The Most Scenic Hikes in Cape Town, South Africa.

When planning my trip for South Africa one thing I realised very soon is that Cape Town is the capital of hiking. With Signal Hill, Lion’s Head and Table Mountain at your front door it’s the perfect place to enjoy a day of active fun!

Here you’ll find the most scenic hikes in Cape Town, the average duration of each hike and how difficult it is.

1. Lion’s Head

Starting point – Lion’s Head parking lot

Duration – 3 hours to go up and down

Difficulty – The climb gets pretty steep and at some point you have to use ladders and metal bars that are attached to the rocks to hoist yourself up.

Best time to go – Go before sunset to enjoy it from the top.

What to bring – Enough water, your camera, flashlight to climb down in the dark.

2. Kasteelpoort

Starting point – The easiest is to park your car in Bakoven and start your hike up from there.

Duration – If you just want to hike up and down to get to the diving board then 3 hours should be more than enough for the total hike. If, however, you want to go down by cable car and explore Table Mountain some more the hike will take an average of 5 hours in total. This is with water breaks and taking lot’s of photos included.

Difficulty – There is a lot of climbing involved but the hike up to the Diving Board is pretty okay. It just get’s very exhausting if you keep on going afterwards cause like I said before, Table Mountain is not flat at all.

Best time to go – Start right after sunrise because in the morning Table Mountain will block the sun and provide some coolness while climbing.

What to bring – Take at least 2 bottles of water with you, apply sunscreen (especially if you keep on going to the Cable Car or another point), wear a hat or headband. Make sure not to forget your camera and bring some snacks to regain energy.

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3. Devil’s Peak

Starting point – The start of the Devil’s Peak hike is located on the other side of the cable car and can be found here. There are plenty of parking possibilities.

Duration – In less than 2 hours time you will reach the top and be back at your car.

Difficulty – This hike is pretty easy and doesn’t take such a long time.

Best time to go – I would prefer hiking in the morning cause especially in the summer it can get really hot in Cape Town.

What to bring – Make sure to wear pants/leggings when hiking this trail. I was wearing a dress and there are so many plants on this particular part that sting that I was really regretting choosing a dress in the end. Don’t forget your camera and sunscreen and bring a bottle of water.

Extra tip – When I did this hike it had rained a lot the day before and for some reason this trail was crawling with ants. They were in a clear state of panic and were all over the place including my shoes and then of course legs. So just keep that in mind when you are planning your hike.