The identity of every Capetonian

Capetonians don’t really have a reason to wake up in a bad mood. I mean, how would you feel when you see a beautiful mountain right in your backyard, every time you open your eyes? Table Mountain is not only the flagship of national tourism; it’s part of the identity of every Capetonian.

Picture this: you wake up for work at seven in the morning, still tired and half asleep, you drag your body towards the bathroom, splash some water on your face, dry your eyes and look out of the window. There it is, just as beautiful as yesterday: Table Mountain! Ok, not all Capetonians are as lucky to have this kind of a morning ritual, but all of them know the feeling in some way or the other, since this beautiful landmark can be seen from practically everywhere in town.

Black eagles and ghost frogs
Another spectacular thing about Table Mountain is the so called Tablecloth, a nickname for the clouds that cover the mountain. Tourists are generally not so pleased by this act of nature, ‘cos the views from the mountain are not too good in these conditions, but it makes the mountain look different every day. Sometimes it even treats the city to a foam bath, when a cloud just seems the fall of the mountain.

But the 1085 meter high beauty isn’t just there for your visual pleasure only. Some people can predict the weather by just looking at the Tablecloth, others discovered about 1470 species of plants (some of them not seen anywhere else in the world).

Table Mountain is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country, which could make your visit up there similar to an amusement park, it still is a must for every tourist and it can be a true natural paradise on the three kilometer wide top. Not just the famous dassies will greet you, but if you don’t visit the local restaurant or souvenir shop right away, and rather go for a nice walk instead, you might come across some black eagles or Table Mountain ghost frogs. If you don’t, you’re still assured of some of the best views of the most beautiful city in the world.

Whereas locals just try to enjoy Table Mountain from the streets, tourists have a tendency to climb it. Although climbing is sometimes a bit overrated though, but why would you hassle when there’s a comfortable cableway waiting for you? And more then 600.000 people ever year do the same.

300 routes up and down the mountain
But if you’ve got a more adventurous nature, climbing Table Mountain is definitely a must. Just be aware that it’s not as easy is it looks. You must know that there’re about 300 routes up and down the mountain. Just to let you know it’s not too hard to get lost up there. And you don’t want that to happen during one of those fast African sundowners or a quick weather changes. Not without food, drinks and warm clothes- that is. It doesn’t happen a lot, but hikers do die on this mountain every now and again. So make sure you’re properly equipped and a bit of fitness wouldn’t harm you either.