Summer is coming to Cape Town – the temperatures begin to rise, the south-easterly winds start to blow … and the whup-whup of a helicopter’s turning blades signals yet another rescue mission on the city’s most iconic landmark – Table Mountain.
For a squat mountain barely 1 000 metres high in the middle of a big city, the element of risk seems minimal but more people have died on Table Mountain than on Mount Everest, and even when sheer numbers are taken into account (Table Mountain attracts over 900 000 visitors a year) it still makes for a destination that needs to be taken seriously.
The first thing to remember is that Table Mountain is not just that picturesque flat-top you see from the city bowl; it’s 57 sq km of deserted valleys, peaks, caves, waterfalls and forests – something that becomes clear when you move away from the cable car and the crowded Western Table. Covered in trails and chock-block with gob-smacking views, such an environment makes for fantastic all-day hiking but it gets pretty confusing up there, even if you have one of Peter Slingsby’s excellent Table Mountain maps, and a wrong turn can send you to parts of the mountain you didn’t know existed.
What to do: Platteklip Gorge offers the most popular and straight-forward way up and down – it’s a kilometre past the lower cable car station. Once up there and walking, use a map and stick to main routes. If you’re in a fix and don’t know which way to go, never be too proud to go back the way you came. For real peace of mind hire a registered, professional guide such as The Fynbos Guy.
Then there’s the weather. Cape Town claims to experience 4 seasons in 1 day; I’d go further and say that 4 seasons in 1 hour is more like it. Cool morning cloud can burn off to make way for temperatures in the 40s; rolling walls of rain can sneak up from the Atlantic before you can say “has anyone seen my poncho?” and the summer south-easters put a blanket of freezing, pea-soup thick cloud on top of the mountain while the rest of the city bakes in sunshine – hikers who walked up in a now-soaked cotton T-shirt and no warm clothes are now in real trouble … whup whup whup …
What to do: If you’re going hiking on Table Mountain at any time of the year pack the following: warm clothing, waterproof jacket, beanie, sun hat, sun block and plenty of water.
Security is another issue that unfortunately has been getting more and more space on the front pages. The simple fact of the matter is that there are several danger spots on the mountain, all at lower levels and popular with visitors. Ranger patrols have recently been stepped up and the situation receives a great deal of media attention but with what is essentially a wilderness environment slap-bang up against a growing urban one, there’s always going to be a problem. Stay away from the lower contour paths around Devil’s Peak and be on the alert around ever-popular Lion’s Head and the forest paths above Kirstenbosch – there have been many muggings there in the last few years.
What to do: leave unnecessary valuables at home, hike in large groups and get local advice on where’s safe and where’s not.
The past few days I have been thinking about what would be the perfect one week itinerary for a self drive in the Okavango, Chobe and Vic Falls region. The reason I have been thinking about this is, naturally, that I intend to do it. In March next year, my family will come down to South Africa, and I want to take them out on a little African adventure. The problem is that we only have one week to see everything! – A common problem in the travel world..