Up on Table Mountain, Cape Town

Our day’s excursion to Cape Town’s landmark Table Mountain kicked off with a hearty breakfast at Jason Café.

Table Mountain covered by its tablecloth!

If you have not already guessed, Table Mountain earned its name from its obvious resemblance to a table. The first man to make this observation was Portuguese explorer, Antonio de Saldanha.

In 1503 he was also the first white man to hike up the mountain and named it Taboa do Cabo or Table of the Cape. At its highest point, the mountain stands 3,563 feet above sea level.

Thick clouds, formed by moisture condensation when a south-easterly wind was directed up the mountain slopes into colder air, often covered its summit.

As the flat top of the mountain was often covered by these clouds, locals fondly say that Table Mountain was covered by a tablecloth.

Patiently waiting in the queue 

While there was a scientific explanation to this natural phenomenon, locals believed in the legend of a smoking contest between the devil and a local pirate named Van Hunks, with so much puffing that it resulted in the tablecloth effect.

When we arrived at the valley station for the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, we joined a large crowd of visitors in the queue to wait for our turn to board the gondola that would take us to the upper cable station.

It was a bright and sunny morning and we were hopeful that the weather would hold so that the scenic views from the summit would be clear.

Part of the long queue at the valley cableway station

We were aware that the weather on Table Mountain may suddenly change and strong winds may even cause the cableway to close, so we were mindful to leave in good time.

Later at the summit, the weather cooperated quite well except once when the fleecy clouds caused a bit of a whiteout, as seen from a photo of my sister, Ruby, and I.

While inching our way in the queue, I took time to read the information on the brochures and signboards to gain more insight into Table Mountain, one of the official New Seven Wonders of Nature.

In November 2011, Table Mountain was voted among the top seven major international attractions in a campaign that attracted more than 100 million global votes.

Table Mountain is one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature

Since the aerial cableway started operations in 1929, it was refurbished three times – in 1958, in 1974 and in 1996 – and it began operation again in 1997.

The new cable cars included Rotair panorama gondolas that were not only faster but would rotate through 360 degrees during the ascent or descent to give passengers a panoramic view of the city.

Both the valley and mountain stations were original buildings, although extensively upgraded, and the mountain station offered vista points, souvenir shops and a restaurant.

I was keen on appreciating the views, exploring the walking trails and visiting the souvenir shop – in that order – to work off the breakfast and work up an appetite for lunch, planned at Café Orca, a recommended beachfront seafood place.

A rotating gondola in the cableway

A level plateau that spanned about three kilometers from side to side, was the main feature of Table Mountain.

Flanked by Devil’s Peak to the East and by Lion’s Head to the West, Table Mountain formed a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town.

Table Mountain is at the Northern end of a sandstone mountain range that formed the spine of the Cape Peninsular that ends about 50 km to the South at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point.

On the lower slopes on the Eastern side of this mountain range lies conservation areas like Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a park that we also planned to visit.

A whiteout when we were enveloped by fleecy clouds!

At the summit, we saw mainly low stubby plants, collectively known as Fynbos or fine-leaved bush, and we listened to a guide who shared more information on the flora and fauna here.

It was interesting to learn that South Africa is the only country in the world with its own floral kingdom – Cape Floral Kingdom – the smallest of the world’s six recognised floral kingdoms.

Table Mountain is part of a World Heritage Site, an important part of the Cape Floristic Region and while it may be the smallest, it is also the richest because it comprised 8,500 species, many of which grow nowhere else but here!

Singapore was 9,563 km away from Table Mountain!

As I explored the summit, I read information plaques with interesting legends, bits of history, its geography and plant diversity.

Then I discovered a circular structure that featured a relief map of the Table Bay area with a perspective of distances from Table Mountain to the visitors’ home countries.

I was not surprised that we did not see Johor or Malaysia marked on this structure but the nearest location to Johor Baru (a causeway apart!) was Singapore at 6,005 m and 9,563 km away!

Then I found a great spot to sit and soak in the panoramic views of Cape Town and Table Bay below, and the nearby peaks in the mountain range in Table Mountain National Park.

The sun shone with a bright glare, but gusty winds brought a welcome coolness.

A view of Cape Town and Table Bay from Table Mountain, South Africa

Even though the plateau on Table Mountain was swarming with visitors and hikers, they seemed to fade away momentarily as I basked in the sounds of solitude.

Yes, I was indeed far, far away on Table Mountain in the African continent.

[More in the next exciting episode of your armchair travel to South Africa.]