Hiking South Africa: Lion's Head Trail

10/1/17


Cape Town is a coastal city that weaves through two tall, hike-able mountains. One of which is the taller Table Mountain, offering visitors the option of hiking or riding up the cableway. The other is Lion's Head, the "easier" of the two, situated just across the way. While Table Mountain is often mentioned as a "must-see" destination for tourists, Lion's Head is the little darling for hikers.

As someone who loves walking up mountains, there was no doubt in my mind I'd hike at least one of these trails on our visit to South Africa. Between the two, we chose to go up the shorter hike, Lion's Head. Although many claim it to be the easier trail, I can see how it could be quite difficult for some. There are chains and a small ladder along the way, and the final stretch involves a bit of scrambling.



Getting to the Trailhead




The main trailhead for Lion's Head is easy to get to by car. Driving along M62, it's the turn directly opposite of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, onto Signal Hill Rd. Further up the road, the main entrance will appear on the left with ample parking across on the right. It's very popular, so the parking lot can get a bit crowded. There's also a parking guard on duty, who expects a small tip when visitors return to their cars.

Full Address on Google Maps

We arrived at the trailhead in the late afternoon and got lucky with a parallel parking spot right across from the main entrance! Our goal was to make it to the top in time to see the sunset, then hike back down in the dark, flashlights in hand.



Sweeping Views in All Directions


The great thing about Lion's Head is, from the start to finish, there are stunning views of the surrounding landscape all along the trail. It starts off with a gradual incline on a wide, dusty path. Right away, there are full views of Cape Town to the northeast.




For those who need a quick break, there's a nice little bench with a gorgeous view of Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles. The rugged-looking Twelve Apostles had a layer of gray clouds draping over them. It gave the range a majestic, intimidating look.




Further up, the trail begins to wind around towards the southwestern face of the mountain. Here, the views open up to the south Atlantic Ocean. We could see the rays of the sun just breaking a bit over the ocean.


As the trail climbs up around towards the junction to Signal Hill, it gets more and more narrow. The ocean stays in sight the entire way, with the rocky peak of Lion's Head towering up above. At the junction, we took a quick break to explore some boulders down along the trail to Signal Hill.





The wind really picks up along the open trail along the western face of the mountain. It was very cold, especially without the sun out.


The trail continues sharply to the north and turns a bit more rocky and rugged. Directly ahead, the city core of Cape Town can be seen behind the green peak of Signal Hill. Further out in the ocean is Robben Island, a major historic site, where Nelson Mandela was held captive during apartheid.


For those afraid of heights, the northeastern portion of the trail can be scary. The trail is narrow and rugged, with a steep drop-off along its edge. Along the way, chains are attached to the side of the rock, offering some support while scaling the narrower parts of the trail.



To navigate up some of the taller terrain, there's a small, metal ladder (no more than a few feet). It isn't much, but when you're already high up on a mountain, it can be daunting!


At a junction, hikers have the option of taking a shortcut by scaling up the open face of the mountain. It's s steep scramble, assisted only by chains. The other option is safer, a gradual continuation of the trail. Our group opted to play it safe and stay on the trail. We were in no hurry!


The final stretch up to the hind part of the lion's body was a steep scramble up the southeastern part of the trail. From this open peak, we had a great panoramic view of just about everything around us! And most importantly, we were able to catch the sun setting over the ocean, which was our main goal!



From here, we decided to forego the rest of the trail up to the lion's head. It was already quite dark and our group was green enough to be shaken up by the already-steep scramble to this point.

With our flashlights in hand, we carefully made our descent. There were others making their way down, it was cool to look up behind us and see little lights, like stars, shining along the trail. We also passed some park rangers on their way up, ensuring the safety of the hikers.



It took a little less than an hour to get up to the first peak of Lion's Head and took a little over an hour to get down in the dark. We were relieved to be back at the main entrance, safe and sound!

Conclusion


Although we never made it to the true peak of Lion's Head, we were happy to be able to get most of the panoramic view at the top of the lion's body. It's no wonder why this trail is so beloved by locals and guests alike. Its proximity to the city, the vast ocean, and the other mountains surrounding Cape Town make it the perfect spot to see it all in once place!



The next time we're in Cape Town, it'll be our goal to get to the top!

Happy hiking!

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