10 amazing sights from Table Mountain
Lion's Head and Signal Hill hug the City Bowl. Photo courtesy jallenflikr
She’s pretty remarkable to look up at, looming and majestic as she guards the Cape Peninsula, but once you’re at her summit and looking down, Table Mountain offers equally grand views from the top. Here’s a round-up of what to look out for when you’re here.
1. The City of Cape Town
It may be small by most standards, but the City Bowl – which has its borders defined by Table Bay, Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak – contains quite a few of the Mother City’s most treasured landmarks.
Within it is the CBD, the harbour, the Company’s Garden and residential suburbs De Waterkant Village, Devil’s Peak, Zonnebloem, Gardens, Higgovale, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof, Vredehoek, Walmer Estate, University Estate and Woodstock.
People, businesses and tourists converge in this amphitheatre-shaped city – and you can cast an eye over all of it from the top of Table Mountain.
2. Helderberg Mountain Range
The Helderberg Mountain Range stretches out towards the East, overlooking False Bay; the picturesque town of Somerset West rests at its slopes. During fire season the Helderberg range can often be seen glowing red for days and nights at a time as fires ravage and renew the slopes.
3. Bloubergstrand
It literally means “blue mountain beach”, and when you’re digging your toes into the sand at Bloubergstrand and gazing over the bay toward Table Mountain, you’ll understand why.
4. Devil’s Peak
Devil’s Peak gets its name from a folk tale about Jan van Hunks, a Dutch man who was challenged to a pipe-smoking contest by a devilish stranger while walking the slopes that flank Table Mountain. Van Hunks won, but all the smoke created in the contest cloaked the mountainside, forming the famous tablecloth cloud we see today.
5. The Twelve Apostles Mountain Range
Not only famous for the luxurious hotel that sits on their slopes, the Twelve Apostles, located within the Table Mountain National Park, are fronted by a marine sanctuary where there are frequent sightings of whales, dolphins and seals.
The Twelve Apostles tower over Llandudno. Photo courtesy Andreas Köberl
6. Camps Bay
This time of year the beach may be a little deserted (although some die-hards still visit for cocktails regardless of the weather), but come summer this is where you’ll find the famous, the trendy, the tourists and the locals.
7. Robben Island
Its most famous prisoner was undoubtedly Nelson Mandela, but Robben Island counts among its other apartheid-era captives Tokyo Sexwale, Walter Sisulu, Robert Sobukwe and President Jacob Zuma. This island in Table Bay was once a leper colony and today is a World Heritage Site that’s well worth a visit … once you’re off the mountaintop.
8. and 9. Signal Hill and Lion’s Head
Popular with locals, these hills are great for a leisurely but steep hike or a relaxed sundowner session with a view. Paragliders use the slopes of Lion’s Head for launching, and it’s from Signal Hill that the hard-to-miss Noon Gun is fired.
10. Cape Town Stadium
We wonder whether it was with the view from Table Mountain in mind that city planners placed the brand-new Cape Town Stadium in Green Point, where it can be seen from the summit. While it was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ – which kicks off in just 16 days – we look forward to many more great events being held within its stands.
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