Table Mountain Abseiling Experience, Cape Town

Table Mountain: the summit and the Aerial Cableway

Table Mountain rises to just over a thousand metres directly above the city of Cape Town, its flat sandstone top three kilometres wide and often draped in the white 'tablecloth' of cloud. It is the centrepiece of Table Mountain National Park and is counted among the New Seven Wonders of Nature, home to more plant species than many whole countries, as well as the dassies, the furry rock hyraxes that sun themselves on the summit rocks.

The easiest way to get to Table Mountain's summit is the Aerial Cableway, whose rotating cabins climb from Tafelberg Road to the top in about five minutes; the ticket is not included in the abseil and is bought at the lower station or online. From the upper station, paved paths lead across the summit, and the abseil base is a short, signposted walk away, so you can combine the two easily in one morning.

The abseil: 112 metres down the cliff

The abseil site is on the western edge of the summit, where the mountain drops away in a sheer wall of layered sandstone above the Atlantic. After the briefing, each guest is fitted with a harness and helmet and clipped into a double-rope system: one rope that you control with a friction device, and a second safety rope controlled by the instructor. You lean back over the edge, find your footing on the rock and begin to walk down the face.

Partway down the cliff overhangs and your feet leave the rock; for a few metres you hang free in the air, turning gently with nothing between you and Camps Bay far below. The descent takes most people ten to fifteen minutes, and the instructors talk you through every step. It is counted among the highest commercial abseils in the world, and most guests say the fear disappears after the first three steps.

The view: Camps Bay, Clifton and the Twelve Apostles

Few places in Cape Town offer a view like the one from the rope. Directly below lies Camps Bay with its white beach and palm-lined promenade, and beyond it the four coves of Clifton, where granite boulders separate small bays of pale sand. Lion's Head stands alone to the north, and the long line of the Twelve Apostles, the sandstone buttresses that run down the back of Table Mountain, stretches south towards Hout Bay.

On a clear day the Atlantic is a deep, cold blue and you can see ships rounding the peninsula; in the afternoon the light turns the cliffs orange and gold. Even for guests who are nervous about heights, the view is the reason to do it: the Cape Peninsula from a vantage point that no cable car, viewing platform or helicopter can give you.

The hike back to the summit

When your feet touch the ledge at the bottom of the abseil you are still high on the mountain, and the return is a gentle guided hike of about thirty minutes along a path that climbs back towards the upper cableway station. The route is easy walking on a well-used trail with a few rocky steps, and it passes viewpoints over the Atlantic seaboard that are as good as anything on the main summit paths.

Along the way the instructor points out the fynbos, the unique heath-like vegetation of the Cape, and the dassies that sit on the rocks watching hikers pass. Back at the top you can celebrate with a visit to the summit café or walk on to the viewpoints over the city and Robben Island before taking the cableway down. Allow a total of about an hour for the abseil and the hike.

Planning your Table Mountain abseil

Abseils run on the hour from 09:30 to 15:30, and because the cableway and the cliff are both exposed to the wind, the activity is strictly weather-dependent; in strong south-easterly winds or thick cloud it is postponed and we help you rebook. Mornings are generally calmer and quieter on the mountain, and the first slots of the day give you the best chance of a clear descent and short cableway queues.

Plan to arrive at the lower cableway station at least an hour before your abseil time to buy or collect your ticket, ride up and walk to the abseil base. Wear comfortable closed shoes and layered clothing, as the summit is several degrees colder than the city, and bring water and a camera. The minimum age is usually around ten with a parent; tell us the ages of your group when booking.