The best Table Mountain hikes
Table Mountain is home to many secrets that can only be discovered by hikers. Some obvious and some hidden these secrets vary from man made wonders to delicate flowers to natural phenomenon.
Here are just some of the wonders you can visit on your Table Mountain walk
Contact Ridgway Ramblers to arrange a guided hike to explore the hidden secrets of Table Mountain
Caves and hidden rock crevices
All over Table Mountain often invisible from even a couple of metres are several hidden caves and crevices. Most well known of these is Tranquility Cracks found between Corridor and Slangholie Ravines. Not only are the caves themselves interesting, the amazing trees that have made their homes in these shady, damp areas are beautiful and awe inspiring.
Tranquility Cracks. Table Mountain
A sandy beach
There really is a beach right on top of Table Mountain. It is found at the top of Skeleton Gorge. The rock of Table Mountain is sand stone that when broken down creates sand. Here the sand has all been blown into one area creating quite a large sand dune.
The sandy beach on top of Table Mountain
A tunnel through the mountain
The Woodhead Tunnel was dug through the mountain in the 19th century in order to channel the water from the dams to the pipe track and then on to the city of Cape Town. Although no longer in use the tunnel itself is still in existance.
Squeezing into Woodhead Tunnel on Table Mountain
Amazing rock formations
The sand stone of Table Mountain has been eroded through millions of years creating some pretty wonderful rok formations which offer the amateur climber some interesting challenges. The camel rock found on the Constantia corner hike is just one of these.
Camel Rock is just one of the interesting rock formations on Table Mountain
Beautiful and rare flora
The Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest and most diverse of the 6 floral kingdoms found on earth. Throughout the year many rare and beautiful flowers appear. Some of the best known are Orchids of the genus Disa.
A disa found on Table Mountain
A museum on top of Table Mountain
The museum found on top of Table Mountain contains much of the machinary used in the 19th century to build the reservoirs. Inaccesable to anyone who is not prepared to climb Table Mountain this museum is not known to even many Cape Town residents.
The steam train found in the waterworks museum on Table Mountain
Theses few examples are just a few of the secrets that you can visit on a Table Mountain walk. So next time you are in Cape Town, step off the beaten tourist track, explore Table Mountain and discover some of the secrets for yourslef.
