Which Table Mountain Route is best? Table Mountain hiking route stalwarts include Skeleton Gorge, Kasteelspoort, India Venster, Llandudno Ravine and Porcupine Ravine. Great differences exist even among these four routes.
Table Mountain offers stunning diversity in terms of challenge, views and terrain. More than 60 hiking routes lead up to the expansive summit plateau, offering unique views and topography within a range of adventure levels. Hiking Table Mountain shouldn’t only be about getting to the summit. The best views and experiences awaits along the way, with the crowning reward being the sense of achievement on reaching the summit.
How to choose the best hike for you
With so many Table Mountain hikes available, choosing the best for you can be bewildering. Route selection is imperative in ensuring a memorable and enjoyable experience. This is the first step in optimizing your experience of Table Mountain. And it’s already here that making use of a competent and experienced mountain guide comes in handy, taking the guesswork out of which route to go for.
Hike Table Mountain is the only mountain-guiding outfit in Cape Town offering guided hikes up all the Table Mountain hiking and scrambling routes. So there’s no shortage of choice. Different routes offer different views, vegetation and challenges. No two routes are quite alike; much like people’s personalities, they each have characteristics that sets them apart. Despite the obvious differences arising from the infinite arrangement and configurations of rock, ridge and ravine, Table Mountain’s large summit area creates micro-climates that produces different micro-biomes. Routes like Skeleton Gorge (jungle setting) and Kasteelspoort (low shrub with sea views) differ so much in terms of views and vegetation, and mood, that you could be forgiven for thinking you’re hiking mountains on different continents.
Looking for a Hiking Adventure on Table Mountain?
Differences in adventure levels adds even more diversity to Table Mountain hiking. Adventure typically relates to the amount of scrambling and / or exposure to heights encountered on the route. Whatever your experience or adventure level, there’s a route that will leave you glowing with exhilaration and gushing with enthusiasm. The most challenging Table Mountain hikes involves ropework at a few places and requires a good fitness level, a solid sense of adventure and a head for heights.
For the lover of wild places, solitude and pristine beauty in nature, Table Mountain hikes offer far more than you might expect from a mountain that rises sheer from a bustling city. Parts of the mountain seldom sees hikers – some corners, never – allowing you to commune with nature to your heart’s content. That’s one of the most incredible things about Cape Town hiking: the accesibility of wilderness.
Which brings us to the question in question: which route is best for you? Different strokes for different folks. Drop us a mail and we will make suggestions based on your needs, preferences and abilities. Part of our expertise lies in pairing you with the best route in line with your fitness, interests and abilities.