Visit Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain National park is South Africa's natural world heritage site, and New 7 Wonder of the World, a must visit, most iconic sight national park which forms the impressive backdrop to the city of Cape Town. The Table Mountain National Park covers a large section of the Western Cape, from The Cape of Good Hope all the way through to Table Mountain. The park includes Boulders where visitors share the beach with a colony of African penguins and Table Mountain, a Cape Town icon, which is a must-visit.

The Park lies in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is a bio-diversity hot spot and seen by botanists as a botanical anomaly. In fact, there are more species of plant in Table Mountain National Park (over two thousand) than exist in the whole of the United Kingdom.

Overview: Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain National Park is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The park is managed by South African National Parks. The property is included as part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site. The park contains two well-known landmarks: Table Mountain, for which the park is named; and the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern extremity of Africa.

Geography: Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain national park runs approximately north-south along the range of mountains that make up the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula, from Signal Hill in the north, through Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Constantiaberg, Silvermine, the mountains of the southern Peninsula, terminating at Cape Point. The park is not a single contiguous area; the undeveloped mountainous areas which make up most of the park are separated by developed urban areas on the shallower terrain.

Table Mountain section: This section covers Signal Hill, Lion's Head, Table Mountain proper, including the Back Table (the rear, lower part of the mountain), Devil's Peak, the Twelve Apostles (actually a series of seventeen peaks along the Atlantic seaboard), and Orange Kloof (a specially protected area not open to the public). It borders on central Cape Town in the north, Camps Bay and the Atlantic coast in the west, the Southern Suburbs in the east, and Hout Bay in the south. This section was formed from the Table Mountain National Monument, Cecilia Park, and Newlands Forest. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is not officially part of the national park, but its higher reaches are maintained as part of the park.

History: Table Mountain National Park

Arguments for a national park on the Cape Peninsula, centred on Table Mountain, began in earnest in the mid-1930s. The Table Mountain Preservation Board was set up in 1952, and in 1957 its recommendation to the National Monuments Board was accepted and Table Mountain was declared a national monument. In the mid 1960s, the Cape Town City Council declared nature reserves on Table Mountain, Lion's Head, Signal Hill, and Silvermine. Following high fire incidence in the 1970s, Douglas Hey was appointed to assess the ecological state of Table Mountain and the southern Peninsula, and he recommended (1978) that all the Peninsula's mountains above 152m should be conserved. This laid the foundations for the Cape Peninsula Protected Natural Environment (CPPNE) area, finally established in 1989. However, environmental management was still bedeviled by the fragmented nature of land ownership on the Peninsula. Following a big fire above the city bowl in 1991, Attorney General Frank Kahn was appointed to reach consensus on a plan for rationalising management of the CPPNE. In 1995, Prof. Brian Huntley recommended that SANParks be appointed to manage the CPPNE, with an agreement signed in April 1998 to transfer around 39,500 acres to SANParks.

How to get there: Table Mountain National Park

There are daily national and international flights into Cape Town International Airport.
Car hire facilities are located at the airport and in the city of Cape Town and other nearby commercial centres.
Tour operators and travel agents offer luxury coach tours.
A railway service runs from Cape Town along the False Bay coastline to Simon's Town.

Routes to Various Destinations:

Boulders Beach: Situated in Simon’s Town, which can be reached via the M4 (Main Road) from the city centre, although getting to Muizenberg via the M3 or the M5 are both quicker in road time. From Muizenberg, the M4 continues via Fish Hoek to Simon’s Town.
Cape Point: One can go via the M4, Simon’s Town and Miller’s Point, on the M64 and 65 via Ou Kaapse Weg, Sun Valley, Kommetjie and Scarborough. The M6 via Chapman’s Peak is currently open but it is sometimes temporarily closed for repairs after heavy rains. There is signage on the road some distance before Chapman’s Peak, which tells you whether it is open or closed.
Kirstenbosch: De Waal Drive and then left onto Rhodes Drive in the Direction of Hout Bay
Oudekraal: Situated on the M6 between Camp’s Bay and Llandudno
Tokai: Situated on the Tokai Road off the M3.
Silvermine: Opposite the Silvermine Road turn-off.
Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Lion’s Head: Kloof Nek Road towards Camp’s Bay

Internal Road Network:

Only a few areas of the Table Mountain National Park allow private vehicle access – Cape of Good Hope section and Signal Hill. Vehicles are subject to strict speed limits and a required to keep to the designated roads. Other areas such as Silvermine, Newlands and Oudekraal offer secure parking within the gates.

Attractions & Activities: Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain National Park has a variety of fun and adventurous activities as well as excellent facilities available at the Garden Route National Park ranging from hiking trails, nature walks and much more.

Attractions:

Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope: Rich in cultural and natural heritage this is one of the top tourist destinations in South Africa. Due to the variety of wildlife that occurs here it is the only section of the Table Mountain National Park that is fenced and visitors should look out for Eland, Red Hartebeest, Bontebok and Zebra.
Boulders Penguin Colony: Boulders Penguin Colony in Simons Town is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world.
Silvermine: Located in the central section of the Table Mountain National Park Silvermine offers some of the best hikes in the Park with beautiful fynbos landscapes
Table Mountain: Arguably one of the most well-known mountains in Africa, Table Mountain provides a magnificent backdrop to cosmopolitan Cape Town and now boasts the accolade of New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Signal Hill and Lions Head: Signal Hill is the Northern-most tip of the terrestrial area of the Table Mountain National Park and offers excellent views of the City and harbour. Lion's Head is the peak to the right of Table Mountain when facing it head on and offers a short but popular hike with 360 degree views of the Atlantic seaboard, the City and Table Mountain
Beaches: Table Mountain National Park has a beach for all preferences. If you like to mingle with bronzed beach goers and enjoy a bit of a beach culture, try Llandudno on the Atlantic seaboard.

Activities:

Hiking
Overnight Trail
Fishing/Extractive Diving
Dog Walking
Free Guided Walks at Cape Point
Scuba Diving
Mountain Biking and Road Cycling
Surfing/Windsurfing/Kite Boarding
Rock/Sport Climbing
Picnics and Braai's
Hang/Paragliding
Horse Riding
Forest Walks and Day Walks

Where to stay: Table Mountain National Park

Hoerikwagoo Tented Camps:

Fall asleep under a myriad stars and awake to the healing sounds of nature. Our picturesque and comfortable tented camps, situated in unrivalled natural surroundings offer the ideal getaway.

Smitswinkel Tented Camp:

This tented camp, situated just over the road from the entrance to Cape Point , lies in the shade of a weathered Flowering Gum plantation Its’ location provides the ideal base from which to explore the wealth of attractions in the South Peninsula. Boulders Beach , home to the world-renowned colony of African Penguins, is just 15 minutes drive away.

Slangkop Tented Camp:

Nestled within indigenous Milkwoods, no more than 100m from the sea, this marine-themed tented camp is the perfect location to watch the sun sink in the Atlantic Ocean. Situated at the edge of the quaint village of Kommetjie, the camp offers a nature-based experience with the convenience of shops and restaurants close by. This is also the only camp with a dedicated play area for small children.

Olifantsbos Guest House:

Possibly the most special accommodation available in Cape Town, this unique getaway is located deep in the southern part of the Cape of Good Hope and offers guests complete seclusion right on the beach.

Eland Family Cottage:

Ideal for family holidays the Eland Cottage is situated in the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park. It is electrified, offers a fully equipped kitchen and linen is provided

Duiker Family Cottage:

Ideal for family holidays the Duiker Family Cottage is situated in the Cape of Good Hope section of the Park. It is electrified, offers a fully equipped kitchen and linen is provided

Platteklip Wash House:

Overnight on the lower slopes of Table Mountain, restored Platteklip Wash House or fall asleep at the beautiful Overseers Cottage on top of Table Mountain.

Overview

How to get there

Attractions & Activities

Where to stay