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This flat-topped mountain is world-renowned as Cape Town's most prominent and obvious tourist attraction. Table Mountain's level plateau is approximately 3 kilometres from side to side, surrounded by steep cliffs. Flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and Lion's Head to the west,this magnificent landmark forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town and its Table Bay harbour.You can reach the top of the mountain by hiking or by taking the Table Mountain Cable Car.

Description
Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. At the southern side of the mountain is a lower part called the Back Table. On the Atlantic side is a majestic range known as the Twelve Apostles. The Cape Peninsula range continues southwards to Cape Point.

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The highest point on Table Mountain is 1086m (above sealevel), and is towards the eastern end of the plateau. It is marked by Maclear's Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear.

The cliffs of the main plateau are split by Platteklip Gorge ("Flat Stone Gorge"), which provides an easy and direct ascent to the summit and was the route taken by Antonio de Saldanha on the first recorded ascent of the mountain in 1503.

The flat top of the mountain is often covered by cloud spilling over the top to form the "table cloth".

Flora
The main vegetation of the mountain is the unique and rich Cape fynbos, which forms part of the Cape Floral Region protected areas. These protected areas are a World Heritage Site, and an estimated 2,200 species of plants are found on the mountain alone. Amongst these species are many kinds of proteas. Remnant patches of indigenous forest persist in a few of the wetter ravines but not on the more exposed face above the city, where conditions are too dry and harsh for forests. The mountain has also suffered serious invasions of alien plants for well over a century, with perhaps the worst invader being the cluster pine. Considerable efforts have been made to eliminate these alien plants.

Fauna
The dassie (rock hyrax) is the most common animal on the mountain. They especially cluster around the upper cable station, near areas where tourists may discard or (illegally) supply food. There are also porcupines, mongooses, snakes and tortoises.

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History
The mountain became part of the new Cape Peninsula National Park in the 1990s. The park was renamed to the Table Mountain National Park in 1998.Fires are common on the mountain. The most recent major fire came in January 2006, destroying large amounts of vegetation and resulting in the death of a tourist. A charge of arson and culpable homicide was laid against a British man who was suspected of starting the blaze.

Cableway
The Table Mountain Cableway takes passengers from the lower cable station on Tafelberg Road (about 302 m above sea level)to the top of the mountain. The upper cable station offers views overlooking Cape Town, Table Bay and Robben Island to the north, and the Atlantic seaboard to the west and south.Construction of the cableway was first started in 1926, and the cableway was officially opened in 1929. In 1997, the cableway was extensively upgraded, and new cars were introduced carrying 65 instead of 25 passengers. The new cars give a faster journey to the summit, and rotate through 360 degrees during the ascent or descent, giving a panoramic view over the city.The top cable station offers viewpoints, curio shops, a restaurant and walking trails of various lengths.

Hiking
Hiking on Table Mountain is popular amongst locals and tourists, and a number of trails of varying difficulty are available. Because of the steep cliffs around the summit, direct ascents from the city side are limited. Platteklip Gorge, a prominent gorge up the centre of the main table, is a popular and straightforward direct ascent to the summit.

Longer routes to the summit go via the Back Table. From the Southern Suburbs side, the Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge routes start at Kirstenbosch. The route via Skeleton Gorge to Maclears Beacon is known as Smuts Track in memory of Jan Smuts, who was a keen hiker. The Bridle Path, or Jeep Track, makes a more gradual ascent from Constantia Nek along the road used to service the dams on Back Table. There are many other paths in popular walking areas on the lower slopes of the mountain accessed from Constantia Nek, Cecilia Forest, Kirstenbosch, Newlands Forest and Rhodes Memorial.

On the Atlantic side, the most popular ascent is Kasteelspoort, a gorge overlooking Camps Bay, while the Pipe Track is a level route popular with walkers.

The Hoerikwaggo Trails are four hiking trails on Table Mountain ranging from two to six days, operated by South African National Parks. The original inhabitants of Cape Town, the Khoekhoen and San tribes called Table Mountain Hoerikwaggo – "sea mountain". The four Table Mountain hiking trails are called the People's Trail, Table Mountain Trail, Orangekloof Hiking Trail and Top to Tip Trail.

Rock climbing
Rock climbing on Table Mountain is a very popular pastime. There are well-documented climbing routes of varying degrees of difficulty up the many faces of the mountain. As the mountain is part of the Cape Floral Region which is a World Heritage Site, no bolting can be done here and only traditional climbing is allowed. Commercial groups also offer abseiling from the upper cable station.

Caving
Most of the world's important caves occur in limestone but Table Mountain is unusual forhaving several large sandstone cave systems. The biggest systems are the Wynberg Caves, located on the Back Table, not far from the Jeep Track in ridges overlooking Orange Kloof and Hout Bay.

Source: Wikipaedia