December 9, 2024

restaurantlapeonia

sights and trips

Cape Town’s Big Six: Table Mountain

Cape Town’s Big Six: Table Mountain

This mighty sentinel often instigates a phenomenon that has inspired myths passed through generations. When weather conditions are right, convection causes clouds to sweep over the top of the mountain, much like a cloth being pulled over a table.

The views from Hoerikwaggo – (San for ‘mountain of the sea’), at 3000ft above sea level, are as spectacular as those from its summit. Table Mountain is the sole terrestrial feature to have a constellation named after it by an awe-inspired French astronomer. Mense, meaning Table, can be seen near Orion, around 12am mid-July…(just in case you were making other plans.)

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The most scenic ten minutes of your lifetime are sure to be the ascent to the summit in the rotating cable car. At the top there are free guided tours, strategically placed telescopes, viewing sites and decks as well as a dining venue guaranteed to inspire stories of unique sundowners to share with you grandchildren.

Nature Reserve

Table Mountain National Park stretches from southern Cape point to Signal Hill in the north and there are only three entry points on the vast plateau where a conservation fee is required for entry: the Cape of Good Hope, Boulders (hosting the protected Jackass penguins) and Silvermine The animals aren’t quite as lucky as the abundant fynbos species. The last lion was shot in 1802, the leopards barely lasted until 1920’s and a few species of deer, snakes tortoises and nocturnal carnivores survive. A couple of Himalayan Tahrs escaped from a nearby zoo and set up camp on the harder-to reach crags of the mountain. They humanely were culled and replaced by an indigenous species of deer known as

Tips

Altitude does fascinating things to temperature – take something warm no matter how pleasant the day may appear at sea level.