LION’S HEAD

Description

Essentials about Lion’s Head in brief

If you think that you have the best view of Cape Town from Table Mountain, you are mistaken. The neighboring Lion’s Head, with a height of 669 meters, is not as high as Table Mountain, but due to its cone shape, its exposed location virtually in the middle of the city and its better weather conditions, it is clearly the more beautiful viewpoint of the city.

The view from Lion’s Head

Unlike Table Mountain, Lion’s Head offers a 360° view of Cape Town and the surrounding area. To the north, you can see neighboring Signal Hill, the suburb of Sea Point, and in good weather, the view even extends to Robben Island in the expansive Table Bay. To the northeast and east, you can see the City Bowl (the districts close to the city center) of Cape Town, and to the southeast, Table Mountain rises majestically. Towards the south, one sees the villas of Camps Bay and the mountain range of the Twelve Apostles. And in the west, behind the posh suburb of Clifton, the endless expanses of the Atlantic Ocean begin.

The hike up Lion’s Head

With all the advantages, however, you have to accept one disadvantage: Neither a road nor a cable car leads up to Lion’s Head. Hiking and climbing is therefore the order of the day! However, the hiking route up Lion’s Head is one of the most beautiful routes in and around Cape Town. Because it leads almost once completely around the mountain and offers breathtaking views of the city, the mountains and the ocean. At this point, however, a warning is in order: The ascent to Lion’s Head is not for completely inexperienced climbers. The lower half of the trail is still a relatively easy affair on a wide hiking trail with a moderate incline. The second part of the climb, however, is much steeper and requires climbing over lots of boulders.

But no pain, no gain! At the top you are rewarded with an incomparably beautiful view over Cape Town and the surrounding area. Anyone who spends a few days in Cape Town and brings a little climbing condition and above all will, should dare the climb to Lion’s Head. No one has ever regretted it (probably). Among the locals, the climb in the late afternoon just before sunset is especially popular. With a bottle of wine or a beer in your backpack, you sit down on the summit plateau in a quiet corner (if there is one at all) and enjoy a so-called sundowner with a view of the magnificent sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.