Table Mountain (South Africa)

If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of table mountain when mother nature has lifted the cloth it is a beautiful sight you will never forget.

In November 2001 I was flying in to Capetown for a 9:30am arrival. The sun was shining bright and we must have had a tail wind because we were too early to land. A kindly pilot took the opportunity to fly low right round Table mountain. The view from the air allowed us to get our bearings. You could clearly see Table bay, False bay at the other side and Robben Island just off shore.

This was to be the last clear day for another week. I was due to abseil from the the top off the mountain but had to wait for mother natures approval. The following week the cloth was lifted and off we went. The ride in the cablecar was expensive by South African standards (can't remember exactly) but well worthwhile in the end. The cable cars take one complete revolution on the way to the top so there is not moving from side to side to see everything. The sides have plenty of openings so you can take pictures on the way without worring about windows. It takes only a matter of a couple of minutes to climb the 1065metres to the top this way.

On reaching the top we located the abseiling organisers. The abseil was to cost me 200rand (about £18) but it was a birthday present. (Throwing myself off the side of a mountain a birthday present ??!!). The guide was helpful and thorough ensuring my equipment was fitted correctly and I new what I needed to do. Carefully I was lowered over the side and off I went. The only disappointing thing I found here was that everything was set for a very slow descent - presumably for safety reasons. I would have liked to go a bit faster but then I would probably have missed the view. The actual abseil itself was only 150metres but it suddenly occured to me after my 2 minute descent that I had to get back to the top where my partner was waiting. Incidently because of the shape of the mountain and where the abseiling is done it was possible for my partner to take photos and watch my descent.

After about and hour of climbing I arrived back to the top (how unfit ??) where my parter met me. We then went for an excellent lunch in the cafe\restaurant situated right on top of the mountain. This was relatively average on price and what was interesting was everything seemed to be sold by weight. You got a plate, piled your salad on to it and stuck it on the scales and paid according to how heavy it was.

The curio shop was a little expensive - directed at tourists. They sold stuff from all over South Africa - not just the mountain.

You can catch a cable car down whenever you are ready as they operate every few minutes. You can spend as much or as little time up the mountain as you want. There is plenty of places to walk round at the top and some nice places to sit and look at the views. Take a jumper as it is quite a bit colder up there. All in all we probably spent about 3 hours up there which would have been less if I hadn't abseiled.

There is wildlife on the mountain which ranges from flowers (2200 species so I gather) to birds and animals. You may be lucky enough to see a rock dassis which is supposed to be realted to an elephant although it is about the size of a rabbit.

Well worth a visit an suitable for all ages depending on your level of physical activity when you get up there. (abseiling available to everyone it would seem as long as you sign the disclaimer).