Cape Town - Table Mountain

Table Mountain (1087m/3566ft), the flat-topped hill to the south of the city center, is the great landmark and emblem of Cape Town. Its summit plateau is frequently covered by a layer of clouds, the "tablecloth". Since weather conditions here are very changeable it is advisable to arrange your trip to the summit, either on foot or by road, immediately when you see it clear of clouds.

The ascent is rewarded by an immense prospect of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. On weekends Table Mountain is floodlit after dark. The best view, and the best place from which to take a photograph, is from the road up Signal Hill.

Table Mountain, built up from massive beds of sandstones and slates, forms the northern end of the Cape Peninsula. It is flanked on the east by Devil's Peak (1001m/3284ft) and on the west, beyond a wide depression, by the Lion's Head (669m/2195ft). It extends southward as a broad plateau and then falls steeply down to Orange Kloof (200m/650ft). To the east it rears above the suburb of Newlands and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens; to the west, in the crags known as the Twelve Apostles, it looms over the bathing resorts on the Atlantic coast.

Situated as it is between the Atlantic and False Bay, Table Mountain has a mountain climate with high rainfall. Most of the annual rainfall of 1400mm/55in. occurs in the winter months, between May and September. Two reservoirs on Table Mountain (the source area of many streams) contribute to Cape Town's water supply. The particular climatic conditions have produced a varied flora (over 2200 species) and fauna. Sir Edmund Hillary, the celebrated climber, called Table Mountain one of the world's natural wonders. But it is threatened by soil erosion, the loss of native plants and invasion by alien species, uncontrolled bush fires and large numbers of visitors. In order to stop this deterioration the Table Mountain Nature Reserve was established, taking in, in addition to Table Mountain itself, Signal Hill and adjoining areas.