Sunset on Table Mountain-Cape Town

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After receiving the text that our paraglide needed to be rescheduled, due to weather, we scrambled to rearrange our plans for the week.  What activity could we fit in on a Friday, late afternoon/evening?  A visit to Table Mountain seemed the best choice.

With stunning views in every direction, the citizens of Cape Town have turned sunset watching into an art. It’s an event. Plans are made, friends gather, and restaurants and bars roll out their, sundowner, cocktail, specials.

We rang Patrick, the driver we met the day before, from Good Hope Tours. He picked us up at our hotel,  and dropped us off at the Table Mountain ticket queue.

After arranging for Patrick to pick us up at closing time (which worked out great), we joined the line of fellow, Friday sunset watchers.

The cable car ride to the top of the mountain was a very cool, but slightly strange experience. The floor of the car rotates, ensuring that passengers get a complete, 360 view of the surrounding area. When you are standing on something moving, your inclination is to hold onto something. There’s nothing to hold onto however, and when I placed my hand on the wall, it felt like the wall was moving, instead of me. It was weird to move up and around at the same time, while holding onto nothing.

I know a lot of people consider it a travel rite of passage to get to the top of Table Mountain via hiking trail, but with my pulmonary hypertension, we knew that would be a disaster. I didn’t mind skipping the hike in favor of the cable car ride, it was super neat.

With plenty of daylight left, we set out to explore the top of the mountain.

We wandered around from point to point, and from one side to the other, breathing in the views.

 

 

Anyone who has visited Cape Town, as well as locals, will tell you that you have to visit Table Mountain. I wholeheartedly agree. The views are stunning. It was magical. It’s hard to put into words. It’s just something you have to experience.

Now technically, the mountain closes before sunset, but as there are a ton of visitors, and only two cable cars, the line for the ride down, snakes its way across the mountain. It’s easy to linger, then join the back of the line. We were able to watch the sunset in its entirety, while moving forward in line in tiny increments.

I can only describe watching the sunset atop Table Mountain as other worldly. Standing above the clouds, it felt as if we were suspended, floating along in the sky with the sun.

Once the sun gave its final bow, millions of dots of light sprang to life. Cape Town became a sea of sparkling wonder.

We have experienced many fantastic sunsets during our travels. From The Split on Caye Caulker, Belize, to the balcony of our Uncruise ship in Gulfo Dulce, Costa Rica, to the sunset cruise in Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River, I still hold a memory of each one, but I have to admit that the sunset we saw on Table Mountain, will always hold an extra special place in my heart.

 

 

 

 

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  1. Hannah

    at

    Wow that’s so cool that the cable car rotates as you’re going up! Your photos from the top are incredible – looks like an awesome adventure!

    1. obligatorytraveler@gmail.com

      at

      It was a great adventure. We thought seeing the sunset would be cool, but we didn’t anticipate the view would be as amazing as it was. Thanks for reading.

  2. Travel Lexx

    at

    Such a stunning place – I really want to visit South Africa and Table Mountain will definitely be at the top of my list. I love sunsets as well and seeing it from such an iconic spot would be pretty special. Great post!

    1. obligatorytraveler@gmail.com

      at

      Thanks. Cape Town was a beautiful city. We knew we were going to visit Table Mountain, but seeing it at sunset was a very fortunate, last minute decision.

  3. Mary {The World Is A Book}

    at

    What a view! This looks like a great way to end the day and start an evening. Those views are well worth the cable car ride and that ride sounds pretty awesome too. It’s always hard to beat these panoramic views paired with sunsets. And being above some clouds is so cool. Beautiful photos!

  4. Stephanie (1AdventureTraveler)

    at

    Wow, stunning sunset. You make me want to visit Cape Town just for the sunsets. Stunning photos with amazing views. great idea to go to Table Mountain. Pinned this for later! #WeekendWanderlust

    1. obligatorytraveler@gmail.com

      at

      I definitely recommend vising Table Mountain. We may have visited it a second time during the day if we had enough time.

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