A walk on Table Mountain to a beautiful grotto.
The Valley of the Red Gods path on Table Mountain leads from the 12 Apostles path through the Valley of isolation to Echo Valley. To get there you can climb up either Diagonal Path or Kasteelspoort. Once at the top of either route you turn left and head North towards the cable car.
From the top of Kasteelspoort the path climbs gently initially following a small stream. The Diagonal path joins this path after about 20 minutes. From here the path turns right. You head up more steeply and after around 15 minutes climbing find yourself heading down into an enclosed valley with tall proteas on either side. This is the valley of isolation and indeed it does seem an isolated area.
The Valley of Isolation
Once in the valley look for a small path that leads to your right. It leads down and into a beautiful little grotto. Tall grass hides the entrance to passers by. Once inside there is usually a trickle of water dripping from the roof and the fynbos roots which penetrate the cave there. Although small, during the summer this cave can be a very welcome cool respite from the sun.
The entrance to the small cave
Once you have explored the cave return to the path. It leads you alongside the steep cliffs of the valley and up quite steeply to a height of 900m. Here before you drop down to Echo Valley it is well worth a break to look at the views.
The view looking North towards the cable car
You join the Echo Valley at the top of Blinkwater ravine. From here you can headd straight up towards the cable car, or turn left and follow Echo Valley from where a multitude of routes are yours to choose from.
