Table Mountain Views
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Port
Cape Town, South Africa
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$129.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximaytely 4 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up Table Mountain, the city's most celebrated landmark. You'll head up Kloof Nek -- the saddle between Table Mountain and Lions Head -- to the Lower Cableway Station. Ascend from the Valley Station (1,190 feet) to the Mountain Station (3,500 feet asl) in a Swiss-engineered Rotair cable car. The journey from the base to the summit takes just under four minutes. Enjoy spectacular views as the floor of the car rotates 360 degrees during the ascent and descent.
Table Mountain takes its name from the flat-topped central massif of the mountain. Viewed from the city, Devil's Peak is on the left, Lion's Head on the right, and Signal Hill in the foreground. They form a sort of amphitheatre that encloses the city center and some of the older suburbs. The hills run like a spine through the Cape Peninsula, from Table Mountain to Cape Point -- the cape from which Cape Town takes its name.
From the summit, the natural protected area stretching from Signal Hill to Cape Point is managed by the National Parks Board. This area has one of the highest concentrations of endemic plant and animal species in any area of its size. It contains a staggering 2,285 plant species -- more than in the entire United Kingdom.
Return to the ship with a short orientation tour of the city of Cape Town and a scenic drive along the Atlantic Seaboard. Watch for the colorful and historic houses of Bo-kaap (the Malay Quarter), the Convention Center, Adderley Street with its statues of Jan van Riebeeck and Bartholomeu Diaz, the Castle of Good Hope, City Hall in Darling Street, the Dutch Reformed Church, Slave Lodge and St George's Cathedral, as well as Cape Provincial Government buildings in Wale Street.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes. This tour involves a substantial amount of walking; not advisable for guests with mobility limitations. Suitable for guests using a wheelchair with a companion to assist. Tour operates as published weather permitting; if the cableway is closed, a visit to the South African Natural History Museum and Signal Hill will be substituted. This tour is available only to guests whose cruise does not begin or end in Cape Town. Expect a delay and long lines at the cable car station.