table mountain • 25 comments • When visiting Cape Town you can't help but always be aware of the presence of Table Mountain. It would be a real shame if you visited Cape Town and missed the views from the top. Adventurous visitors can opt for the scenic hike to the top of the mountain. That day, we didn't have 2 hours to spare, so we chose to use the cableway to get to the summit. The short ride features a rotating platform inside the cable car allowing all the passengers to get a full view. One you've reached the top, you can't help but be stunned by the panoramic views of the ocean, city, coast-line, and mountains. There isn't a lot of wildlife to see (lions on the mountain were hunted to extinction 200 years ago) but every tourist is likely to spot at least one dassie. Dassies, or Rock Hyrax's, are small guinea pig-type animals that are (counter-intuitively) related to elephants. You wouldn't know from seeing them, but apparently they share a lot of common traits (although at an obviously, smaller scale). We saw a few hiding on an outcrop, but that was our only sighting. After running out of water, we figured we would have to pay an exorbitant amount to get some at the Table Mountain Café . The prices were actually quite reasonable, considering it was at the top of a popular tourist destination. So, we decided to stay for lunch. Mina tried the snoek fish, after hearing that it is a very common Cape Town meal. She described it as "disgusting". She said it was very bony and would most likely be better as a paté (which is how many do eat it, due to said boniness). We're not rushing off to try the fish paté anytime soon. After a bit more wandering, we reluctantly took the cable car back down, having thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon on Table Mountain. “During the many years of incarceration on Robben Island, we often looked across Table Mountain at its magnificent silhouette… To us on Robben Island, Table Mountain was a beacon of hope. It represented the mainland to which we knew we would one day return.” ~ Nelson Mandela
