Table Mountain Cableway
Before the Table Mountain Cableway, Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain could only be climbed on foot by adventurous individuals like Lady Anne Barnard. In the late 1870s, a rack railway was proposed, but the First Anglo-Boer War in 1880 halted progress. By 1912, engineer HM Peter explored a funicular railway through Platteklip Gorge, which gained public support in a referendum but was shelved due to World War I. In 1926, Norwegian engineer Trygve Stromsoe proposed a cableway and gained the backing of Sir Alfred Hennessy, Sir David Graaff, and Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. They formed the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, and after two years of challenging construction, the Cableway opened in 1929.
Cableway 1940s
For over 90 years, the Table Mountain Cableway has been one of Africa’s biggest tourist attractions. It has provided millions of visitors with a unique and undoubtedly unforgettable experience.
At the end of the 1920s, passengers got to take their first trip up the mountain by cable car. Since the official opening of the cableway on the 4th of October 1929, the cableway has undergone three major upgrades and regular maintenance. Today, the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is a feature of the famous landmark that many are accustomed to seeing, but not many people know how and why the project got off the ground.
The lower and upper stations, along with a tearoom at the summit, were built. This was a phenomenal engineering feat. It took two years to complete for £ 60,000. A rudimentary track for a “soapbox” to transport workers’ equipment and building materials was constructed, as well as temporary housing for the workers.
A wooden cable car with a tin roof was constructed, which took nearly ten minutes to carry 19 people and a conductor up the 704 meters to the summit. In October 1997, new and improved modern cable cars with rotating bases and increased passenger capacity were installed.
The Table Mountain cableway has transported over 29 million visitors, making the trip in half the time, complete with a 360-degree rotational view of the mountain and spectacular views over the City of Cape Town.
There is a cafe and a “shop at the top” A dedicated wifi lounge at the top of the mountain is available for use by visitors.
Trips leave every 10 to 15 minutes, operating all week. The last car down depends on the season and is between 6 and 9.30 pm. The running of the cableway is season and weather-dependent. it is advisable to call ahead to confirm.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway offers a free return trip to South Africans over the age of 4 for their birthdays. Should your birthday fall within the annual maintenance period, you can book your ticket a week before or after that time. Special pensioners’ rates also apply.
Once you are up on the top of the mountain, and you want a more adventurous descent, you can abseil down to Camps Bay. Another option is to hike down Platteklip Gorge, which is a steep split up the centre of the main table. This takes between one and three hours,s depending on your fitness level.
The Cableway has been completely accident-free since its opening on 4 October 1929.
The wine lounge and functions venue, Views inside the upper station, opened in November 2022.
Read about the history of the mountain
Free Myciti shuttle to the Cableway station. See details here. Passengers transferring to and from the free service will have to have a myconnect card or purchase a single-trip card at the vending machine located at the SanParks office near the Lower Tafelberg stop.
Return trip on the Table Mountain cableway is included in your City Pass ticket
Important numbers to have when visiting Table Mountain National Park venues
- Emergencies:021 480 7700
- Medical emergencies from a cell phone 112
- Table Mountain National Park: 021 957 4700/ 0861 106 417
- Wilderness Search and Rescue: 021 948 9900
5821 Tafelberg Rd, Table Mountain (Nature Reserve),
