Where To Go When You�ve Done Table Mountain

January 27, 2009 at 2:59 PM | by femmefatale | 0 Comments

Monica Guy is joining us again this week to tell us what more there is to do in South Africa. Enjoy.

It doesn�t sound as if our last South African embed, Jill Nawrocki had such a good time on her hike up Table Mountain. And so we have to ask: why bother hiking up the thing when you can get a cable car and save yourself the legwork? Unless you�re a proper hiker and pick one of the weird back routes, you�ll only end up at exactly the same place as the sensible buggers who took the cable car � the mountain�s (excellent but expensive) panoramic caf� restaurant.

In the summer, the Platteklip Gorge route is Bloody Hot � take it from us. If you do fancy it, do the decent thing and get your lazy butt out of bed at 6am, ready to start at 7am. Or the sweat pouring off your forehead will make the front pages of the Cape Times. (Possible headline? "New Saltwater River Discovered on Table Mountain.")

Either way you do it, you're gonna want a place to rest and relax after you've done it. It just so happens we've got a few recommendations fo you.

Helderberg Nature Reserve

So when you�ve "done" Table Mountain and want to find an easy, safe hiking spot that isn�t clambattered with tourists, get a car or cab and head to the Helderberg Nature Reserve.

It�s easy, safe, well-signposted, with routes taking anything from one hour to four. You get superb views over False Bay, the Hottentots mountains and � if you go far enough � the whole Cape including Robben island.

They�ll give you a little map in the visitor centre (open 10am-4.30pm) and you can recover from your exertions in the Duck Inn near the car park, where they serve anything from the typical bobotie meat-fest to tea and scones.

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve

Cyclists and hardcore hikers will want to head to the Jonkershoek mountains, just ten minutes from Stellenbosch. Some of the best views around the Cape Town area, although you�ll have to scramble to reach them. It rains a lot here, so little waterfalls abound, and a trek up to the Bergrivier neck will show you what birds see when they gaze down on the Franschhoek mountains.

You can hire bikes at the entrance, where they�ll give you a little map with various trails � there�s nothing babyish about these mountains, so make sure you know what you�re doing and take loads of water.

Again, the perfect spot to recover when you get back to the bottom: the little tea and grub shop serving both proper food and huge cakes Aunt Fanny would be proud of.

Related Stories:
· The Best Views Around Cape Town [Jaunted]
· South Africa Travel [Jaunted]

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