A Magnificent Loop in the Southern Rainbow Nation (page 2 of 14)

Yeah, those are "first-world problems"...😛

😏😏😇

Hi Isabelle

Awesome! I’m gonna save this travel journal to my favorites 😎 (since I regularly think about taking a trip around the Cape region... haven’t done it yet, but it’s definitely gonna happen!).

Muriel

It’s just that it’ll only be two weeks of vacation—usually I go for five.

No doubt, you’re really suffering 😇 😉 Having to settle for two weeks of diving is tough!... 😏😏😏 Muriel

Hi Muriel, Yes, the Cape region has a lot to offer—you just need to pick the right season (when you can) 😉. More to come...

Sunday, December 23: Table Mountain

After a good night’s sleep, we grab a quick breakfast and head out at 8:30 AM. For our first day, we wanted to see Cape Town from above, so we’re heading to Table Mountain.

The first departure is at 8 AM, but it’s already past 9 AM by the time we park on Tafelberg Road, just before the cableway station. The line of cars along the road is impressive, but we still manage to find a spot not too far from the Cableway.

Just before leaving, we booked our tickets online to go up. We’re feeling energetic—the descent will be on foot. A one-way ticket costs R190, and a round-trip is R330. The tickets are valid for a week from the purchase date.

There’s no one at the ticket counters, but the line to access the cable car is already quite long. We should’ve left earlier—it’s already 9:30 AM, and the crowd is here too.

Lucky for us, the weather’s nice despite a few clouds, and there’s not much wind. Otherwise, the cable car doesn’t operate when it’s too windy, and you’d better be in great shape to hike up. It’s doable, but it takes a bit more time.

It’s 10:10 AM when we get into the cabin. Four minutes later, we’ve covered the 700-meter elevation gain.

But when we reach the top, there’s a lot of fog. We’re pretty disappointed because the visibility is terrible 🤪.



We start the loop on the plateau, hoping the clouds will have cleared by the time we come back. Right at the beginning, we spot rock hyraxes lounging on the rocks 😎.





The walk is really pleasant, with a few flowers...







Then the fog gets thicker🙁. With the mist and the reeds, it feels like we’re in the Scottish moors—but with more heat 😉.





We reach Maclear Beacon, the highest point on the mountain (1,085 meters), pretty quickly since there’s no elevation gain.

Normally, we should’ve had amazing views, but it’s completely fogged in. Luckily, this little lizard lets us take its picture 🙂.





On the way back, we walk along the cliff, but the clouds below still block the view 😕.





We take our time, finishing the loop in about 2 hours. It’s 12:30 PM when we get back to the cable car station. Honestly, the walk isn’t a must-do when it’s cloudy—these might be the only clouds in the peninsula today. What a shame! On the bright side, these 7 km helped us stretch our legs after yesterday’s 15+ hours of flying.

We stop for a quick lunch at the cafeteria. The line to go down is long enough to convince us to hike back down instead.

My husband really wants to backtrack to take this path near that marker, but I’m not too keen on walking into the fog 🙁.





But why did I only listen to myself? Why did I check MapsMe, which showed a much faster route?

But why did I only do things my own way? Why did I check MapsMe, which showed a much faster route?

MapsMe.... A great love story that ended with me between four military officers at 10 PM in Istanbul because MapsMe indicated a "viewpoint" behind the palace without specifying it was a military zone (even though we saw the barrier, the guard was asleep!!!).

During a period of terrorist attacks, this was followed by a proper military police check, who were still wondering how these two French idiots managed to sneak in... I can’t even tell you how scared I was—I only heard the *Midnight Express* soundtrack in my head!!! 🏴‍☠️😕

Oh yeah! It cools down a bit, and that’s when you kinda regret not being in France 😅. Still, it’s so typically French to defy the rules 😜

Here we are on the descent at 1:30 PM, and the sun is finally with us, offering some great views of the coast and Camps Bay 🙂.











We didn’t run into many people on the way up—it’s pretty hot, after all. A slightly tough stretch, especially for my little legs, didn’t dampen our spirits 😉.



We’re still a bit disappointed—it’s 3 PM, and we’re just below the cable car with a completely clear view. Stunning panorama of Signal Hill, Cape Town, and in the distance, Robben Island.









Then the descent gets really, really tough! And those cable car cabins taunting us 😛







We can’t even see the end—we’re descending so slowly—but the views are still amazing.







It’s only when we reach the bottom that we see signs warning that this path is dangerous .





Well! You’ve probably figured it out—you should take Platteklip Gorge, not India Ravine 😛.

We descended 700 m in elevation in... 4 hours. We’re exhausted, our legs are completely shot, so we grab a snack to recharge a bit. It’s already 5:30 PM.

For the late afternoon, I had planned to go to the center of Cape Town, but it’s way too late now. We stupidly wasted 3 hours, and most of all, we don’t have the energy to walk anymore. Oh well, that’s the ups and downs of independent travel—we’ll see if we can fit the city visit in another day.

Instead, we’re heading straight to Signal Hill for sunset. On the way, we stop to look back at Table Mountain. Oh boy! We’ll remember this descent for a few days!





We were right to go early because it’s already crowded, and the traffic to get up there is pretty tough. It’s 7 PM, and we’re settled in with the locals, gazing at the horizon from the paragliding takeoff area. Speaking of which, someone tried to go for it but didn’t succeed 🤪.







So we’re just chilling here, waiting for the sun to set over the Atlantic Ocean 😎.







Then we wait a little longer for the city lights to come on—either way, the descent from Signal Hill is just as tricky as the climb.







We don’t have the energy to go out for dinner, so we grab some food to go and head back to the studio.

What a day! Gorgeous but exhausting! 😊

To be continued here

For anyone looking for a really pretty climb with a 360° view of CT and its surroundings... just a reminder that Lion's Head is there! 😉 😛😎 (those of you laughing at your keyboards... I can see you!).

For anyone looking for a really pretty climb with a 360° view of CT and its surroundings... I’ll remind you that Lion's Head is right there! 😉 😛😎 (those of you laughing at your keyboards... I can see you!).

Yep, Michel, Lion's Head was on our itinerary... we couldn’t stop thinking about it, actually 😛.

What I love most about this part of the forum is that the classics never change! And Michel will always be there to defend the hike up Lion’s Head, which I totally agree with!!!

That said, Isabelle, I don’t get how you didn’t follow up that breathtaking descent from Table Mountain with the amazing climb to the top of Lion’s Peak!!! With how fit you were, it would’ve been a breeze!! 😄

😉

Hi Isabelle, Here’s a travel journal that’s starting at 200 km/h 😉! For the hike up Table Mountain, you basically lured the clouds in until you came back down... It was just so you’d climb Lions Head another day to enjoy the view!

It’s crazy that Maps.me had you go down via India Ravine 🤪. You’d have been better off without it for once. If I followed correctly, it’s kind of the opposite of what you should’ve done on the King’s Highway in Jordan 😏!

At Signal Hill, is that the concrete platform (yikes 🤪) we see in gray on the paragliding photo?

And to promote it to the fullest, and because I know Isabelle will forgive my intrusion into her travel journal, here's the proof in pictures!! :

Heads side, with a view of Table Mountain

And tails side, view of Camp Bay.

If we manage to convince even just one person, it's a win!! 😉

Well, here we go—professional, serious, heavy-duty, and a great deal! 😉

Though if Ms. Redhead went up Lion's Head, the pressure's on for the photos!

Suspense, suspense...

(I wonder if, under that cloud on the left, you can spot her trying to find her way?)

Hey Regis!

Change of plans—I’m not going to Mexico anymore. My daughter wanted to go on a language trip, so that’s eating up a big chunk of the budget. 😕 They say, "Have kids," right?

I’m in no rush for mine to grow up 🤪 With our kids getting older, if we have to pay for three language stays, us two old fools will end up spending a week in the Balearics 🏴‍☠️ drinking beer after beer with the Germans... I started tearing up, but I quickly wiped them away when I read you’re only going to the Philippines 😎 !

Hey Michel, you're losing your touch... 30 messages just to mention Lions Head. I don’t have the experience some folks here on VF do, but I’m sure you can do way better than that 😛 !

Well, there we go—professional, serious, heavy-duty, and a great deal! 😉

😊

But if Ms. Redhead went to Lion’s Head, the pressure’s on for photos! Suspense, suspense...

If I followed correctly, she only brushed past it in her thoughts... But suspense...

(I wonder if, under the cloud on the left, you can see her searching for her way?)

Uhhhh, no risk here—I went 3 years ago already... 😉

But those clouds stuck around our whole stay and kept us from climbing Table Mountain—and who knows, maybe even descending via the ravine... I could’ve warned the forum members! Saved Isabelle’s life in advance!!!!!! Okay, fine, I’m getting carried away—she made it out just fine in the end...