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Mountains & rock · Lower Cable Station, Tafelberg Road
Lower Cable Station
Where the cableway starts. A free operator shuttle runs here from the free car park on lower Tafelberg Road.
Tickets & entrance fees: Table Mountain free, Cape Point from R515
Cableway: a separate ticket from the operator
The cableway is not run by SANParks and sets its own prices. A return trip costs R475 online for adults and R230 for children aged 4 to 17, R530 and R270 at the ticket office. Children under 4 ride free.
How to get there from Cape Town: bus to the cableway, car to Cape Point
MyCiTi bus to Kloof Nek
Routes 106 and 107 (Civic Centre – Camps Bay) stop at the top of Kloof Nek Road; they leave from the Civic Centre on Hertzog Boulevard. Every passenger needs a loaded myconnect card; cash is not accepted. From the Lower Tafelberg Road stop a free operator shuttle runs to the Lower Cable Station.
Mountains & rock · Upper Cable Station, summit plateau
Upper Cable Station
The end of the cableway and of the Platteklip Gorge path. If the hooter sounds, return to the station straight away.
Best time to visit: dry summers, wind all year
The tablecloth
When the south-easter blows in summer, a layer of cloud settles on Table Mountain and pours down its slopes. Mean wind speeds are 20 to 40 km/h (12 to 25 mph) according to SANParks.
The cableway operator runs free 30-minute guided walks every hour on the hour from 9 to 15, from the Twelve Apostles Terrace, weather permitting. On your own: Dassie Walk 15, Agama Walk 30, Klipspringer Walk 45 minutes.
Mountains & rock · Highest point of Table Mountain
Maclear’s Beacon
A cairn on the summit plateau, 45 to 60 minutes from the Upper Cable Station according to SANParks, marked with yellow footprints.
Tours, hikes and the cableway up Table Mountain
To Maclear’s Beacon
From the Upper Cable Station 45 to 60 minutes each way across the plateau, 5.5 km (3.4 mi) in total, easy and marked with yellow footprints. Do not set off in low cloud.
The most direct route up Table Mountain, about 3 km (1.9 mi) uphill. A visitor safety hut stands at the start.
The direct route: three kilometres of stone steps up the gorge in the middle of the front face.
Length
about 3 km (1.9 mi)
Time up
1 to 3 hours
Difficulty
moderate to tough
Start
Tafelberg Road
Finish
Upper Cable Station
Water
bring your own
Tours, hikes and the cableway up Table Mountain
Platteklip Gorge: the direct route
About 3 km (1.9 mi), all uphill on stone steps. SANParks allows one hour for the very fit to three hours for the less fit, moderate to tough. Leave time for the descent: if the weather turns, the cableway closes without warning.
According to SANParks, 52 rangers patrol the park, 16 of them with dogs. There are information points on Tafelberg Road and at Lion’s Head, and a security hut at the foot of Platteklip Gorge.
Spiral path from Signal Hill Drive, about 2 km (1.2 mi) and 1 to 1.5 hours up according to SANParks, with chains near the top.
The spiral path up the neighbouring peak, with views over the city, Table Mountain and the Atlantic.
Summit
669 m (2,195 ft)
Length
about 2 km (1.2 mi) each way
Time up
1 to 1.5 hours
Difficulty
easy, some scrambling
Water
none on the way
Tours, hikes and the cableway up Table Mountain
Lion’s Head
About 2 km (1.2 mi) each way, 1 to 1.5 hours up, easy with some scrambling and chains. The summit is at 669 metres (2,195 ft). At full moon it gets very busy; SANParks advises going only in groups led by someone experienced.
Picnic and braai sites by the reservoir, a boardwalk and easier walks.
Tickets & entrance fees: Table Mountain free, Cape Point from R515
Silvermine, Oudekraal, Newlands, Tokai: R200
At these sites international visitors pay R200 per adult and R100 per child until 31 October 2026, SADC nationals R90 and R45, South Africans R44 and R22.
Tickets & entrance fees: Table Mountain free, Cape Point from R515
Boulders: R245
The penguin colony costs R245 per adult and R120 per child for international visitors until 31 October 2026, R110 and R55 for SADC nationals, R55 and R26 for South Africans. Card payment only here too.
How to get there from Cape Town: bus to the cableway, car to Cape Point
By train to Simon’s Town
A railway runs from Cape Town along False Bay to Simon’s Town, near Boulders. According to SANParks, private vehicles may only drive in the Cape section and on Signal Hill.
The only penguin species that breeds in Africa. The environment department DFFE puts the number at fewer than 9,000 breeding pairs in South Africa and lists the species as critically endangered.
How to get there from Cape Town: bus to the cableway, car to Cape Point
To Cape Point: two coastal routes
Along the Atlantic side via Camps Bay, Hout Bay and Chapman’s Peak Drive to Scarborough, or along False Bay via Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town. The speed limit in the Cape section is 60 km/h (37 mph); from the gate to Cape Point takes 10 to 15 minutes.
A circular trail of 33.8 km (21 mi) over two days with a night in a hut, starting and ending at the gate. SANParks charges R438 per person for the hut plus the daily fee, minimum two people, all over 12.
No food in their presence, keep car doors, windows and backpacks closed, lock the car. If a baboon comes close: stand still, stay calm, avoid eye contact, back away slowly and leave it an escape route. Do not try to get anything back.
According to SANParks, the cold Benguela and the warm Agulhas currents mix at Cape Point. Geographically, though, the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet at Cape Agulhas.
Tickets & entrance fees: Table Mountain free, Cape Point from R515
Cape of Good Hope: R515
Until 31 October 2026 international visitors pay R515 per adult and R250 per child, SADC nationals R225 and R115, South Africans R110 and R55. Card payment only, once per vehicle.
