Skeleton Gorge hiking trail

For vis­it­ors to Cape Town, a trip up the iconic Table Mountain is usu­ally at the top of the to-do list, as obvi­ous an excur­sion as vis­it­ing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or lick­ing gelato in Rome. But instead of hop­ping on the Cable Car for a less-than-10-minute ride straight to the top, why not make a day of it? Hiking up may take longer, but it’s well worth the extra effort. So get your sens­ible shoes and plenty of water, we’re going for a walk …

One of the most pop­u­lar routes to the top of Table Mountain is via Skeleton Gorge, a trail that begins in the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, on the mountain’s east­ern slopes. Perhaps not the friendliest-sounding little wander, Skeleton Gorge isn’t as omin­ous as it sounds — a reas­on­able meas­ure of fit­ness will have you there in around four hours (at a gentle pace, without stops).

The Gorge is actu­ally a rav­ine, and leads quite steeply up the ‘back’ of Table Mountain. It’s shaded by forest nearly all of the way, so though the incline is sure to give those leg muscles a workout, you’re sheltered from the sun, walk­ing in the cool of beau­ti­ful indi­gen­ous veget­a­tion and some mag­ni­fi­cent Yellow– and Ironwoods. Anyone vis­it­ing Table Mountain should take note of the reserve’s array of endemic fyn­bos (the beau­ti­ful and hardy scrub-type bush that car­pets the Cape Floral Region) and pro­teas, but if you’re doing this hike dur­ing January or February, keep an eye out for the beau­ti­ful red Disa that flowers around that time as well.

The closer you get to the top, the trick­ier Skeleton Gorge becomes, though still in the spirit of chal­len­ging fun as opposed to ‘turn around I wanna go home’. You’ll have to nego­ti­ate loose river stones and a series of lad­ders designed to help you over the steeper bits, but after that the going gets easier, and then take a look around – you’re on top.
Congratulations, you’ve conquered the Gorge.

And now you have some options. A short dis­tance away are the Hely-Hutchinson Dam and Woodhead Resevoir, huge bod­ies of water one almost can’t ima­gine are up there when you’re stand­ing down in the city. They’re worth a look, and a good spot for a quick bite to eat, though usu­ally far too cold for swim­ming. Follow the Kasteelspoort signpost.

Or, if your legs are still good to go, fol­low sig­nage to Maclear’s Beacon, the highest point on the Mountain at 1 085m above sea level. Marked by a stone cairn placed by Sir Thomas Maclear in 1844, some people would say you haven’t hiked Table Mountain if you haven’t vis­ited this spot. From here it’s an easy-ish walk along the flat table top to the Cable Way, where you can hop on a car for a quick yet scenic trip back down.

Still keen for the des­cent? Rather than going back the way you came (bor­ing, not to men­tion a little too steep), take Nursery Ravine back down to the Gardens. It’s not sign­posted but it’s the fourth route of the four-way split.
Now, wasn’t that worth a little sweat and a few stiff muscles?

Useful Links:
Western Cape Hiking Trails
Cape Town Hiking Trails & walks
Things to Do in Cape Town
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