The best day hikes in Cape Town

Hike time: Allow 2-4 hours

This mostly-flat out-and-back route dishes up stellar mountain and ocean views. From the parking area at Kloof Nek, the path follows a track laid in 1887 for pipes that still today carry drinking water from mountaintop dams to the city’s reservoirs.

The Pipe Track runs below the famous row of buttresses known as the Twelve Apostles, with occasional benches offering views across the upscale suburbs and perfect beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton. Follow the signs to Kasteelspoort if you’re planning a longer route to the top of Table Mountain. Or, simply walk as far as you fancy, then turn around and return to the starting point. Take it easy and enjoy the view.

Hike time: Allow 3-4hrs, depending on fitness.

With remarkable views from the domed summit, which can be reached in under an hour if you’re quick, Lion’s Head is far and away the most popular hike Cape Town has to offer. The clearly-marked (and heavily-trafficked) path leaves from Signal Hill Road, encircling Lion’s Head to offer wonderful city and sea vistas en route to the summit. There are a few steep scrambles near the top, made easier by a series of well-maintained ladders and chains. The route is particularly popular on the evening of a full moon.

Hike time: 4-5hrs, return

This extension of the popular Pipe Track route will lead you on a 10km round trip up to the ‘Back Table’ of the mountain; making it an excellent alternative route from the city centre if you want to admire the dams of Table Mountain. From Kloof Nek follow the Pipe Track until the well-marked turn-off to Kasteelspoort. It’s a stiff climb up stone stairs and well-worn path, but the wonderful views out over the Atlantic Ocean offer plenty of excuses to stop and catch your breath. When you reach the top of the valley, don’t press straight on to the dams (or the Disa Stream), but take a moment to bag your Insta moment on the famous ‘diving board’. While it looks precarious, it’s easy enough to reach and makes for a memorable snapshot of Table Mountain, but watch your step and be cautious of the drop.

Hike time: Approximately 2hrs from Tafelberg Road to cableway station, one-way 

If you want to say you actually climbed Table Mountain, rather than just riding the aerial cableway, this is your quickest route to the top.

The path begins on Tafelberg Road – look for the popular coffee truck – and goes straight up a gash in the stone massif of the front face of the mountain. The name translates as ‘flat stone gorge’ and it is a steep, often strenuous, slog up a stone staircase to the top. Take plenty of water, and avoid this route on summer afternoons when the gorge gets perilously hot.

Hike time: 90 minutes, return, from the cableway station

Whether you take the cableway, or hike up Platteklip Gorge, once you're on top of Table Mountain it’s well worth walking the path to Maclear’s Beacon.

At 1086 metres above sea level, this large stone beacon was built in 1844 by Astronomer Thomas Maclear and marks the highest point of the Table Mountain National Park. If you want to honestly say that you made it to the top of the mountain, you have to summit Maclear’s.

Hike time: 3-4hrs, return

Did you know that there are water storage dams on top of Table Mountain? These five dams date back more than a century and were crucial to the city’s water supply as far back as the late-1800s. In fact, they are still in use today, and supply the city with drinking water via a series of pipelines, tunnels and reservoirs. However, their small size means that the city would drink the dams dry in less than five days! The easiest route to discover the five dams – Woodhead, Hely-Hutchinson, De Villiers, Alexandria and Victoria – is to follow the ‘concrete road’ up from Constantia Nek. It’s an easy route to follow, even if the incline is steep, and it’ll take you around an hour to reach the first dam, and another 30 minutes to make it to the two largest dams on the ‘Back Table’. If you want to make an adventure of it, consider booking the Overseers Cottage to overnight on the mountain.

Hike time: Allow 4-5hrs round-trip

Leave the crowds behind and head for the paths that ascend from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The steep, well-marked, path up Skeleton Gorge is shaded by thick stands of indigenous forest, making it an ideal option for hot summer days.

In January and February, keep an eye on the mossy rocks near the top for the Disa uniflora, a wild orchid that’s endemic to the Cape. At the top of the gorge, follow the path to view the surprising summit reservoirs, and then return to Kirstenboch via Nursery Ravine.

Hike time: 4hrs return

The Red Disa – Disa uniflora – is one of the floral stars of Table Mountain. In the summer months you can seek them out in the streams and valleys of the Back Table, and the most reliable place to find them is on the Aqueduct Trail. Ascend Skeleton Gorge from Kirstenbosch Gardens to the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir. At the northern corner, alongside the Waterworks Museum (worth a visit if it is open, which it sadly usually isn’t), follow the trail that leads north-east along boardwalks and clear paths into a steep gorge. There’s a good chance of spotting disas here, but a short way further along the masonry aqueduct is a more reliable location for admiring these dramatic indigenous orchids. Turn right at the Smuts Track to return to Skeleton Gorge and descend here, or continue further to come down the knee-jarring steps of Nursery Ravine.

Hike time: Allow 3hrs, return, from the reservoir

'Hey Google! Take me to the Silvermine reservoir!'

Then, from this popular picnic spot in the Silvermine section of Table Mountain National Park (a 30-minute drive from the city centre), a clearly-marked gravel road leads onwards and upwards to Noordhoek Peak, delivering superb views down into the aquamarine waters of Hout Bay.

This circular route returns you to the reservoir, where you can take a dip on summer days.

Hike time: 3hrs return

A wonderful option for families (and dogs), with plenty of shade and the prospect of a beautiful waterfall at the high point of the trail. Park at Cecilia Forest (where there’s usually a security guard keeping an eye on cars) and head straight uphill, in the shade of pine and blue gums that soon give way to lush indigenous forests. At the road intersection watched over by one enormous blue gum the path leads steeply uphill, with a series of steps to get your lungs working. But it’s worth it once you reach the delicate spray of Cecilia Waterfall, where ferns and flowers grow amid the cataracts. The waterfall is dry in summer, so visit in winter or spring for the best display. The return circular route leads back via Kirstenbosch and the contour path.

Hike time: At a gentle pace, 2-3hrs return

For a more gentle amble, park at the Silvermine entrance gate and follow the riverside path that runs up towards the reservoir, roughly parallel to the road.

It’s a delightful walk, especially for families with young kids, with plenty of riverside spots for paddling en route. The path meanders through stands of indigenous Keurboom woodland, before opening out onto the boardwalks that loop around the reservoir.

Hike time: 2hrs, return

This straightforward walk from the parking lot at the Silvermine reservoir takes you to one of Cape Town’s most famous caves, with wonderful views out over the city. Follow the path that leads up from the northern side of the reservoir, where you’ll also find a map of the area’s walking trails. It’s a popular route so on the weekends you’ll find plenty of other hikers out enjoying Silvermine. There’s little shade, so be sure to carry sun hats and plenty of water. Pack a swimming costume for a dip in the reservoir afterwards!

Hike time: Allow 5hrs return

If you’re the adventurous, non-conformist sort, you may want to swap Lion’s Head for Devil’s Peak. It’s a tougher climb, on a rougher path, but you’ll avoid the crowds and queues that clog the ‘Lion’ when the weather is fine.

The path up Devil’s Peak starts on Tafelberg Road (900m after Platteklip Gorge), ascending steeply to the saddle where a diversion to Pulpit Rock is worth it for the city views to the east. Then gird your loins for the final summit push, where 360-degree vistas await.

Hike time: 2hrs, one-way, at a gentle pace

Want to walk off the morning’s indulgence in the wine cellars of the Constantia Valley? This easy one-way route follows a wide jeep track from the parking area at Constantia Nek to the bucolic setting of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

With much of the path in shady forest, it’s ideal for summer afternoons and offers wonderful views across the city. Keep an ear open for the shrill cry of the Black Sparrowhawks that make these woods their home. Finish with ice cream, or a late lunch, at the Garden’s tea room.

Hike time: 90 minutes, return

For a different perspective on False Bay, take a break on your day-tour to Cape Point for this easy ramble up Elsie’s Peak overlooking the beaches of Fish Hoek and Simonstown.

From the starting point on Golconda Street in Glencairn Heights it’s less than 30-minutes walk to the summit, wandering through beautiful fynbos and weathered sandstone outcrops. Admire the peninsula views, before returning via a circular path to the start.