One of many things not to be missed in cape town and also a kind of landmark of the city is the Lion´s Head. Actually the Lion´s Head was the only thing I knew about before we traveled to South Africa. Other than the big brother Table Mountain there is no cable car going up to the top. If you want to be on top of Lion´s Head and enjoy the 360 degree view there is only one option and that option is hiking.
View onto Lions Head from Signal Hill
I think hiking Lions Head is an absolute must while you´re in Cape Town, as well as going on top of Table Mountain. Another thing you should not miss is a sunset on the Signal Hill, the hill that is connected with the Lions Head and gives you an awesome view on Lions Head as well as the beaches of Cape Town.
The hike on top of Lions Head is what I would call a medium hike. It is not really a long distance but it requires a bit of skill and sure-footedness. What you shouldn't ignore are the 669 vertical meters that you have to climb to get to the top. But with the help of ladders and ropes it is doable for almost everyone who is not scared of heights.
The hike starts relatively easy and the first kilometer gives you some great views onto Devils Peak and some of the suburbs of Cape Town. As soon as you can see the first steps the real hike starts and you can see Lions Head in its full glory and you can guess what is still to come, because from here the small mountain looks pretty huge.
The special thing about the hiking trail is that it leads you around the mountain and you literally run upwards in a spiral. That gives you beautiful views over everything that lays near the mountain. After climbing a few of these steps we had views onto Signal Hill as well as Camps Bay.
After around 30min hike, some exhausting steps, narrow passages and breathtaking views you will reach a point of decision. You can either take the ladders, hooks in the mountain and chains to make you way one more level up, or, if you´re scared of heights, walk around it and make some extra steps. We decided to take the ladders and chains on the way up and walk on the way down. Both ways have pros and cons. Climbing is obviously more fun but you get some extra perspectives if you walk around.
From that first ladder on the real fun starts. I love these challenges and the climbing part. Hiking in Cape Town gives you almost always the same views so it is good when some of the hikes are a bit more challenging.
The steep parts look much more scary from below than they actually are. The fist section on the photo above is like 2-3 steps and then there is one more section that is almost the same. After you got this, the hardest part is done and there is only big rocks that you have to climb up before you reach the last few tiny steps to the top.
As we reached the top we were not only greeted by a Dassie that are very common in this area but also by one of the most amazing views in Cape Town. The 360 degree view is simply amazing. This is really something you need to experience as there is no way to describe it.
Left: Devils Peak / Middle: Table Mountain / Right 12 Apostels
It wasn´t the easiest hike we did but it is doable and well worth the effort and sweat. After enjoying the view in every possible direction we started our way down again. This time we did not take the ladders and walked around to get some more impressions of that awesome mountain. From below it definitely looks much more scary and majestic than from the top. On the way down you will ask yourself how you made it up there.
Furthermore I want to mention that many people do that hike in the late afternoon to enjoy the sunset from up there. I did not feel comfortable hiking down in the dark. In our first accomodation in Cape Town we had a perfect view on Lions Head and every night we saw small lights (Head Lamps) climbing down the mountain.
For me climbing Lions Head was definitely one of the coolest hikes here in South Africa. Of course there are more beautiful hikes but this one was a lot of fun. So if you´re ever happen to visit cape town. climb on that mountain, you won´t regret it.
you will find that post on pinmapple as well
[//]:# (!pinmapple -33.936134 lat 18.389023 long Lion´s Head - A beautiful Hike d3scr)
