Table Mountain National Park

Overview

Table Mountain National Park is one of South Africa’s most beautiful and scenic areas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park was established in May of 1988 as “Table Mountain National Park” as it had previously been known as “Cape Peninsula National Park”, this was an effort to protect the environment and wildlife of the area that surrounded Table Mountain itself. Over the years the park’s size has continued to grow as new areas are continually being added on and expanded upon.

Table Mountain National Park is host to the central attraction that towers above the surrounding landscape and sea, Table Mountain. Visitors are able to take a cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoy the incredible aerial view of the breath-taking scenery below. The park is sectioned into three separate parts: the Silvermine-Tokai section, Table Mountain section, and Cape Point section. An abundance of floral species are found within the park and collectively there are just under 1,500 various plant types. Although larger, predatory animals no longer roam the landscapes of Table Mountain National Park, a wide variety of small animals do occupy the area including: porcupine, various lizards and birds, snakes, tortoises and frogs. A population of baboons also occupy the area, which although entertaining, have also been known to display aggression when faced with prospective free food from visitors.

There are many activities within Table Mountain National Park that visitors can partake in including scuba diving, hiking, scenic drives and visits to the two other mountain peaks in the park Signal Hill and Lion’s Head Peak as well as Boulder’s beach which houses a population of 2,000 land penguins.

Accommodation: Rest camps, nearby Hotels, Guest Houses

Activities: Hiking, fishing, scuba diving, mountain biking, surfing, windsurfing, rock climbing, paragliding, horse riding

Highlights: One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, spectacular views of Cape Town, unique flora