Table Mountain is one of Cape Town (and South Africa’s) most famous landmarks. It is a sandstone plateau which is 1085m at its highest point (Maclears Beacon). The top is about 3km wide. Incredibly, the mountain is home to about 1470 plant species, which is about the same as is found in the whole of the British Isles! You will find the rare Silver Tree and the wild orchid Disa Uniflora here. It even has its very own endemic frog, the Table Mountain Ghost frog. The mountain was given national park status in 1998.
Weather permitting, the aerial cableway will take you on a six minute ride to the top of the mountain. You can go for walks and even a meal up here, and there are 11 viewpoints from which to see the panorama which stretches from Table Bay to False Bay and round the mountain to Hout Bay and Kommetjie. About 600,00 people annually take the trip to the top of Table Mountain.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Situated within 528 hectares of the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, this is one of the world’s greatest botanical gardens. The garden only grows indigenous Southern African plants (about 5000 species), and the fynbos flora includes such as plants as ericas, proteas and pelargoniums. It is open all year.
