WHY IS TABLE MOUNTAIN CALLED TABLE MOUNTAIN?
Table Mountain gets its name from its unusually flat summit, which looks just like the top of a giant table when seen from Cape Town. Unlike most mountains that taper into sharp peaks, Table Mountain rises steeply and then levels out into a broad plateau, making it instantly recognisable, especially with its famous cable car.
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME
- The mountain’s flat summit is about 3 kilometres (2 miles) across, creating the “tabletop” effect.
- In the early 1500s, Portuguese explorer António de Saldanha is believed to have named it “Taboa do Cabo” (Table of the Cape) when he first landed in Cape Town.
- As the Cape became a stopover point for sailors and settlers, the name evolved into Table Mountain in English.
THE SAN NAME: HOERIKWAGGO
Long before European explorers arrived, the San people, Cape Town’s earliest inhabitants, had their own name for the mountain: “Hoerikwaggo”, which means “Mountain in the Sea.”
This name reflects how the mountain rises directly from the coastline, towering above the Atlantic Ocean. For the San, Table Mountain wasn’t just a landmark — it was part of their spiritual and cultural landscape. Today, the name “Hoerikwaggo” is still celebrated and has been used for hiking trails within Table Mountain National Park.
THE FAMOUS TABLECLOTH
The name is even more fitting because of a unique natural phenomenon: the Tablecloth. When moist air from the Atlantic Ocean rises up the slopes, it cools and condenses into a layer of cloud that spills over the summit. This creates the appearance of a white cloth draped across the mountain’s “tabletop.”
A LANDMARK LIKE NO OTHER
Table Mountain’s name — in both English and its original San heritage — perfectly captures what makes it so iconic. Its flat shape, dramatic cliffs, and unique cloud formations have made it one of the world’s most recognisable natural landmarks — and even earned it a place as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
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.