Hiking Lion's Head

When you arrive to Cape Town, the first views you will notice are Table Mountain high above you.

Either bright and clear in the warm sunshine or with the "table cloth" descended - the low laying clouds that cover the steep plateau and will make your views impossible and the mountain almost out of view.

When I come home from a trip my mind always drifts back to the little moments. Not the most thrilling (shark diving), the scariest (that train ride to Simon's Town), or the most inopportune (getting stuck in Qatar) but it drifts to the little moments when I am walking around town. It is the moment you finally feel at  home in a city - enjoying a friendly chat with a local or an awe inspiring view.

And that is how I remember Lion's Head. Lion's Head is a mountain the rests between Table Mountain and Signal Hill before it juts over the ocean and Camps Bay below.

 From here you will have the best views of Robbins Island. I could have stayed up there all day, dangling over the ocean vista.

Request a taxi to the trailhead to start your trek at 5pm to help combat the African heat and arrive to the summit as the sun sets. The taxi will know where you want to go but if you are driving, head up the road leading to Table Mountain Aerial Cableway and there will be a turnout with a small parking lot at the junction with Signal Hill.

Starting out we thought the trail would stay well marked. However, if you plan to go at this time - TAKE A FLASHLIGHT for the trip down as sturdy footing is nearly impossible in the darkness. 

You will wind your way around the Lion's Head overlooking both the ocean and Camps Bay. The well traveled path will begin to thin until you reach the chains taking you to the very top.

The chains and ladders are there to assist you as you scramble up a section of the rocky face. They add an element of adventure, but be cautious and take it slowly. This hike is not for the faint of heart - or those with a steady hand.

The view over Camp's Bay from half way up the trail. 

The hike should take 45 minutes to1 hour one way. You will be passed by very fit and incredibly good looking men that RUN the mountain, leaping from boulder to boulder. Although i wanted to chase after them, the path is not one you should run or leap your first time up. 

It is a long way down and an easy misstep on this climb - especially if darkness falls. 

But views like this our worth the trouble.

So, if you find yourself blessed with time in Cape Town, make sure to hike this. Hike it twice even. 
It was all of the things I mentioned - scary, thrilling, very inconvenient - but inspiring, and as hiking always does for me, it made me feel at home.