Crouching Lion, Hidden Mountain

Table Mountain is by no means South Africa’s only moun­tain­ous draw card — with ranges like the Drakensberg, the Cederberg, the Magaliesberg and a whole list of other ’bergs to choose from, we’d prob­ably have been able to keep Sir Hilary happy for quite some time. And slap-bang in the middle of Cape Town is the majestic Lion’s Head, keep­ing a stately watch over the city ...

Lion’s Head lies between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, the lat­ter of which it com­bines with to form a sphinx-like shape — hence its name, ori­gin­ally bestowed by the 17^th cen­tury Dutch set­tlers, who called the rear­ing head-like peak Leeuwen Kop and the gentle slope of Signal Hill Leeuwen Staart (Lion’s tail). For inex­plic­able reas­ons, the 17^th cen­tury British dubbed the moun­tain Sugar Loaf. We’re glad it didn’t stick.

Rising up 669 metres above sea level, Lion’s Head offers some spec­tac­u­lar pan­or­amic views. From its sum­mit you can cast your eyes over the Cape Town city bowl, Table Bay, the Atlantic sea­board (includ­ing dazzling Camps Bay and Clifton) and, on a clear day, right out to Robben Island.

Of course, if it’s a view you want, it’s a bit of walk­ing you’ll need to do — there’s no swift cable­way ride to the top I’m afraid. However, therein lies half the fun. Hiking up Lion’s Head can take any­where between one and three hours, depend­ing on whether you’re a brisk power-hiker or more of a stop-and-enjoy-nature meanderer.

The some­what steep walk winds its way around the Head until you reach a col­lec­tion of chains, there to aid your scramble up the remain­ing rocky faces to the top. Of course, if you’re not feel­ing very Indiana Jones you can always take the slightly longer path which con­tin­ues its wend up to the summit.

Speaking of rocky faces ... the mountain’s lower slopes are com­posed of Cape Granite and other Precambrian found­a­tions, while its upper slopes are formed from Table Mountain sand­stone. Indigenous fyn­bos (shrub-like plants nat­ive to the Western Cape) cov­ers the land­scape, which sup­ports a vari­ety of small animals.

Hiking in gen­eral is all very well, but for some­thing a little out of the ordin­ary you can’t miss out on the full moon walks. Pack a pic­nic bas­ket and set off up the moun­tain in the late after­noon, then enjoy the fruits of your labour while din­ing atop the sum­mit and watch­ing not only a spec­tac­u­lar sun­set from across one ocean, but also the moon rising over another behind you. It’s a little occult, a lot romantic, and a thor­oughly unique exper­i­ence. Just remem­ber to pack flash­lights and tread care­fully on the way back down. Alternatively, you can join a group walk, which (for an almost neg­li­gible fee) offers safety in num­bers and the bene­fit of walk­ing with exper­i­enced hikers.

Or you could get really adven­tur­ous — Lion’s Head is a favour­ite launch­ing site for paragliders. A quick hike up the moun­tain, an incred­ible bird’s-eye-view soar above Cape Town, and a soft land­ing on beau­ti­ful Camps Bay beach for post-flight sun­down­ers ... not much can top that. Newbies can book a tan­dem flight with an instructor.

So go on, take a walk on the Lion side ...

Lion’s Head forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, which means that although it is sur­roun­ded by city and sub­urbs on all sides, build­ing on the higher ground is not per­mit­ted, thus pre­serving the range’s beauty for every­body. It also means tread lightly – don’t lit­ter, be mind­ful of smoking, and respect the mountain.

Useful Links:
Cape Town Hiking
Western Cape Hiking Trails
Western Cape Attractions
Western Cape Accommodation