The landmark of Cape Town is the famous Table Mountain.

The mountain is a sandstone mountain and approximately 1,086m above sea level at its highest point - Maclears Beacon. It measures about 3km in width.

The mountain has a unique vegetation of Fynbos (three of its most well-known plants are protea, Erica and restio) and it is said that Table Mountain is home to more then 1,470 species of Fynbos, which makes it a unique experience for nature’s lovers.

You will often see the mountain surrounded by clouds. One of the legends has it that the Dutch Jan van Riebeeck was not allowed to smoke inside the house and his wife sent him outside in the garden to do so. The clouds that surround Table Mountain are the smoke of his pipe that you can still see today.

If you catch a clear day, you have to get up the mountain to experience the magnificent view. There are different ways to go up Table Mountain. You can either use one of the many hiking trails or you step into the cable car that leads up to the mountain.

The first cableway was officially opened in 1929 and could carry about 25 persons. The new cableway was opened in October 1997 and its carrying capacity is 65 persons.

If you decide to take one of the hiking trails, the official site of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (http://www.tablemountain.net) states the following important thing to remember: The Cableway can close at any times due to the weather and hikers shouldn’t expect it to be open once arriving at the top. Therefore, enough time for hiking down should be taken into account. Please have a look at the official website for more important safety information for hikers.

There is a self-service restaurant and a cocktail bar on top of Table Mountain with breathtaking views.

You can get more information on Table Mountain and the Cableway here: http://www.tablemountain.net/main/info.asp