Table Mountain, Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA
Table Mountain is a South African icon and the only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it - Mensa, meaning the table. Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. The flat-topped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion and hosts the richest, yet smallest floral kingdom on earth with over 1,470 floral species. Table Mountain boasts numerous rare and endangered species. It is the most recognized site in Cape Town, the gateway to Africa, owing to its unique flat-topped peaks which reach 1,086m above sea level.
The iconic Table Mountain which is one of the 7Wonders of Nature looms large whether you are arriving by plane, train, boat or automobile. Looking at it from below is one thing, but it is quite another to be atop the mountain, from where one is afforded such wonderful views of Cape Town, Robben Island, the Peninsula and beyond.
The main feature of Table Mountain is the level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, edged by impressive cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. This broad sweep of mountainous heights, together with Signal Hill, forms the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl and Table Bay harbour. The highest point on Table Mountain is towards the eastern end of the plateau and is marked by Maclear's Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey. It is 1,086 metres (3,563 ft) above sea level, about 19 metres (62 ft) higher than the cable station at the western end of the plateau.
One can of course walk up Table Mountain, but getting to the top of Cape Town's mountain doesn't have to involve any more exertion than stepping aboard the 85-year-old Table Mountain Cableway which provides one with a gentle, quick and vista-full trip up to the top of the mountain. Please note that the cableway is a weather-dependent operation and strong winds and poor visibility on top of the mountain will result in a suspension of services or closing of the cableway. You may have to contact the Table Mountain Cableway to confirm that the car is operational on your chosen day.
The trip to the top is an outing in itself, as you are safely and gently transported from the lower cable station to the top of the mountain and vice-versa. The journey takes a little more than 5 minutes and the high tech rotating cable car offers the best views of the city. There are trips up and down every 10 - 15 minutes and the cableway operates 7 days a week, with the first car heading up at 8h00. The departure time of the last car down depends on the time of the year, and varies between 18h30 and 21h30. Click here for updated operating times. Once at the top, over 3500ft above the city, you will find a vast network of well-marked paths to explore as well as strategically positioned lookout points.
There is a restaurant atop the mountain offering full meals as well as a small shop where you can pick up a snack and a post card. One could also pack a tasty picnic to enjoy at the top, remembering of course that you will be in the Table Mountain National Park, so please make use of refuse bins, or better still take all your waste down with you.
Visitors to Table Mountain can enjoy wonderful views of the (Dassie) scuttling along the rocks, lizards sunning themselves, butterflies flitting past and you might even be lucky enough to spot a porcupine digging for bulbs. The bird life is wonderful too, from the large Verreaux Eagles to the small colourful sunbirds. One of the beautiful species of protea, the national flower of South Africa, that can be found on the mountain. All these creatures live in the fynbos, and 100's of these plant species occur no where else on the planet.
Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. To the south of the main plateau is a lower part of the range called the Back Table. On the Atlantic coast of the peninsula, the range is known as the Twelve Apostles. The range continues southwards to Cape Point.
Table Mountain makes Cape Town, one of the world's best beach cities, also one of the world's most photogenic.
Photo Credits: New7Wonders, TableMountain.Net, Google, South African Tourism
Sources: TripAdvisor, Wikipedia, Cape Town Tourism, New7Wonders, CNN Travel
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