 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) to the upper cable car station OR 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) to the top of the gorge and back
Elevation gain: 699 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 1.5-2 hours to the cable car, 3 hours return
Starting point: along Tafelberg Road, a 20-minute walk from the cable car station
Ends at the cable station? Yes
Platteklip Gorge is the most popular route up Table Mountain. It’s a well-marked trail that starts close to the cable car station.
The path ascends in a series of zigzags and stairs, making for a fairly intense but straightforward hike.
If you want to hike one way and take the cable car down, this is probably the best route as the official trail ends at the top of the gorge, just 700 metres away from the upper cable car station.
It is pretty exposed to the sun, though, so make sure to wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water if you’re hiking during the summer.
Skeleton Gorge
Distance: 4 miles/6.5 kilometres return
Elevation gain: 611 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 3 hours
Starting point: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Ends near the cable car? No
The Skeleton Gorge hike is incredibly picturesque right from the outset. It actually begins in the gorgeous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens!
Kirstenbosch Gardens are about a 15-minute drive from the CBD. Hiking this route up Table Mountain means you’ll need to pay the Kirstenbosch entry fee, which is R230 for foreigners and R100 for locals.
To find the trailhead, follow the signage for the Skeleton Gorge trailhead and head into the forest. You won’t see much while you’re under the cover of the trees, but as you get higher up you’ll have gorgeous views over the city and False Bay.
The initial ascent is pretty steep, and you’ll encounter some ladders along the way. The route ends at the Hely Hutchinson Reservoir, where there’s even a small white sand beach you can relax on.
Yup, that’s right, a beach at the top of a mountain!
If you want to take the cable car back down the mountain, it’s another 4.7 kilometres (2.9 miles) away. I’d recommend hiking back down to Kirstenbosch and grabbing some food there instead.
Kasteelspoort
Distance: 3.9 miles/6.3 kilometres return
Elevation gain: 576 metres
Difficulty: Moderate
Time needed: 2.5 hours
Starting point: Theresa Avenue, Camps Bay
Ends near the cable car? No
The Kasteelspoort route is my personal favourite. I did this hike on a date with a guy and although I didn’t feel much of a spark with him, I really liked the route!
While it’s similar in difficulty to Platteklip Gorge, it’s much less crowded. In my opinion, the views are better, too. I loved gazing out at Camps Bay, Clifton, and Lion’s Head as I climbed up the mountain.
The ascent for this hike starts off gradually with wooden steps and rocky paths before becoming more challenging with steep inclines and a little bit of scrambling.
When you get to the top, you can see remnants of the old cableway, which is pretty cool! This hike is also famed for the “diving board”, which is a granite rock that juts right out over Camps Bay below.
It’s another 2-hour hike out in the open to the cable way. It’s do-able, but I hiked back down instead.
Guided Option
I highly recommend booking this small group tour if you’d like to go with a guide!
There’s definitely safety in numbers and you’ll be with a local guide who knows Table Mountain like the back of their hand. There’s no need to worry about getting lost!
Your guide will also help you find the Diving Board, which can be a bit tricky to locate on your own, and snap some killer photos! Then, the group will head across the top of the mountain and ride the cable car down for the full Table Mountain experience.
The tour costs between R1,400 and R1,700 per person, depending on the size of your group. This includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, so no need to worry about finding the trailhead.
Click here to book your spot, with free cancellation!
India Venster
Distance: 2.6 miles/4.3 kilometres
Elevation gain: 722 metres
Difficulty: Hard
Time needed: 3 hours
Starting point: Lower cable car station on Tafelberg Road
Ends near the cable car? Yes
India Venster is truly the bad boy of the Table Mountain hikes.
Mercifully, the official trail ends just 700 metres from the Upper Cableway, so it’s suitable for a one-way hike (and I bet you’ll want to stop for a beer at the top after this one).
India Venster and Platteklip Gorge start and end in pretty much the same places, but India Venster is more extreme.
The views are amazing, though, and there are some truly excellent viewpoints. However, there’s a steep ascent and sections where you have to jump over the cracks.
This hike requires you to be in pretty good shape. Experienced hikers should be fine, but if that’s not you, then I recommend booking this guided hike. You’ll have a guide to show you the way and keep you safe throughout.
The tour costs R1,500 per person and promises a super fun hiking adventure. It’s got some pretty glowing reviews and is definitely much safer than going by yourself.
Click here to book your spot, with free cancellation!
Best things to do at the top of Table Mountain
Grab a beer from the cafe
Just writing about all of this hiking is making me thirsty! If you climb to the top, a cold one is probably going to be your top priority.
Fortunately, the cafe at the top has beers, wines, spirits, and food too, so you can reward yourself for all of your hard work.
Explore
Table Mountain has the best views of Cape Town. You can see for miles in every direction!
Definitely take the time to do a little loop around the top and admire the views from every angle. There are also lots of information boards around that tell you more about the mountain, its geology, and all of its flora and fauna.
Hike to Maclear’s Beacon
Maclear’s Beacon is the highest point on Table Mountain, and you can walk there from the upper cableway station.
This is a really easy walk with an elevation gain of just 150 metres. It’s a 5.4-kilometres (3.4-mile) return along boardwalks and footpaths. There are a couple of boulders along the way, but nothing major.
The beacon is a big pile of rocks, and you can climb to the top for the ultimate view and photo!
Guided walks
A good way to explore the top of Table Mountain is to join the free guided walks. They leave every hour, on the hour, from 9 am until 3 pm every day from the terrace just below the café.
The staff will show you around while teaching you more about the mountain landscape and the cableway itself. I mean, who doesn’t love a free guided tour?
How long do you need on top of Table Mountain?
I’d say an hour or two.
The first time I went up the mountain, there was a thick blanket of clouds along the western side of the mountain. It was kind of cool, actually, but we couldn’t see a lot.
It wasn’t safe to venture too far from the cable station, either. We spent about 20 minutes looking around and then went to grab a drink.
However, if the weather is good, then you’ll probably want to spend longer exploring. When I’ve been up on clear days, I’ve always spent ages exploring and hiking around the top.
If you do a guided walk, hike to Maclear’s Beacon, and grab a drink, you might be looking at 2-3 hours up there.
The best time to visit Table Mountain
I’d recommend visit outside of peak season (mid December to early January) if possible. Cape Town is super busy during this time, and everyone and their mother wants to head up the mountain.
Going on a weekday can help, and you can also save time by buying tickets online so that you don’t have to wait at the ticket kiosk. The queue to get on the cable car itself moves pretty fast!
Other than that, I’d recommend visiting in the afternoon because it’s cheaper and quieter. As long as you go on a clear day, then you’ll be fine!
Thanks so much for reading this article! I hope it makes your visit to Table Mountain easier, no matter how you choose to get up there. I’ve got plenty of resources about the city’s other iconic attractions, so be sure to check out the following: