My 10 Best Things about Table Mountain

1. The View! Table Mountain is over 1000m above sea level, offering spectacular views of the city and surrounding landmarks. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world, this is definitely not to be missed on your stay in the Mother City. Here’s a fun panorama shot to show you what you’ll see when you go up Table Mountain.

2. Summer in the City - means long evenings drinking wine and watching the sun go down. This you can do from the top of Table Mountain before you gaze out over the city as the lights come on. The last cable car leaves to go down between 8 and 9:30 in the evening. Check times here.

3. Summer Special! – And if you need more convincing than a mere spectacular sunset, Tickets are half price after 6pm. Last Cable Car up is at 7pm and you can stay until 8pm. See ticket prices here.

4. The Table Mountain Cableway - provides easy access for all. The website is fantastic, check for weather updates, book your tickets and get lots of information about your trip. You can also call +27 (0)21 424 0015 for visitor information.

5. Getting there - Getting to Table Mountain never been easier with metered Taxis, the City Red Bus Tours, and now a MyCiti Bus stop at the base of the cable car. Remember to get your MyCiti bus card and you can catch the bus just two blocks from Sundown Manor guesthouse. See the MyCiTi website for maps and more information.

6. Locals’ Birthday Special! It’s a well-guarded secret that South Africans can get a free ticket on their birthday. Just show a South African passport and your tickets both ways are free. Warning you will also receive a friendly “Happy Birthday” from all the staff who check your ticket.

7. Table Mountain Café Restaurant - The Restaurant on top of the mountain has clean, modern spaces and breath-taking views. Whether it’s coffee and cake that you feel like or a meal and drinks, the Table Mountain Café Restaurant has is. The building also manages to be unobtrusive, blending into the natural surroundings.

8. Hiking up the Mountain - If you are up for a challenge, there are several hiking trails up the mountain. The most well-known is Platteklip. This trail is well marked, it goes up the front of the mountain and you don’t need a guide. Be warned, however, this is not for the faint of heart or the un-fit - belonging to the latter category, it took this writer 2 hours each for the climb up and the climb down.

9. Walks on the Mountain – There are well marked trails on top of the mountain with three routes available. For more information see ‘Activities for Hikers’. All hikes offer fantastic photo opportunities of the 360 degree views off the mountain.

10. Blowing bubbles off Table Mountain because it’s your birthday – priceless.

Advice from Sundown Manor:

·         Remember to take your sunscreen, a hat and walking shoes and always throw in a jacket as the top of the Mountain can be cooler than the city and the weather can change quickly.

·         Remember - Please don’t feed any animals you may encounter in South Africa, this creates problem behavior and such animals often have to be destroyed before they become dangerous.

·         Smokers beware! Table Mountain becomes extremely dry during the summer months and a single cigarette carelessly thrown has the potential to cause terrible damage.

·         The Cable Car stops running in high winds and at times a ‘table cloth’ of cloud will cover the mountain on an otherwise sunny day. The rule of thumb for planning your trip is – when you see the Mountain is clear, go and visit it, that way you won’t miss out on this, one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World.

·         When planning your trip remember to leave roughly an hour for queuing time (a little more during the peak season).

·         Enjoy your trip