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Table Mountain Hiking Cape Town | Massif Overview
Table Mountain · 5 min read
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Hiked by Lee· Self-guided
Table Mountain
South Africa
Table Mountain hiking overview — thin massif card for Cape Town; compare summit lines on the Cape Town day hikes parent guide.
Hiked by Lee
Self-guided
- Distance
- 12 km
- Duration
- 1 day
- Ascent
- 900 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Best season
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Style
- self supported
Overview
About this trek
Table Mountain (1,086 m) dominates Cape Town — a UNESCO heritage site with multiple ascent routes from steep gorges to forest loops. There's no single "Table Mountain trail"; you choose a line (Platteklip, Woody Ravine, Newlands Circular, Cecilia Forest, and more).
This trek hub is a thin card for the massif — stats, films and tools. To compare Cape Town day hikes (Table Mountain lines, Lion's Head and forest routes), start at the [Cape Town day hikes parent guide](/cape-town-day-hikes-guide/), then open a route-specific trek card.
Route cards: Platteklip Gorge · Woody Ravine · Newlands Circular · Cecilia Forest · Lion's Head
Massif narrative: Table Mountain guide. Use the Trek Cost Calculator and Packing List Builder once you've picked a line.
Cape Town day hikes
Other Cape Town trek cards
Trek cards for sibling Cape Town lines — for the full compare table (Table Mountain routes, Lion's Head and forest options), open the Cape Town day hikes parent guide.
First-hand
Woody Ravine
South Africa
1 day · 14 km · Challenging · Mar–May, Sep–Nov
View trek →
First-hand
Platteklip Gorge
South Africa
1 day · 10 km · Challenging · Mar–May, Sep–Nov
View trek →
First-hand
Lion's Head
South Africa
1 day · 5.5 km · Moderate · Jan–May, Sep–Dec
View trek →
First-hand
Cecilia Forest
South Africa
1 day · 10 km · Moderate · Apr–Sep
View trek →
First-hand
Newlands Circular Ravine
South Africa
1 day · 16 km · Challenging · Mar–May, Sep–Nov
View trek →
Watch the trek
Primary guide first — then supporting films and packing videos.
Film
Newlands Circular Ravine — Table Mountain loop
Newlands Circular Ravine · South Africa
Film
Platteklip Gorge — Table Mountain ascent
Platteklip Gorge · South Africa
Gear for this trek
What matters for this style of hiking — not a shopping list.
- Key requirements
- Appropriate broken-in footwear for terrain and distance
- Route navigation and backup maps
- Basic first aid and blister care for a day on the trail