Table Mountain National Park is not a single continuous area but consists of undeveloped mountainous areas interupted by developed urban areas on shallower terrain, thus forming three distinctive sections :

  • Table Mountain
  • Silvermine Tokai
  • Cape Point

The Park was proclaimed on 29 May 1998 for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain chain and particularly the rare and endangered fynbos vegetation. It is managed by South African National Parks (SANP) and envelops two world-renowned landmarks namely Table Mountain, from whence it gets its name and the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern-most point of Africa.

The park starts at Signal Hill in the north, runs along the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsular, over Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Constantiaberg, Silvermine, the mountains of the Southern Peninsular and ends up at Cape Point.

Table Mountain

This section covers Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain proper which includes the Back Table, being the rear, lower part of the mountain, Devil’s Peak, the Twelve Apostles which is actually 17 peaks along the Atlantic seaboard and Orange Kloof, a specially protected area that is not open to the public. The area borders on Central Cape Town in the north, Camps Bay and the Atlantic Coast in the west, the Southern Suburbs in the east and Hout Bay in the south. 

The area was developed from the Table Mountain National Monument, Cecelia Park, and Newlands Forest. Although Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is not officially part of this area its higher reaches get maintained as part of the park.

Silvermine-Tokai

This section runs across the Peninsula from the Atlantic seaboard to the False Bay coast. It covers Constantiaberg, Steenberg Peak and the Kalk Bay mountains. The area borders on Hout Bay in the north-west, the suburbs of Constantia and Tokai in the north-east, Kalk Bay in the south-east and Fish Hoek and Noordhoek in the south-west.

The area was developed from the Tokai State Forest and the Silvermine Nature Reserve. 

Cape Point

This section covers the southern-most area of the Cape Peninsula, stretching from Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope in the south up north as far as Scarborough on the Atlantic coast and Simonstown on the False Bay coast

The area was developed from the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.


Inside Table Mountain National Park

Tourists at the most south-western point of the African continent

Cape Point

View of Lion's Head from Signal Hill

Lion's Head

Looking out to sea over Cape Town's Stadium

Signal Hill

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