Are Platterklip and Lion's Head trails safe to do without a guide?

Hi everyone! I’m planning the Cape Town part of our trip and would love to hike up Table Mountain via Platterklip Gorge and take the cable car back down. Is it safe to hike this trail in early January without a guide (there are 4 of us: 3 adults and a teen)? If a guide is highly recommended, do you know a good one? If we end up taking the cable car both ways, is it safe to hike the summit without a guide (Mc Lear's Beacon trail)? Same question for Lion’s Head: with or without a guide? We’re used to hiking technical trails (Réunion Island), so my question is more about the risk of mugging on these trails. Thanks for your feedback! Malijp

hi Marie in 2018 I was there, without a guide, for both of your routes, which are relatively very busy.. Same for the summit..

Hi

For Lion’s Head = no guide needed

For Table Mountain = watch the weather and the mist/fog, etc. I’d recommend not going alone...

hi Michel why isn’t it recommended to go alone?

Without wanting to alarm unnecessarily... The Sanparks website regularly reminds us of some tips: The weather The equipment Physical fitness and the schedule and not to go alone...

Hi Michel, Partirester! Thanks for your replies. Sorry for the late response—my computer had to go in for repairs! I also read the recommendations from San Park and the City of Cape Town about hikes and the advice given. I’ve decided not to go alone but in a group of 4. Since there are four of us and we’re choosing the most popular route (Platterklip), during the day (I’m thinking morning), the first half of January (when it’s crowded), I figured it’d be fine. If that’s not the case, I might just do a round trip by cable car and a hike up to McLear Beacon at the summit instead (though it’s less fun)! What do you think? Malijp

salut

Je pense que tu analyses bien les choses bonne grimpette