Table Mountain

A trip to Cape Town is incomplete without a trip "to the top". The view from Table Mountain offers some of the most striking panoramas on the continent. The mountain’s sheer rock face tumbles straight down to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and on to the sprawling stir of the city bowl. The most overwhelming visual remains the unbounded blue sweep of the Atlantic Ocean. On a sunny day it often looks as though someone dumped a whole mess of glitter on the surface.

The Aerial Cableway first opened its carriage doors to visitors in 1929. The first car was a slight contraption with wooden sides and a tin roof. On the 14th of October 1929, it ferried 20 passengers up to 1067m above sea level. In 1997, modern day "rotair" cars were installed that can bear around 65 passengers with slowly revolving floors. This allows passengers to take in a full 360 degree view of their spectacular surroundings.

Once visitors have reached the plateau, a sprawling network of designated pathways, viewing platforms and hiking trails greet avid walkers and adventurers. The top of the mountain is brushed with fragrant medleys of indigenous flowers and fynbos. Over 1 460 different plant species bedeck the Table Mountain National Park. While dassies dominate the rocky outcrops, visitors may often stumble across the occasional mongoose, porcupine or snake.