Table Mountain's named hiking routes to the summit

Table Mountain has hundreds of documented lines to the plateau, but only a handful carry names that everyone uses, and choosing between them comes down to shade, scrambling and how you plan to get down. This set lays out those named ascents with the facts that decide the day: where the path starts, what is underfoot, whether hands are needed, and which routes pair up as an up-and-down. Two entries here do not reach the plateau at all, and are included because they are the ones most often mistaken for routes that do.

Places in this collection

  • Hiddingh-Ascension — A six-hour outing counted among the hardest named ways onto the mountain, combining steep ground, difficult scrambles and several sections…
  • Kasteelspoort — The Atlantic-side ascent, reached from Kloof Nek parking along the flat opening stretch of the Pipe Track before the climb proper. As a loo…
  • India Venster — A scrambling route from the lower cableway station, quoted at about 3.5 hours, with exposed traverses on narrow paths above sheer drops and…
  • Nursery Ravine — The other Kirstenbosch ascent, rated fairly strenuous alongside Skeleton Gorge and most often walked as its partner: up one ravine and down…
  • Skeleton Gorge — The eastern approach, beginning inside Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and climbing the Afromontane forest of the gorge with scrambl…
  • Platteklip Gorge — The direct line up the north face, starting from Tafelberg Road roughly a mile beyond the lower cable car station and climbing the main gor…

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