Qualla: Table Mountain

Table Mountain: Introduction

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Entropy1963, Public domain. The Khoikhoi people called it Hoerikwaggo -- "Mountain in the Sea" -- and from a ship approaching through Table Bay, the name makes perfect sense. The mountain rises abruptly from the coastal plain, its flat summit so level it appears artificial, as if some geological mason had taken a spirit level to the skyline. Table Mountain is 1,084 meters above sea level at its highest point, with a plateau roughly three kilometers across, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and Lion's Head to the west. It is the backdrop to one of the most recognizable cityscapes on Earth, and it is also something rarer: a mountain that harbors more plant species than the entire United Kingdom.

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Image: Entropy1963 | Public domain

Table Mountain: Half a Billion Years of Stone

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Shyamal, CC BY-SA 3.0. The rocks that form Table Mountain's summit are Table Mountain Sandstone, laid down as beach and shallow marine deposits over 500 million years ago during the Ordovician period. This sandstone sits atop a basement of Cape Granite, itself about 630 million years old, creating a ge...

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Image: Shyamal | CC BY-SA 3.0

Table Mountain: The Tablecloth

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Abu Shawka, CC0. When a southeasterly wind blows in summer, moisture-laden air sweeps up the mountain's southern slopes and condenses at the summit, forming a dense white cloud that rolls over the edge of the plateau and evaporates as it descends the north face. Capetonians call this the tableclo...

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Image: Abu Shawka | CC0

Table Mountain: A Floral Kingdom in Miniature

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0. Table Mountain hosts approximately 8,200 plant species, around 80 percent of which are fynbos -- a fire-adapted shrubland unique to the Cape Floristic Region. This is more plant diversity than many entire countries can claim. The mountain is home to species found nowhere else, in...

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Image: LBM1948 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Table Mountain: The Climb and the Cable

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rscheetham RSA at English Wikipedia, Public domain. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway has been carrying visitors to the summit since 1929. The modern rotating cable cars hold 65 passengers and make the ascent in about five minutes, the floor turning a full revolution so that every rider sees the full panorama. For those who prefe...

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Image: Rscheetham RSA at English Wikipedia | Public domain