Hiking Platteklip Gorge – Table Mountain National Park
Visiting Cape Town? One of the “must do’s” is to go up Table Mountain. Cableway right? How about packing a small backpack and take up the challenge to hike this extraordinary mountain?
Platteklip Gorge is one of the many available routes to hike up. It is the shortest route with a distance of three kilometres one way, but don’t underestimate the steepness. When stating steepness, we aren’t referring to chain ladders and rock climbing, but rather single track leading up the mountain littered with stones and rocky steps. This hike up can take you anything from an hour to an hour and a half, based on your fitness level. In the surrounding environment you will encounter fynbos, proteas and other fauna and flora unique to the table mountain.
The starting point of Platteklip Gorge is about 1.5 kilometres past the bottom cableway station. The route busy is with locals and international visitors during the weekends, public holidays and international holiday seasons. It is strongly recommended to not hike alone if you are unfamiliar with the route and never go off the designated path. Should Table Mountain have it’s white clouds covering the mountain, portraying a ‘tablecloth’ prepare yourself for wind and cold weather. We were fortunate enough to hike up Table Mountain on Christmas day and my brother cracked a joke – “When I said I wanted a white Christmas, this isn’t what I meant.”
From the top of the mountain, Robben Island, the Cape Town stadium, the Atlantic ocean, 12 Apostles, V&A Waterfront, Devil’s Peak, and Mitchell’s Plain can be seen (given the weather condition on top of the mountain).
Things to pack for this excursion:
- One litre water bottle per person
- Wind-breaker/small jacket
- Energy bar/snack
- Hat and sunscreen
- Comfortable shoes/hiking boots
- Money to spend at the cafe/shop on top.
For those that Geocache, you can log some finds on the route and on top of the mountain.
Accomplished the hike up? You have the choice of buying a one-way ticket down (R200 in December 2019), or you can tackle the route back down the mountain. The walk down can take you anything between half an hour and an hour. Be steady going down and don’t slip; your legs have done quite a bit of climbing and may start doing the involuntary “Elvis” (shaking leg).
There are no conservation fees applicable nor costs affiliated to the hike. Enjoy the day’s free adventure! Looking for some more free adventure? Why not spend a day on a quiet beach a short drive from Cape Town.
