Cape Town, South Africa
Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most iconic sights in the world, particularly to people arriving by sea. There are several trails to the top winding through fynbos vegetation and is home to some of the most exotic tropical plants in South Africa. The easy route up is by cable car but a walk to the plateau is tough and rewarding.
Table Mountain National Park extends to Cape Point and is a Natural World Heritage Site. Animals seen on the way vary from puff adders to rock dassies and a proliferation of wild flowers particularly in spring. The most direct route up is the Platteklip Gorge and also starts by the cable car station which is an option for the descent.
The route winds into the cliff face and takes around 2 hours to ascend. The gorge lies between huge sandstone cliffs and is really atmospheric. There is a wonderful view of the Cape Basin below which then gets shaped buy the cliffs themselves. Macleans Beacon at 1,088m is the pinnacle once the summit has been reached and walkers should circle the plateau to get a panoramic view of Cape Town and the ocean below.
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