Table Mountain (South Africa)

There are certain images from around the world that are instantly recognisable: Sydney Opera House, Big Ben, and The Eiffel Tower to mention a few. Table Mountain in Cape Town is another.
I was fortunate enough to live in South Africa for 18 months in the early 90's whilst I was backpacking. I ended up working on Greenmarket Square for about 6 months and no matter how fed up I got or hungover I was in the morning going to work, whenever I caught sight of Table Mountain with the cloud seeming to fall down it's face like a tablecloth, I cheered up! No other view has ever picked me up as much or as often as that. It is gob-smackingly beautiful, rising above Cape Town and dominating the horizon for many miles around. The city is spread around it's base, and grew originally out of the port. Can you imagine the first sailors arriving down the African coastline and seeing the 1086m Table Mountian for the first time? Awesome!
My first trip to the top was by cable car with some friends on Xmas Day. We took a picnic and some wine, wandered off to a secluded spot overlooking the bay and Robbin Island (Nelson Mandela's prison) and tucked in. Most visitors seem content to stay close to the cable car station and restaurant (in 93-4 there was a small eatery at the top and nothing else) but there were a number of trails of varying length around the 3km flat top. There's also a number of trails that lead off the summit. I'd advise you walk down them not UP - they can be pretty steep in places!
I went up the hill several times before I left South Africa and each time there was another spectacular view to discover: From Table Bay to False Bay and around the mountain to Hout Bay. On a clear day it is possible to see across Cape Flats to the Hottentots Holland Mountains. However in the winter it may well be cloudy for days on end so pick your day carefully.

Obviously my experience is not recent so any prices I paid would not be relevant today and there may have been more development at the summit than when I was there but I do feel that since this is the first opinion on this subject then it is perfectly valid to post it. Besides what price is an unforgettable experience? The mountain itself has not changed for millenia and that is what this opinion is about.

It really is breathtaking and a MUST-DO for visitors to Cape Town.