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Cape Town · 2.5 to 3.5 hours · Guided hike
Table Mountain Tour: Guided Hikes from Cape Town
The Cape Town Local sells Table Mountain and Lion's Head hikes on one listing: up Table Mountain by Platteklip Gorge or India Venster, or Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset. The Table Mountain options start from a meeting point; among the group options, hotel pickup comes only with the Lion's Head hikes.
Pick your hike
Which Table Mountain Hike or Tour?
Most Table Mountain tours are guided hikes: you walk up with a guide and, if the cableway is running, ride the cable car down. The one to book first is The Cape Town Local’s Cape Town: Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike, from US$46 on promotion, usually US$54 a person (checked November 2026). It sells two mountains on one listing. On the dates we read, the Table Mountain hikes, by Platteklip Gorge or India Venster, cost US$60.53 a person and a Lion’s Head hike US$54.48, so pick the Table Mountain option when you book.
Cape Town: Table Mountain Guided Summit Hike
Widevision Travel: a 3-hour guided group hike from a meeting point; the guide picks the route on the day by weather, crowds and the group's fitness. Cable car down optional, ticket not included. It runs with at least 3 people.
See the hike →Cape Town: Lion's Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike
The Cape Town Local: Platteklip Gorge (2.5 hours) or India Venster (3.5 hours) up Table Mountain, or Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset. Cable car down at your own cost; if it is closed, the group walks down Platteklip.
Check dates →Cape Town Tour: Table Mountain, Penguins & Cape Point+Pickup
Beyond Africa Safaris - Gray Line South Africa: 10 hours with 1.5 hours at Table Mountain by cable car, then Chapman's Peak, Cape Point and the Boulders penguins. Entry tickets, the cable car's among them, are paid on top.
See the day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The comparison below sets four of these side by side. India Venster, Platteklip or Skeleton Gorge goes through the routes.
- 5.0 / 5 2396+ Reviews
- About 3 km Up Platteklip Gorge to the upper cableway station, as SANParks gives it: 1 hour for the very fit to 3 for the less fit
- 669 m The summit of Lion's Head, about 2 km one way from Signal Hill Drive (SANParks)
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Hike Includes
A guide on the trail, the route you pick when you book, and the cable car down at your own cost when it is running.
The Cape Town Local's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Choose to hike either Lion's Head or Table Mountain
- Choose the Platteklip Gorge or India Venster route on Table Mountain
- Hike up the famous Table Mountain, one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature
- Enjoy an athletic outdoor activity with a knowledgeable local guide
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
- Knowledgeable registered guide qualified in first aid
- Guided hiking tour
- Flashlights/headlights
Good to know: Please double check that you have selected the correct hiking option between Table Mountain and Lion’s Head when making the booking · This experience requires a good fitness level and an intermediate skill level. The trails all include a combination of hiking, varied levels of scrambling, and exposure to heights · The Lion’s Head hike start time is dictated by the times of sunrise and sunset, so the start time may vary from the original booking time. The group also needs to move at a steady pace to ensure that the summit is reached on time · Not suitable for: People with mobility impairments, People with heart problems, People afraid of heights, People with low level of fitness · Not Included: Food, Water and snacks, Tickets for the Table Mountain Cable Car (purchased at the top), Tips
From the Trailhead to the Top and Down
Pick the mountain and the route, meet the guide, climb, and come down by cable car or on foot.
Pick the Mountain and the Route
Table Mountain by Platteklip Gorge (2.5 hours, 7:00 AM on the dates we read) or India Venster (3.5 hours, 6:00 AM), or Lion's Head for sunrise or sunset. They are options of one listing, so check which one you are booking.
Meet the Guide
The Table Mountain options start from a meeting point. Hotel pickup is sold with the Lion's Head options and the private hike. Flashlights or headlamps are provided.
Up the Mountain
Every trail mixes hiking, some scrambling and exposure to heights, and the hike needs a good fitness level. Food and water are not in the price: bring water, snacks, a windbreaker and a sun hat.
Down by Cable Car or on Foot
At the top you buy your own cable car ticket down if it is running. If it is closed, the group hikes back down the direct route, Platteklip Gorge.
Photo Gallery
Sandstone, Fynbos and the City Below
Rock steps up the gorge, the flat summit, and the view back over Cape Town and the Atlantic.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
The Cape Town Local's guided hike: Table Mountain by Platteklip Gorge or India Venster from a meeting point, or Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset with hotel pickup as an option. The cable car ticket down is bought at the top. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Plan Your Hike
Planning a Table Mountain Hike
Platteklip Gorge, choosing a route, Lion's Head or the mountain, a guide or on your own, tours with a mountain stop, and closures and safety.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Tour prices on GetYourGuide and Viator are in US dollars; fees paid in South Africa are in rand (R).
Four Ways Up Table Mountain Side by Side
Two guided hikes from a meeting point, a Platteklip hike with pickup, and a peninsula day with the cable car: length, start, route, the way down, what is in the price and the limits. GetYourGuide prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Pick your route | Route chosen on the day | Platteklip with pickup | Peninsula day, no hike |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$46 per person (on the dates we read, a Table Mountain hike cost US$60.53 and a Lion's Head hike US$54.48; checked November 2026) | From US$76 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$103 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$58 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Length | 2.5 hours by Platteklip, 3.5 hours by India Venster | 3 hours | 4 hours, of which 2 to 3 hours hiking | 10 hours, 1.5 of them at Table Mountain |
| Where It Starts | A meeting point; 7:00 AM (Platteklip) or 6:00 AM (India Venster) on the dates we read | A meeting point at the base of the mountain, or hotel pickup as a dearer option | Pickup from accommodation in the City Bowl and nearby | Hotel pickup within 8 km of the city centre, 7:00 AM on the dates we read |
| The Route Up | Platteklip Gorge or India Venster, chosen when you book | Chosen by the guide on the day, by weather, crowds and fitness | Platteklip Gorge | No hike: up by cable car |
| The Way Down | Cable car at your own cost; on foot by Platteklip if it is closed | Cable car optional, ticket not included, when it is operating | Cable car at your own cost; if it is not running, the guide walks you down for R500 a person extra | Cable car; the ticket is bought separately |
| In the Price | Registered guide qualified in first aid, flashlights or headlamps; no food or water | Guide, safety briefing, basic first aid and safety equipment; no food or drinks | Pickup, mountain guide, water and a snack | Pickup, guide-driver, Chapman's Peak toll, bottled water; entry tickets extra |
| Group | Not stated; a private hike is a separate option | Small group; runs with at least 3 people | Up to 10 | Up to 19 a vehicle |
| Limits | Good fitness; not for a fear of heights, heart problems or limited mobility | Moderate fitness; not for children under 4 or wheelchair users | Strenuous; not for children under 4 | Wheelchair accessible |
| Best For | Choosing your own route, at the lowest price for a Table Mountain hike in this table | Leaving the route to the guide on the day | Platteklip with a pickup and the cable car down | The view from the top without the climb, plus Cape Point and the penguins |
| Check dates | See the hike | See the hike | See the day |
More Ways Up
Other Guided Table Mountain Hikes and Tours
India Venster and Skeleton Gorge with other guides, a Platteklip hike with pickup, and a city tour with the cable car, on GetYourGuide and Viator.
PLATTEKLIP WITH PICKUPTable Mountain: Platteklip Gorge Hike
OTC Adventures' 4-hour Platteklip Gorge hike with pickup and drop-off in the City Bowl and nearby, water and a snack, in a group of up to 10. The hike itself takes 2 to 3 hours; the one-way cable car ticket down is not included, and if the cableway is not running the guide walks you down, about 2 more hours at R500 a person in cash. Not for children under 4.
INDIA VENSTERCape Town: Half-Day India Venster Hike on Table Mountain
Cape Mountain Guides' 4.5-hour India Venster half day from the lower cable station, in a group of up to 10, with an expert guide; about 3 km and 700 m of climbing with a short easy scramble. The cable car ticket down and food are not included. Guides speak English and Afrikaans. Not for under-12s or people afraid of heights.
SKELETON GORGECape Town: Skeleton Gorge and Kirstenbosch Gardens Hike
Cape Mountain Guides' 3.5-hour Skeleton Gorge hike from Kirstenbosch Gardens, up a wooded gorge with ladders beside waterfalls. The Kirstenbosch entry ticket, pickup, food and tips are not included; the route does not come down by cable car unless arranged before. Not for under-12s.
INDIA VENSTER, SMALL GROUPCape Town: Table Mountain Hike via India Venster
Atlantic Outlook's 4-hour India Venster hike from the bottom of the cableway, in a group of up to 10, with water, snacks and emergency equipment. The description has the group hike back down by Platteklip Gorge or another route; a cable car ticket down is not included. Good fitness and confidence on uneven ground; not for people over 120 kg.
EIGHT ROUTESCape Town: Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike
Ruminate's guided hike with eight route options, among them Platteklip Gorge, India Venster, Skeleton Gorge, Kasteelspoort and Devil's Peak, plus Lion's Head; small groups, a choice of starting points and a fynbos foraging walk or storytelling session. No transport; the cable car descent is not included. Moderate fitness; not for people with vertigo.
ON VIATORIndia Venster: sensational half-day route up Table Mountain
Hike Table Mountain's guided India Venster half day, 3 hours 30 minutes from a meeting point, with a qualified mountain guide; scrambling and exposure to heights on about 15 per cent of the route. Moderate fitness.
CITY TOURCape Town Uncovered: Half-Day City Tour and Table Mountain
The Glorious Cape Tours' 5-hour half-day city tour with hotel pickup: an hour at Table Mountain by cable car, Signal Hill, Camps Bay, Bo-Kaap and the city centre. The Table Mountain ticket and lunch are not included.
Table Mountain from Cape Town
The Routes, the Options and What You Pay
Three ways up, what a guided hike includes, how you get down, and the tours that stop at the mountain instead.
Three ways up
The guided hikes use three routes. Platteklip Gorge is the one SANParks calls the most direct and most popular, about 3 km up to the upper cableway station, taking 1 hour for the very fit and up to 3 for the less fit. SANParks rates it moderate to tough depending on fitness and weather, and there is no water on the way.
India Venster starts near the lower cableway station and climbs with rock scrambling on the way. SANParks’s hikes page does not describe it. Cape Mountain Guides’ India Venster hike covers about 3 km and 700 m of climbing, with a short section of easy scrambling that needs a good head for heights. On The Cape Town Local’s hike it is the adventurous route, rugged and less crowded.
Skeleton Gorge climbs from Kirstenbosch Gardens to Maclear’s Beacon. SANParks gives about 4 km and 2 to 4 hours one way, with wooden ladders over steep rock about two-thirds of the way up, and says to avoid it during and just after heavy rain.
The Cape Town Local’s hike, option by option
| Option | Length | Start on the dates we read | Price a person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table Mountain, Platteklip Gorge | 2.5 hours | 7:00 AM, from a meeting point | US$60.53 |
| Table Mountain, India Venster | 3.5 hours | 6:00 AM, from a meeting point | US$60.53 |
| Lion’s Head, sunrise or sunset | 3.5 hours | 4:00 AM, or 4:30 to 4:45 PM, from a meeting point | US$54.48 |
| Lion’s Head with hotel pickup | 3.5 hours | sunrise or sunset | US$83.54 |
| Private hike with pickup | 3.5 hours | 12:00 PM | US$181.60 for one; US$151.34 each for two |
GetYourGuide option prices on 27 November 2026, 20 January and 10 March 2027, the same on all three dates; checked November 2026. Two adults pay twice the one-adult price on the group options.
The US$46 on promotion, usually US$54, checked November 2026 on the booking calendar is a from-price that none of these options showed on the dates we read. The Lion’s Head start time follows sunrise and sunset, so it can move from the time you booked. The guide is a registered guide qualified in first aid, and the price includes the flashlights or headlamps. Food, water, tips and the cable car ticket are not included.
Check dates for the Table Mountain hike
Getting down
The cable car is the easy way down, and you pay for it yourself at the top. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s prices, valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, are R300 one way for an adult online and R330 at the ticket office (checked November 2026). If the cableway is closed, The Cape Town Local’s group walks back down Platteklip Gorge.
SANParks advises allowing time to walk down even if you plan to ride, because weather can shut the cableway without warning and leave hikers stranded at the upper station in the dark. One operator charges for that: OTC Adventures' Platteklip hike adds about 2 hours and R500 a person in cash when its guide has to walk you down. Is Platteklip Gorge open? covers closures.
Other guided hikes
Cape Mountain Guides' India Venster half day is from US$58 (checked November 2026), 4.5 hours from a meeting point in a group of up to 10, and not for under-12s. Atlantic Outlook's India Venster hike meets at the bottom of the cableway and takes up to 10, from US$91; its description has the group hike back down by Platteklip or another route, and a cable car ticket down is not included.
OTC Adventures' Platteklip Gorge hike includes pickup from your accommodation in the City Bowl and nearby, water and a snack, in a group of up to 10, from US$103. Ruminate's guided hike sells eight route options, Kasteelspoort, Skeleton Gorge and Devil’s Peak among them. Cape Mountain Guides' Skeleton Gorge hike starts in Kirstenbosch Gardens, whose entry ticket is not in the price.
Hike Table Mountain's India Venster half day is a 3 hour 30 minute hike from a meeting point, from US$118 a person (checked November 2026).
Day tours with a Table Mountain stop
If you want the view without the climb, several day tours stop at the cableway. Beyond Africa Safaris - Gray Line South Africa's peninsula day gives the mountain 1.5 hours and goes on to Cape Point and the Boulders penguins; the cable car and the other entry tickets are paid on top. Table Mountain tours from Cape Town compares those days and what they leave out.
What reviewers mention
The Cape Town Local’s hike has 2,396 reviews on GetYourGuide. We read the 350 most recent, dated 31 May to 7 November 2026: three give three stars or fewer, and one of those has a comment, a three-star review from October 2026 saying the hike is good but not easy and can become dangerous in bad weather because the ground gets slippery.
Before you book
- Fitness. The Cape Town Local’s hikes need a good fitness level and are not for people with heart problems, a fear of heights or limited mobility. Cape Mountain Guides' India Venster is not for under-12s, Widevision Travel's group hike not for children under 4.
- Fees. SANParks’ rates page lists no fee for the Table Mountain trails (checked November 2026).
- The right option. Both The Cape Town Local and Widevision Travel sell Lion’s Head and Table Mountain hikes on one listing; check the option before you pay.
- Cancelling. Every GetYourGuide hike here can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Up Table Mountain with a Local Guide
The Cape Town Local's guided hike: Platteklip Gorge or India Venster to the top of Table Mountain, or Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$46 per person (on the dates we read, a Table Mountain hike cost US$60.53 and a Lion's Head hike US$54.48; checked November 2026) on promotion, usually US$54, checked November 2026.
Check hike datesMore from Cape Town
Hikes and Tours in Cape Town with Open Dates
Guided hikes and day tours from Cape Town with live availability. The meeting point, what is included and the cancellation terms show before you book.
Table Mountain Hikes and Tours: Questions
Which hike, how long, the routes, fees, the cable car down, Lion's Head, safety and tours that skip the climb.
For a hike with a guide, The Cape Town Local's Lion's Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike, from US$46 a person (checked November 2026); its Table Mountain options, Platteklip Gorge or India Venster, cost US$60.53 on the dates we read. If you would rather the guide picked the route on the day, Widevision Travel's group hike is from US$76. If you want the view without the climb, a peninsula day with a Table Mountain stop is from US$58, with the cable car ticket on top.
By Platteklip Gorge, SANParks gives 1 hour for the very fit to 3 hours for the less fit, about 3 km up. The Cape Town Local's guided options run 2.5 hours by Platteklip and 3.5 hours by India Venster. Skeleton Gorge, from Kirstenbosch, is about 4 km and 2 to 4 hours one way (SANParks). Add the way down: by cable car if it is running, or on foot. See India Venster, Platteklip or Skeleton Gorge.
SANParks' rates page lists no fee for the Table Mountain trails (checked November 2026). What you pay for is the guide, if you book one, and the cable car down: the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway's adult one-way ticket is R300 online and R330 at the ticket office, prices valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (checked November 2026). None of the guided hikes here includes the cable car ticket. See a guided hike or on your own.
On Tafelberg Road, further along from the lower cableway station: 1.9 km on foot between the two, and 7.1 km by road from Cape Town City Hall to the trailhead. It climbs to the upper cableway station. See the Platteklip Gorge hike.
It is a steep, busy path, and SANParks's safety advice applies to it like any route: don't hike alone (four is the ideal number), start early, take waterproof clothing even in summer, and turn back before you run late. SANParks's safety page also opens with attacks and muggings in and around the park, and gives the emergency number 086 110 6417. It advises allowing time to walk down even if you plan to ride, because the cableway can shut without warning. See is Platteklip Gorge open and safe.
It is a separate peak beside Table Mountain, inside Table Mountain National Park. SANParks lists its trail with the park's hikes: 669 m at the summit, about 2 km one way from Signal Hill Drive, 1 to 1.5 hours up. The Cape Town Local sells both on one listing; on the dates we read, a Lion's Head hike cost US$54.48 and a Table Mountain hike US$60.53. See Lion's Head or Table Mountain.
Not the ticket. The Cape Town Local's hikers buy it at the top; Widevision Travel and OTC Adventures leave it out too. If the cableway is closed, The Cape Town Local's group walks down Platteklip Gorge, and OTC Adventures charges R500 a person in cash for the extra 2 hours or so.
Some do. OTC Adventures' Platteklip hike includes pickup in the City Bowl and nearby. Widevision Travel sells pickup as a dearer option. The Cape Town Local's Table Mountain options start from a meeting point; among its group options, pickup comes only with the Lion's Head hikes.
India Venster is the most technical of the three main routes on the guided hikes. On The Cape Town Local's hike Platteklip is the less technical, direct route and India Venster the rugged, technical one, with rock scrambling; Cape Mountain Guides' hikes put India Venster at moderate (about 3 km and 700 m of climbing) and Skeleton Gorge at easy. SANParks's hikes page does not describe India Venster; it rates Platteklip moderate to tough, depending on fitness and weather.
Yes, by cable car, and several day tours stop there. Beyond Africa Safaris - Gray Line South Africa's peninsula day gives the mountain 1.5 hours; The Glorious Cape Tours' half-day city tour an hour. Both leave the cable car ticket to you. See Table Mountain tours from Cape Town.
Still have questions? Email us at info@table-mountain-tour.com