Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain

The rotating cabin turns everyone's five-minute ride into a 360-degree sweep of city, ocean and the flat-topped mountain itself.

Best forWalkers & hikers · Photographers · Adventure seekers
In February16°C · 2 rainy days
Ideal stayHalf a day within a Cape Town trip
Approx. flying time~19h 45m from Los Angeles

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Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa Open in Google Maps Powered by Geoapify · © OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenMapTiles

CurrencyZARSouth African rand
LanguageEnglish, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans
Local time12:171h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / M / NBring an adapter
Drive on theLeftSame as the UK
Dialling code+27

Why go

A flat sandstone plateau just over a kilometre high, standing directly above the city and the Atlantic. The rotating cableway does the climb in about five minutes; walkers take Platteklip Gorge, which is relentless and unshaded, or gentler routes up from the botanical gardens. On top, level paths cross fynbos and rock, dassies sun themselves in the open, and the view runs from Robben Island to the Cape Peninsula.

Weather decides everything here. The tablecloth cloud can close the cableway with little warning, so go on the first clear morning you get rather than saving it for later in the trip. Summer, November to March, is windy but bright, and winter days can be beautifully clear between fronts. Half a day is enough, and it pairs naturally with Camps Bay or the drive down the peninsula.

Ideal stay: Half a day within a Cape Town trip
The vibe: High, windswept, city-above-the-sea

From our guides

Up top, easy paths wander between sandstone outcrops with dassies — improbable rodent cousins of the elephant — posing on the rocks. The mountain makes its own weather: if the morning is clear, drop everything and go, because the 'tablecloth' cloud can shut the cableway by afternoon.

Featured in Ten epic cable-car days with zero hiking required

Things to do

The rotating cableway

Cabins with floors that turn through a full circle on the way up, so everyone gets the whole view. Five minutes, and worth booking online to skip the queue.
Platteklip Gorge climb

The direct route up the front face, two to three hours of steep stone steps with no shade. Start at dawn, carry water and consider riding back down.
Maclear's Beacon

The true summit, about forty-five minutes' walk east from the upper cable station across the plateau. Fewer people, better fynbos and a proper sense of scale.
Dassies on the rocks

Rock hyraxes, improbably the closest living relatives of elephants, bask on the outcrops near the upper station and are entirely unbothered by cameras.
Skeleton Gorge from Kirstenbosch

A shaded forest ascent from the botanical gardens on the eastern side, with ladders and stream crossings. Greener and cooler than the front face.
Lion's Head at sunset

The neighbouring peak, a spiralling ninety-minute climb with chains and ladders near the top, giving the classic view back at the mountain itself.

Getting there

Fly to
Cape Town (CPT)

Nearest airport to Table Mountain, about 19km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Cape Town

About 25 to 30 minutes by car from Cape Town (CPT) into the city bowl, by taxi or ride-hailing.
On the ground
Getting around

The lower cableway station is a ten minute drive from the centre, served by a sightseeing bus and shuttle. Parking on Tafelberg Road fills fast on clear mornings, so go early.

Public transport: A hop-on sightseeing bus and a shuttle run to the cableway, though most visitors simply take a taxi.

Flights

Los Angeles Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

Flying from

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Roughly 19h 45m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 9°C in August to 16°C in January. Driest in January and February; wettest in July, with rain on about 12 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

February16° · rain 2 daysCool and dry.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to stay

Guesthouses and apartments outnumber hotels, with boutique places in the City Bowl and larger names at the Waterfront. Self-catering is the default and good value.

Best base overall
City Bowl and Gardens

Directly beneath the mountain, so you can watch the cloud and drive to the cableway in ten minutes when it clears. Walkable restaurants, though quiet and empty in places after dark.
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Best for couples
Camps Bay

On the Atlantic side under the Twelve Apostles, with a beach and a strip of restaurants facing the sunset. Beautiful, expensive, windy in summer and a drive from the cable car.
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Best with children
V&A Waterfront

The harbour complex with the aquarium, the wheel and the Robben Island boats, plus safe walking and a shuttle to the cableway. Polished, pricey and thoroughly insulated from the city.
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Best value
Sea Point

A dense seafront suburb with the promenade and tidal pools, offering far better rates than Camps Bay for a similar coastline. Ten to fifteen minutes to the cableway road.
Find stays in Sea Point

Worth knowing before you book: The cableway shuts for annual maintenance in winter and closes on windy days, so buy tickets online for a flexible date and go the first clear morning.

Search everything else in Cape Town by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

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Good to know

Weather: The cableway closes in high wind or thick cloud, sometimes at short notice. Check the live status before travelling out and have a backup plan.
Book ahead: Buy cableway tickets online for a timed slot. Queues at the lower station can run to an hour or more in peak season.
Pack this: Wind layer, water and sun cream. The summit is often ten degrees cooler than the city with a strong wind on top of that.
Safety: Walk in groups on the lower trails, stick to marked routes and avoid carrying valuables. Muggings have occurred on quieter paths.
Timing: Early morning gives the clearest air and the smallest queues. Late afternoon gives better light but risks the cableway shutting before you descend.