The Table is set!

Behind the famous postcard photo of Table Mountain lies a rich history among the forests, reservoirs and beaches of the Cape Peninsula. On the new Cape Point to Cable Car Trail, you can experience it all.

- WORDS & PICTURES SOPHIA VAN TAAK

The sea churns around Cape Point a few hundred metres below my feet. These stormy waters have earned their own chapter in every ship’s logbook for as long as seafaring has existed.

When you look at a map, the promontory I’m standing on is the tail of a giant stone animal that pulled itself from the depths before humans existed: Table Mountain. A world wonder. The inspiration for folktales. A mountain with a personality bigger than its cliffs.

Over the next five days, we’ll get to know this iconic landmark very well. I’m on a guided hike with Santie Gouws, mountain guide and owner of Fynbos Whisperer Professionally Guided Hikes, and Erns Grundling, the presenter of Elders on KykNet and a regular contributor to this magazine.

When SANParks closed the five-day Hoerikwaggo Trail, many of the camps built for that trail had been damaged by fires and vandalism. Sections of the Hoerikwaggo also cut across private land outside the park, and disputes with landowners made it impossible to create a new multi-day adventure. The camps then fell further into disrepair.

But Santie and Erns had another idea. After many recce hikes where they searched for ways to connect the various parts of the mountain chain, they finally settled on a format: On this trail, hikers walk along the beach or in fynbos all day, and spend their nights in luxury guest lodges, with dinners in restaurants! Could this new experience offer the best of both worlds? Let’s find out.

DAY 1 19 KM

Cape Point to Smitswinkel

We hide from the wind behind the lighthouse, ready to depart. But we don’t want to rush the moment. For some members of the group, it’s their first time here.