Table Mountain

At Table Mountain, we joined the relatively short queue for the cable car. We only had to wait about 30 minutes, but behind us, there were people who would have to wait a couple of hours. We did the right thing by coming early!

Flat-topped Table Mountain is South Africa’s most iconic landmark, attracting visitors from all over the world. In recent years, it has been recognised as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. It features on the flag of the city of Cape Town.

The rocks on the mountain are over 600 million years old, making it one of the oldest mountains in the world. It hosts the richest floral kingdom on earth with more than 1470 species, 70% of which are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else.

The human history of the mountain goes back over 30,000 years. There is some evidence that it was inhabited in the Stone Age. Hand axes from this period have been found here. The mountain was sacred for the Khoi and San people who named it ‘Hoerikwaggo’ meaning ‘Mountain in the Sea’. They believed their god, Tsui or Goab, lived there.

The first person known to have climbed the mountain was Portuguese navigator Admiral Antonio de Saldanha, who gave it the name ‘Taboa da Caba’ meaning ‘Table of the Cape’.

Table Mountain is 1086 metres high. Some people climb to the top, but most use the cable car, which was first installed in 1929. Needless to say, it has undergone several improvements in the last century! Over 35 million people have now taken the cable car to the summit.

Today’s Rotair cable car runs on a double cable, making it more stable in high winds and giving a faster journey of just four to five minutes to the summit. Each car carries 65 passengers. The floors of the cars rotate through 360 degrees during the ascent and descent, giving passengers a panoramic view. It’s an amazing experience!

Once we reached the top, it was really windy, but the breathtaking views made the trip worth it. We marvelled at the sight of Cape Town, and its suburbs laid out beneath us. Robben Island was clearly visible just off shore. We walked around all of the boarded walkways but resisted the urge to go off-piste to take selfies in dangerously precarious places, as many younger visitors were doing! We weren’t tempted to join the group who were abseiling down the mountain, either!Read more