HOW OLD IS TABLE MOUNTAIN?
Table Mountain isn’t just Cape Town’s most famous landmark — it’s also one of the oldest mountains in the world. Geologists estimate that Table Mountain is around 260 million years old, making it far older than many of the planet’s most famous ranges.
For comparison:
- The Himalayas are only about 40–50 million years old.
- The Rocky Mountains in North America are about 70 million years old.
This means Table Mountain predates these giants by hundreds of millions of years.
THE GEOLOGICAL STORY
The rocks that make up Table Mountain tell a fascinating story of time, pressure, and transformation:
- Around 450–510 million years ago, the Cape region was covered by ancient seas. Layers of sand and silt settled on the seabed over millions of years.
- These layers were compressed into sandstone and shale, which today form the bulk of the mountain. The hard Table Mountain Sandstone is what gives the peak its resilience and flat top.
- Roughly 260 million years ago, tectonic forces uplifted the land, exposing the sandstone and shaping the dramatic cliffs we see today.
WHY AGE MATTERS
Table Mountain’s great age is part of why it is so rich in biodiversity. Over millions of years, unique plants adapted to its sandstone soils, creating the Cape Floral Kingdom — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the richest floral regions on Earth.
Its ancient geology and unique ecosystem make Table Mountain not only a natural wonder of Cape Town, but also a global treasure which has a cable car that takes you to the top.
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.
