Table Mountain Walks

Heading for Mt Rinjani and Komodo Islands

July 26, 2010 – 6:50 pm

Time for another trip after a hectic couple of months with the World Cup taking place and the many fans who came to watch and hike Table Mountain.  August is generally a quieter month in Cape Town but not necessarily a bad time to visit - just a little luck with the weather is needed.  So far the weather this winter has been exceptional.  Yesterday on top of Table Mountain must have been around 20C, not a cloud and not a breath of wind.  Perfect!  The school group from Exeter not only scaled Table Mountain in what must have been a record time for a group of over 40 but had the best day to do it. I am away now for 4 weeks - 2 weeks in Indonesia and the rest of the time in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The main highlights will be the hike to the top of ...

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Table Mountain - snow, sun and some wind!

July 14, 2010 – 4:11 pm

As you might expect in winter we experienced a whole variety of weather conditions during the World Cup.  The last couple of days have been particularly cold on top of Table Mountain.  However 15th June was definitely the coldest with even some snow on top.  Not exactly a blanket but patches which were most certainly snow. This has happened before but not for a number of years and in these conditions you do need to be well prepared and preferably with a woolly hat and gloves - not something you might think of when coming to Africa. Despite the fact that we are in mid winter only two walks were canceled during the 4 weeks of the World Cup and walks took place everyday except last Sunday and Tuesday 29th June - not bad!  Most people experienced near perfect conditions - a couple of days were too windy for the cableway ...

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The fans are here - and on top of Table Mountain!

June 14, 2010 – 10:14 am

At last the wait is over and the big moment has arrived.  A good start by Bafana Bafana and a bit of a shaky start by England have been the highlights so far as well as of course a strong first match win by Germany. Other then the football I hope the fans are finding time to see the many sights that South Africa has to offer.  Cape Town unlike Johannesburg experiences its wet season in winter with today being an excellent example - it is pouring!  Two disappointed Mexican fans have rescheduled their walk for later in the week when fine warmer weather is predicted. If you are coming to Cape Town in the winter months you can have days like last Friday when three England fans had the most glorious day on Table Mountain or you can have a day like today - no go.  Flexibility is the key ...

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Back from Borneo

May 9, 2010 – 4:33 pm

How come it always the same -  when you return from holiday it seems like you were away for ages and then after 24 hours it seems like you never went away at all?  I dont know the answer but for me it is always like that. I was in fact away for two and a half weeks but as so much happened and every day was different it felt like a nice long break.  I would certainly recommend Borneo for anyone who is interested in nature and it is also famous for its beaches and resorts and some of the best scuba diving in the world. I concentrated mainly on the mountains and nature side rather than anything under the water and I was certainly rewarded with some great experiences and sights.  Mount Kinabalu I found very special and luckily with clear sides I was fortunate to have great views from ...

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Bound for Borneo!

March 3, 2010 – 12:00 pm

Well not yet but next month I am heading for Borneo for a 2 week holiday to explore this unique island paradise.   For anyone wanting to book hikes during this period (21 April to 8 May) dont worry Kim will be available to guide you.  She will also assist with email enquiries  as I will be away from the internet for I think up to four or five days at a time.  I am really looking forward to this trip.  For the last three years I have headed  for South America which was great but it will be interesting to see part of another continent with different culture and scenery. My plan is first to climb Mount Kinabalu which I think is around 4000 metres.  I am also going to  attempt the via ferrata on the mountain which is similar to the one they have in the Dolomites but not ...

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Well done Tony and Bernard!

February 7, 2010 – 10:59 am

Most people find hiking up Table Mountain a challenge but if you happen to be blind then it is hard to imagine just how more difficult it must be.  On 22 January Tony accompanied by his helper hiked not only to the top of Table Mountain but did the longer and more difficult route to navigate  - Skeleton Gorge.  This route has a number of ladders and also a scrambling section which requires a level of agility and coordination.  Quite how he managed with no obvious difficulty I do not know.  Listening to guidance from Wendy and maybe confused by some from me he defied my expectations and completed the hike to the cableway in 4hrs and 45 mins, a very respectable time for anyone!  Tony also windsurfs and sails and travels extensively.  He is surely an inspiration and especially one to those thinking of tackling this route. On February 4th ...

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Children hiking up Table Mountain

January 12, 2010 – 4:17 pm

Over the years I have hiked with many children up Table Mountain but the question is at what age should children attempt this?  As a general guide line I say about 9 years old.  I have walked with a couple of children a little younger than this but you are really asking a lot of them and if they dont enjoy it you may put them off hiking forever. Platteklip Gorge is the shortest route and a safe one up the front of Table Mountain.  Skeleton Gorge is more fun for children because of the rock scrambling and ladders but time and distance wise it is twice as long so for younger children with less stamina it might not be suitable. I have seen tourists but more often locals hauling children barely able to walk up the mountain.  I consider this foolish and not fair on the children who have no choice ...

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Trip Advisor Rating

December 13, 2009 – 5:07 pm

Having only been posted a couple of months ago Table Mountain Walks is currently rated number 6 on Things to do in Cape Town.  Thanks to some generous clients who kindly took the time to write a review, we have climbed up the ladder from nowhere to the top ten.  Many thanks to those folk who contributed.  If you are interested in having a look check out the Trip Advisor website and look under Cape Town and then under the heading I mentioned. I actually use this website myself before planning a trip and find it very useful.  I also now and again look at questions on the travel forum and answer those that I can.  I do recommend it for both accommodation, tours and if you have specific questions. If  you do making booking for a walk up Table Mountain with us and if you do enjoy it and hopefully have ...

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Better weather on Table Mountain

November 17, 2009 – 3:47 pm

Well last week was one of the wettest ever recorded in November and Table Mountain was not spared.  However the unseasonal rain brought the waterfalls on the mountain back to life giving us some spectacular sights not expected at this time of year. Those who walked with me on 9th November had a great view of Cecilia Waterfall and also a couple of not so easy crossings across fast flowing streams.  I managed to get some got shots which I hope to post on the site shortly in the new gallery section. On a few ocassions after very heavy rain Skeleton Gorge may not be passable.  This seldom happens but one needs to know when to anticipate this as getting half way up and having to turn back may be somewhat disheartening!  Otherwise there are only advantages to the rainfall so long as you see the results rather than experience it for ...

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Beware of bogus guides!

October 27, 2009 – 5:33 pm

Just a warning for anyone who is booking a guided walk up Table Mountain.  There are unfortunately guides presently operating who are not qualified to guide on Table Mountain and not registered with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism that is a requirement by law. As you the client are paying your hard earned money for this service make sure for your own safety that your guide is properly qualified and registered.  You can do this by contacting the registrar at -   registrar@pgwc.gov.za Unfortunately it is also the case that non specialised operators are using cultural guides to lead hikes on Table Mountain.  This from your point of view is not acceptable and also not safe.  At the moment there is in my opinion a total lack of control of guides on Table Mountain and it is turning into a bit of a free for all.  So make sure you ...

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