Cape Town is known for its beautiful nature & there is no hiding from this fact. Cape Town is also known as, Mother city. At one end of the city, there is a vast ocean & on the other side are two major attractions Table mountain & Lion’s head. Lion’s head hiking is great outdoor sports for the locals during the holidays. The peak probably got his name because of its structure. From Cliffton beach, the peak will give you an impression of Lion sitting. Maybe because of this fact the peak is known as Lion’s Head & any person who visits Cape Town will hike Lion’s head for sure. So, here is Lion’s Head (Cape Town) Hiking Guide.
How To Reach Lion’s Head
The best way to reach Lion’s head parking lot is either through MyCiti Bus or by Uber. Check for Kloof Nek stop if you are traveling by My Citi Bus. Reaching Lion’s head is easy & so is the climb.
Lion’s Head Hiking
The starting 20 min of a hike is pretty simple & easy. You only have to walk on the elevated path which doesn’t require any skill set. You walk & encounter some of the best scenes of Cape Town City. While the first corner will give you a glimpse of a chain of mountains on one side & secluded Cliffton beaches on the other. Another corner will give you a glimpse of Robben island which is located in the middle of an ocean & can be reached by ferry.
Hiking Lion’s head is pretty simple & beautiful. Just below the difficult hiking point, there is a bench placed. The bench overlooks the massive ocean which from that altitude looks like a flowing river & Cape Town city which seems to be insignificant in such beauty. With no object to disturb in front of you this bench is perfect to watch the sunset during summers.
After this point the real hike begins, the sedimentary rocks are solid & bit slippery at few places. After hiking for about half an hour from the start point there are two paths to the top; one is a tougher one which includes climbing a ladder & staplers which saves 15 min of your hike time with ease & other one is much simpler but is longer. So, depending on your liking for an adventure & strength you can take either one of them. I took the longer route. There are few high steps that one have to take. This half of the hiking is difficult & with each passing step, one is closure to the top. The more upwards you hike the more beautiful the scenes get. After 45 min one only checks how far the top is as the energy is draining. During one such point, an Asian origin man was descending & he said, “Man, we are not meant for such things; but hang on you are about to reach the top.”
Hiking Lion’s head is pretty simple & beautiful. Just below the difficult hiking point, there is a bench placed. The bench overlooks the massive ocean which from that altitude looks like a flowing river & Cape Town city which seems to be insignificant in such beauty. With no object to disturb in front of you this bench is perfect to watch the sunset during summers.
After this point the real hike begins, the sedimentary rocks are solid & bit slippery at few places. After hiking for about half an hour from the start point there are two paths to the top; one is a tougher one which includes climbing a ladder & staplers which saves 15 min of your hike time with ease & other one is much simpler but is longer. So, depending on your liking for an adventure & strength you can take either one of them. I took the longer route. There are few high steps that one have to take. This half of the hiking is difficult & with each passing step, one is closure to the top. The more upwards you hike the more beautiful the scenes get. After 45 min one only checks how far the top is as the energy is draining. During one such point, an Asian origin man was descending & he said, “Man, we are not meant for such things; but hang on you are about to reach the top.”
Later did I realize that Indians are not walking enough, not doing enough of outdoor activities. Thus, the sentence is appropriate. It is an irony that we have youngest of the population & still, we are not on the list of happiest, healthiest countries of the world.
The ascending is gets tough but after overcoming all the obstacle I reached the top of the hill & from there I can see table mountain on one side, ocean on the other, city of Cape Town on the other & Cape Town famous beaches on the other. The view is just mesmerizing from the top. You will want to spend some quality time at the top.
The ascending is gets tough but after overcoming all the obstacle I reached the top of the hill & from there I can see table mountain on one side, ocean on the other, city of Cape Town on the other & Cape Town famous beaches on the other. The view is just mesmerizing from the top. You will want to spend some quality time at the top.
My Experience of hiking Lion’s Head:
I did Lion’s head hike on the last day of my trip as I wanted to enjoy the sunset from the top of the peak. However, it was cloudy so I missed the opportunity to watch it during my expedition. The first half of the hiking is pretty simple & easy there is a slight gradient walk. But, the real fun starts once you reach the stairs from where the real hikes begin. Steps are generally tough for new ones because of strength and endurance & not most of us are built for this hardship. But, with all the strength I went ahead expecting whirlpool ride. There is a bench in the middle of the path which overlooks the ocean. I sat there for some time & started thinking about all the possibilities in the world. This is what, a good place does to you. It makes you think about the things that you don’t do during your day to day life.
Walking upwards in slippery rocks are difficult & scary. There are few edges from where you need to step upwards; the path is very well marked so there is no problem in getting the right direction. At some of the places, you will have to use a little bit of rock climbing techniques to climb some of the rocks. But, this all is manageable. Reaching the top is a memorable experience. In the background, there is a mountain, ocean, city & whatnot. You can easily spend quality time & many people do this. I sat there wondering about my trip & how I came from a small town to my 7th country.
It is funny how things fall into the pattern. You know nothing is happening on a daily basis. But, soon you are 1 year older, 365 days gone from your life & you are one year wiser. This was my that moment where I thought how far I have come rather than thinking about how far I have to go. Here it was a short guide about Lion’s Head Cape Town Hiking.
Walking upwards in slippery rocks are difficult & scary. There are few edges from where you need to step upwards; the path is very well marked so there is no problem in getting the right direction. At some of the places, you will have to use a little bit of rock climbing techniques to climb some of the rocks. But, this all is manageable. Reaching the top is a memorable experience. In the background, there is a mountain, ocean, city & whatnot. You can easily spend quality time & many people do this. I sat there wondering about my trip & how I came from a small town to my 7th country.
It is funny how things fall into the pattern. You know nothing is happening on a daily basis. But, soon you are 1 year older, 365 days gone from your life & you are one year wiser. This was my that moment where I thought how far I have come rather than thinking about how far I have to go. Here it was a short guide about Lion’s Head Cape Town Hiking.
Handy Resources:
Below are the few resources you should check before making an itinerary.
Cheap Internation Flights: Best place to find cheap international flight tickets.
Best Deals On Hotels: Places to find best deals on hotels.
Amazon: Best place for all your needs. Also, find best travel accessories.
Agoda: Best place to book hotels of your liking. Agoda provides the best solution & great offer while booking a hotel.
Skyscanner: Skyscanner compares various sites & sort the flights based on the rates. A great way to check flight cost. Although the only drawback is that rates are flexible. Hence, the cost might change while you are making the payment.
Jetradar: Jetradar is a comparing site which is just like Skyscanner. But, is much more accurate & much more handy in use.
Booking: Best place to book hostel rooms. There are plenty of options available & with so many properties booking becomes much easier.
Couchsurfing: Best place to find free accommodation. It is as easy as filtering people & messaging. If you will get lucky you will find free accommodation in local resident house.
Travel Insurance: There are numerous options available to get one. So, you can choose anything which suits your requirement. Make sure you read the terms & conditions before buying one.
Cheap Internation Flights: Best place to find cheap international flight tickets.
Best Deals On Hotels: Places to find best deals on hotels.
Amazon: Best place for all your needs. Also, find best travel accessories.
Agoda: Best place to book hotels of your liking. Agoda provides the best solution & great offer while booking a hotel.
Skyscanner: Skyscanner compares various sites & sort the flights based on the rates. A great way to check flight cost. Although the only drawback is that rates are flexible. Hence, the cost might change while you are making the payment.
Jetradar: Jetradar is a comparing site which is just like Skyscanner. But, is much more accurate & much more handy in use.
Booking: Best place to book hostel rooms. There are plenty of options available & with so many properties booking becomes much easier.
Couchsurfing: Best place to find free accommodation. It is as easy as filtering people & messaging. If you will get lucky you will find free accommodation in local resident house.
Travel Insurance: There are numerous options available to get one. So, you can choose anything which suits your requirement. Make sure you read the terms & conditions before buying one.