India Venster, Platteklip Gorge or Skeleton Gorge?
Three routes up Table Mountain compared: length, time, scrambling and where each starts, with the guided hikes that use each route and what they cost (November 2026).
For most people Platteklip Gorge is the route: the most direct way up, on rock steps, about 3 km by SANParks’s figures. India Venster, from near the lower cableway station, adds scrambling and exposure to heights, for people with a head for heights. Skeleton Gorge climbs from Kirstenbosch through forest and up wooden ladders, a longer day that tops out away from the cableway. The Cape Town Local’s Cape Town: Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike sells the first two as options, US$60.53 a person each on the dates we read (checked November 2026).
Pick a date, then “Direct Route: Platteklip Gorge” or “Adventurous Route: India Venster”. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.
The three routes side by side
| Platteklip Gorge | India Venster | Skeleton Gorge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Tafelberg Road, beyond the lower cableway station | Near the lower cableway station | Kirstenbosch Gardens |
| Length | About 3 km up (SANParks) | About 3 km, 700 m of climbing (Cape Mountain Guides) | About 4 km one way (SANParks) |
| Time up | 1 to 3 hours (SANParks) | 3.5 to 4 hours (Cape Mountain Guides) | 2 to 4 hours (SANParks) |
| Ground | Rock steps; moderate to tough (SANParks) | Scrambling and exposure to heights | Forest steps, then wooden ladders over steep rock |
| Guided, from | The Cape Town Local, 2.5 hours | The Cape Town Local, 3.5 hours | Skeleton Gorge and Kirstenbosch Gardens Hike (Cape Mountain Guides) |
Route figures from SANParks’s hikes page and, for India Venster, which SANParks does not describe, from Cape Mountain Guides’ India Venster hike; checked November 2026.
Platteklip Gorge
The direct route, and the busiest. SANParks rates it moderate to tough, depending on fitness and weather, and there is no water on the way. On The Cape Town Local’s hike it is the less technical route, with hundreds of big rock steps to the top. It comes out near the upper cableway station, so the cable car is right there if it is running. The Platteklip Gorge hike has the detail.
India Venster
The name means India Window: Cape Mountain Guides’ route description has a photo stop at the actual “venster” (window), a gap in the rock looking over India Ravine. The route starts from the lower cable station, follows a path up under the cables to the Contour Path, then climbs a gully and rock steps to the scrambling sections: a small B-grade scramble in that description, needing a good head for heights. It finishes round the back of the summit.
The Cape Town Local sells it as the adventurous route: rugged, technical and less crowded, 3.5 hours. Its hikes ask for a good fitness level and are not for people afraid of heights.
Skeleton Gorge
SANParks describes it as starting in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens: 40 to 75 minutes of forest climbing on log and stone steps, then, about two-thirds of the way up, wooden ladders over steep rock that can be slippery when wet. It is about 4 km and 2 to 4 hours one way, with no shade in the second half, and SANParks says to avoid it during and just after heavy rain.
It tops out near Maclear’s Beacon, a walk across the plateau from the cableway. Cape Mountain Guides' Skeleton Gorge hike does not come down by cable car unless that is arranged in advance, at extra cost plus your own ride back to Kirstenbosch, and the Kirstenbosch entry ticket is not in its price.
Which guided hike for which route
Cape Town: Lion's Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike
The Cape Town Local: either route from a meeting point, 2.5 or 3.5 hours, US$60.53 a person on the dates we read. Cable car down at your own cost; if it is closed, the group walks down Platteklip.
Check dates →Cape Town: Half-Day India Venster Hike on Table Mountain
Cape Mountain Guides: a 4.5-hour India Venster half day from the lower cable station, up to 10 people, guides in English and Afrikaans. Not for under-12s; the cable car ticket down is not included.
See the hike →Cape Town: Skeleton Gorge and Kirstenbosch Gardens Hike
Cape Mountain Guides: 3.5 hours up from Kirstenbosch Gardens through the forest and the ladders. The Kirstenbosch entry ticket is extra; no cable car down unless arranged.
See the hike →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.
For India Venster there are two more guides: Atlantic Outlook, from US$91, in a group of up to 10 from the bottom of the cableway, and Hike Table Mountain on Viator, from US$118 (checked November 2026). Ruminate sells Skeleton Gorge and Kasteelspoort among eight route options.
More 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.
Pick Your Route When You Book
The Cape Town Local's guided hike: Platteklip Gorge in 2.5 hours or India Venster in 3.5 hours, from a meeting point, the cable car down at your own cost.
Check hike dates