The Platteklip Gorge Hike up Table Mountain

Platteklip Gorge is the direct route up Table Mountain: SANParks gives it as about 3 km up to the upper cableway station, 1 hour for the very fit and up to 3 for the less fit, rated moderate to tough. It is a long climb on rock steps with no water on the way. To do it with a guide, book the Platteklip Gorge option of The Cape Town Local’s Cape Town: Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike: 2.5 hours from a meeting point, US$60.53 a person on the dates we read (checked November 2026).

Pick a date, then the Direct Route option, the one up Platteklip Gorge. The same listing sells Lion’s Head hikes, so check the option before you pay. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before.

Where it starts

The trail leaves Tafelberg Road beyond the lower cableway station. Between the two it is 1.9 km along the road on foot, and from Cape Town City Hall it is 7.1 km by road to the trailhead. The path climbs the gorge and comes out on top near the upper cableway station.

How long it takes

SANParks’s own figures: about 3 km up, from 1 hour for the very fit to 3 hours for the less fit. The Cape Town Local’s guided option is 2.5 hours, and OTC Adventures' Platteklip hike gives 2 to 3 hours of hiking inside a 4-hour trip that includes pickup.

The path is mostly big rock steps. On The Cape Town Local’s hike it is the straightforward, less technical route: hundreds of steps all the way up, and the most crowded. SANParks rates it moderate to tough depending on your fitness and the weather, says older children can do it though it is demanding, and advises against bringing dogs, which are not allowed on the cableway.

At the top, and the way down

Platteklip comes out near the upper cableway station. The cable car is the quick way down, if it is running, and you pay for it yourself: the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s adult one-way fare is R300 online and R330 at the ticket office, prices valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (checked November 2026).

Plan for the walk down anyway. SANParks says weather changes often shut the cableway without warning, leaving hikers stranded at the upper station in the dark, and that the top can be much colder than Tafelberg Road, with an icy wind even in January and February. If the cableway is closed, The Cape Town Local’s group walks back down Platteklip.

What it costs

SANParks’ rates page lists no fee for the Table Mountain trails (checked November 2026). A guide is what you pay for: US$60.53 a person on The Cape Town Local’s Platteklip option on the dates we read, from US$103 with OTC Adventures, whose price includes pickup, water and a snack. Neither includes the cable car ticket; if the cableway is not running, the second adds about 2 hours and R500 a person in cash for the walk down.

Before you go

SANParks’s safety page asks you not to hike alone, four being the ideal number; to start early and tell someone your route and return time; to carry waterproof clothing even in midsummer, and enough water. There is none on Platteklip. Its emergency number is 086 110 6417. Is Platteklip Gorge open and safe? has the closures we found and the rest of SANParks’s advice.

Check dates for Platteklip Gorge