HOW HIGH IS TABLE MOUNTAIN?
Table Mountain is one of Cape Town’s most iconic landmarks, standing proudly at 1,085 metres (3,563 feet) above sea level. Its highest point is called Maclear’s Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 as a trigonometric survey marker.
Thanks to its flat summit and towering cliffs, Table Mountain dominates the city’s skyline and serves as a constant reference point for locals and hikers alike.
TABLE MOUNTAIN VS NEARBY PEAKS
Cape Town is surrounded by several famous mountains and hills, but none compare in scale to Table Mountain. Here’s how it stacks up:
- Table Mountain (Maclear’s Beacon) – 1,085 m / 3,563 ft
- Devil’s Peak – 1,000 m / 3,281 ft
- Lion’s Head – 669 m / 2,195 ft
- Signal Hill – 350 m / 1,150 ft
This means Table Mountain is almost three times higher than Lion’s Head, and more than three times taller than Signal Hill. From the top, which you can either hike to or take the cable car, you’ll enjoy panoramic views of Cape Town, the Atlantic Ocean, and even Robben Island.
GUIDED HIKES TO THE TOP
Here at Cape Trek we also offer epic guided hikes up Table Mountain. Our most popular hike, India Venster, which departs from right next to the lower cable station, finishes at the upper cable station where we seamlessly catch the cable car down.
So you get the best of both world’s – an amazing hike up (you can say you hiked up Table Mountain) and a cable car ride down. This enables you to miss the most strenuous part of any hike – the descent.
TOP HIKES
A challenging route which meanders up the front of Table Mountain and finishes at the Cable Station. Includes some scrambling using chains and staples.
A beautiful route which crosses three buttresses on the Camps Bay side of Table Mountain finishing near the start of Valley of the Gods.
An enchanting hike taking one through some rather unique rock formations in a hidden part of Table Mountain. Accessed via Corridor Ravine.
An exposed route which traverses beneath the face of Table Mountain. It eventually links up with India Venster near the top. Not for the faint hearted.
A sublime line that that meanders up Left Face which sits to the left of Platteklip Gorge if you’re facing the mountain. Steep hiking mixed with some scrambling.
A lovely route that goes up to the top of the eastern side of Table Mountain. Accessed via Kirstenbosch Garden (for a fee) or Cecilia Forest.