A visit to Table Mountain behind Cape Town, South Africa is another essential activity to do when in Cape Town. A visit to Cape Town will leave these mountains seared into your memory forever.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to South Africa, a Safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya and Mauritius. This trip was redeemed through Air Canada’s Aeroplan and through Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) and Hyatt Gold Passport. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Activity: Exploring Table Mountain via the Table Mountain Cableway, Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain is a large flat topped landmark that is situated immediately behind Cape Town. It forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula that terminates approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) to the south at the Cape of Good Hope and the Cape Point. Immediately to the south of Table Mountain is a rugged “plateau” at a somewhat lower elevation than the Table Mountain Plateau (at about 1,000 m or 3,300 ft), called the “Back Table”. 

Getting there:

It’s fairly easy to get to the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. It was a 6 kilometer or ten minute drive from the Westin Cape Town up to the cable car base terminus. On this trip, we self drove in our rental car and parked at the base of the mountain.

Ticketing and When to Go:

Visiting Table Mountain is an activity that is best done in favourable weather when there is good visibility. On my visits to Cape Town, we have always planned our visits in tandem with good clear weather. There are several times when the top of the mountain is obscured with the Cape’s locally famous drop table cloth which obscures visibility. In our experience, it’s best to plan your visit when you know what the weather conditions are and can be assured of clear and good visibility.

Tickets are available for purchase direct through the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway website.

We have accessed the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway by both taxi, bus and (eventually) Uber being that it is very close to town. It is also located on the Hop On Hop Off bus routes for Cape Town, although given that visiting Table Mountain is a half to full day activity, you may want to save the value of your Hop On Hop Off ticket for other attractions.

Visiting Table Mountain:

Upon arrival at the Tramway Base, dependent on your arrival time, there is typically a short queue for the tram car. We have typically waited anywhere from 15 – 30 minuets to get access to the cable car cabin.

After leaving the Tramway base, you hop onto a circular tramway car that leads up to the top of the Southern end of Table Mountain. The car is circular inside, meaning that no matter where you stand in the car, you will eventually be rotated around for a sea view.

On Top of Table Mountain:

Once you get to the top of Table Mountain, you are treated to spectacular ocean views and a trial network that spans several miles. The trails run along the flat topography of the top of the mountain.

Peering over the top of Table Mountain, there are views to be enjoyed. I always find these spectacular vista’s to be really aspirational and the real meaning of why we travel.

A day on Table Mountain is an aspirational, beautiful and spectacular visit in one of the most gorgeous corners on earth.

Our Day on Top of Table Mountain:

A visit to Table Mountain is an activity that’s best planned in good weather. While it can be done in a short visit, it’s best experienced allowing for half or a full day of wandering. The views are nothing short of spectacular and our time there has always been one of our favourite travel memories when visiting Cape Town.

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