Lion's Head or Table Mountain?
Lion's Head or Table Mountain: height, time, the sunrise and sunset hikes, the way down and what each guided option cost on the dates we read (November 2026).
Lion’s Head is the shorter hike, a separate peak of 669 m beside Table Mountain that people climb for sunrise or sunset. Table Mountain is the bigger climb, and the one with a cable car down. If you have one morning and want the mountain itself, book Table Mountain. The Cape Town Local’s Cape Town: Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike sells both: on the dates we read, a Lion’s Head hike cost US$54.48 a person and a Table Mountain hike US$60.53 (checked November 2026).
Pick a date and then the option: the Lion’s Head and Table Mountain hikes are on the same calendar. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.
The two hikes side by side
| Lion’s Head | Table Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Height and length | Summit 669 m, about 2 km one way from Signal Hill Drive (SANParks) | About 3 km up Platteklip Gorge to the upper cableway station (SANParks) |
| Time up | 1 to 1.5 hours (SANParks) | 1 to 3 hours by Platteklip (SANParks) |
| Ground | Easy, with some minor rock scrambling; children may need help at the chains (SANParks) | Rock steps by Platteklip; scrambling and exposure on India Venster |
| The Cape Town Local’s option | 3.5 hours, sunrise or sunset | 2.5 hours by Platteklip, 3.5 by India Venster |
| Price on the dates we read | US$54.48; US$83.54 with hotel pickup | US$60.53, from a meeting point |
| The way down | On foot | Cable car at your own cost; on foot by Platteklip if it is closed |
SANParks’s hikes page, and The Cape Town Local’s option prices on 27 November 2026, 20 January and 10 March 2027; checked November 2026.
Is Lion’s Head part of Table Mountain?
It is its own peak, next to the mountain and inside Table Mountain National Park, and SANParks lists its trail with the park’s hikes. The guided hikes treat them as two choices: The Cape Town Local and Widevision Travel both sell Lion’s Head as an option of a Table Mountain listing.
Sunrise or sunset on Lion’s Head
On The Cape Town Local’s sunrise option you start in the dark, at 4:00 AM on the dates we read, with flashlights provided, and aim to be on the summit for the sunrise. The sunset option started at 4:45 PM (4:30 PM in March); the group reaches the summit about an hour before sunset, then drops to a lower, quieter section to watch it and walks down in the twilight. Because the start is set by the sun, it can move from the time you booked, and the group has to keep a steady pace to make the top in time.
SANParks warns that full-moon hikes on Lion’s Head are very busy, and that alcohol, darkness and the steep first part of the descent have caused several accidents, at least one fatal. Between 20 April and about 20 June 2026 its Jeep Track was closed for maintenance, with the summit still reached by other trails (SANParks notice of 16 April 2026); the notices page showed no later closure when we checked in November 2026.
Table Mountain
The bigger hike, and the one with the cable car at the top. The Cape Town Local’s Platteklip option is the direct climb, 2.5 hours from a 7:00 AM start on the dates we read; India Venster is 3.5 hours with scrambling, from 6:00 AM. Hotel pickup is not part of either: the Table Mountain options start from a meeting point. India Venster, Platteklip or Skeleton Gorge compares the routes.
Which to book
Cape Town: Lion's Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike
The Cape Town Local: Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset (US$54.48, or US$83.54 with hotel pickup) or Table Mountain by Platteklip or India Venster (US$60.53), on the dates we read. Good fitness needed; not for a fear of heights.
Check dates →Cape Town: Table Mountain Guided Summit Hike
Widevision Travel: a 3-hour guided group hike up Table Mountain, the route picked on the day; it also sells a Lion's Head option, at US$75.67 on the dates we read. Runs with at least 3 people.
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.
Pick Lion’s Head if you want the sunrise or the sunset and a shorter outing, or if you want to be collected from your hotel. Pick Table Mountain if the mountain is the point of the trip and you would like to ride down.
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.
Choose Your Mountain
The Cape Town Local's guided hike: Lion's Head at sunrise or sunset, or Table Mountain by Platteklip Gorge or India Venster. One listing; pick the option when you book.
Check hike dates