I am going to be in Cape Town soon and wish to hike up Table mountain, was going to do it alone but I see it is not recommended because of potential violent crime which is such a shame (by contrast you could hike any wilderness area in Southern California with a reasonable expectation of safety).
Any alternatives? Is the trail busy? How bad is the crime? Worst case scenario can I just book a tour/join a group?
I've been to Cape Town many times, but as I'm not hiker, havent hiked up the mountain. Still, the way I get it, its not necessarly a good idea for women to do the hike alone. And its not a good idea to do it alone if you are not following very basic "rules" like bringing enough water, not hiking up the mountain in flip-flops, not hiking up the mountain in very windy weather etc. I know, it sounds silly to point out things like that, but apparently it is needed.
I really hope that Ghalied, another regular poster of the TT, will see your post. He is a hiker and from Cape Town, so he certainly can answer your questions.
Have a great time in Cape Town, its such an amazing city !
Thanks, Nathalie :)
I've only recently rediscovered hiking (in prep for a possible trip) so busy rediscovering the mountain.
Platteklip Gorge is the easiest route up and is perfectly safe with lots of people on it (maybe too many) and takes about 2 to 3 hours. Note when I say easiest, I mean with logistics. Physically it's quite a tough hike - steep uphill all the way. But you get all types of people along the way - I did it last Tuesday (which was a holiday) and there were all sorts. A camaraderie forms amongst the hikers as you pass each other again and again in between resting on the way up. Just remember to take it at whatever pace suits you.
The start is on Tafelberg Road (the cable car road) so you either take taxi from where you stay, walk from the city along Kloof Nek Road or through Deer Park from the Gardens or take a shuttle/bus (http://www.tablemountain.net/blog/entry/how-to-take-the-free-my-citi-shuttle-to-table-mountain-from-kloof-nek-road).
PS For either of you, send me a PM closer to the time when you're doing the hike and I might join you. I'm greedy for hikes at the moment - the places are amazing!
I'm also planning to do both Skeleton Gorge and Kasteelpoort to the top in the near future - so I'll have up-to-date info on those routes soon. (But first it's the Cederberg on Sunday!)
Just in case other people read this and want other hikes that are okay to hike alone. There are plenty more but I'm only going to list the hikes that I personally know.
Hikes along the front face of Table Mountain
1. Platteklip
2. The Contour Path
3. The Pipe Track
4. Devil's Peak via the Saddle
Lion's Head
+along the top of signal hill
Hikes in Reserves:
1. within Silvermines (Elephant's eye, etc.)
2. within Cape Point Nature Reserve
I'm sure I'm missing a few but it's a start.
excellent ghalied, I am planning to do the hike on August 25th early morning, 8-9am or so, it would be awesome if you could join in. I will send you a message when I get to Cape town on the 23rd, I should have a telephone# then.
Thursday's looking a bit tight but I'll try to moves things around. Will PM you my details in the meantime,
Hi there!
Good to find this thread - I am going to be in Cape Town at the end of October, and I'm also concerned about hiking alone and muggings (not so much the physical thing about shoes, water, fitness etc).
Time is limited, unfortunately - just an extended weekend between two conferences. I was thinking of hiking up Table Mountain on Fri., Oct. 28th (Platteklip route), preferably early in the morning. If any of you would like to join me - voluntarily! We could either take the cable car down or chose another trail for the way back.
I'm German, male, fifty years old, married, 2 daughters (this time, unfortunately, travelling without my familiy), and in the Alpes, I'm normally comfortable with the standard elevation gain of 300m / hour. (No need to rush at all, just to give you an idea).
Looking forward to your replies, Thomas
Heyho!!
How was the alone hiking, Sam and Thomas?
I will be in Cape Town next week and want to hike, without paying the enourmous fees of guided tours :S
Esther
Hello Esther,
I went up Platteklip and then here and there on the top, and it was great. I was on my own, but (even though it was a weekday), there were many people around, if not always in eyesight. I went down by cable car for time constraints - otherwise the Kirstenbosch descent would have been nice.
Judging from my experience only: no problem - if you take the necessary precautions to hike up any mountain alone (water, warm clothing, good sight/weather, good footwear, cellphone for emergencies), and unless you feel uncomfortable on your own.
Ghalied (see this thread) knows best about all the necessary details, and his judgment (during our personal message conversation preceding my trip) proved to be just right. So you may want to contact him directly.
Have fun up there!
Thomas
