Table Mountain adventures for January in Cape Town

What better way to kickstart our three-week January in Cape Town programme than a trip to one of the New7Wonders of Nature, Table Mountain? Last Saturday our students had the chance to tick off a major bucket list item by taking an unforgettable cable car ride to the summit of one of Lonely Planet’s Seven Wonders of the Natural World. The cableway itself is a monument to great South African engineering, and recently celebrated its 90th anniversary - though the equipment has been upgraded several times since then!

Once at the top of Table Mountain we couldn’t have been luckier with the weather, with clear blue skies really showing off the breathtaking panoramic views of our city that this beautiful mountain makes possible. Covering over 25,000 hectares of land plus 1,000 square kilometres of the seas and surrounding coastline along the peninsula, it really is impossible to see all of Table Mountain in a single day.

Luckily, the National Park is home to a variety of different hikes and outdoor activities suitable for all fitness levels. Platteklip Gorge is recommended for hikers on a tight time limit, and it is absolutely worth spending half a day hiking the popular India-Venster route for incredible views over the city and the Atlantic Ocean. We also encourage students to check out the Lion’s Head hike, which provides uninterrupted views along a spiral path and is easily doable in about 4 hours. As always, we recommend students prepare well and take a guide along with them.  

Our trip to Table Mountain was also an excellent opportunity to explore the rich diversity of plants, animals and birdlife that this area has to offer. We are particularly proud of the native fynbos (fine bush), exclusive to the Western and Eastern Cape provinces, which has been widely studied by botanists across the globe and makes for some stunning photos to take home.

Seeing Cape Town from above on such a beautiful day really was the perfect way to welcome our January in Cape Town students to the city, and was an excellent chance to explore a beautiful national treasure that we are lucky to have on our doorstep.