If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous to do in South Africa’s mother city, but not overly challenging, then a quick hike up the unmistakable Lion’s Head in Cape Town is one of the best options available.

When tourists think of Cape Town, the first landmark that most often comes to mind is Table Mountain (often erroneously referred to by my British friends as Table Top Mountain, much to my chagrin). However, there is another mountain which, if you’ve seen any pictures of the Cape Town skyline, you will no doubt already be familiar with, if not by name. That is of course, Lion’s Head mountain, which straddles the area between the central business district of Cape Town (referred to locally as the CBD or just ‘town) and the beautiful Cape Town beaches of Clifton and Camp’s Bay.

In terms of difficulty, a hike up Lion’s Head is certainly harder than a ramble through a country field (the elevation goes up pretty quickly) but you’re not going to be bouldering up sheer cliff faces. When I lived in Cape Town, we used to go for a hike up Lion’s Head every Friday before work started at 9am, so it’s not the kind of excursion you need to make a day of.

How long will it take to hike Lion’s Head?

The peak of Lion’s Head sits at 669 meters above sea level and the 5.5km hike should take you roughly 90 minutes at a steady pace. That said, I’ve seen my fair share of trail runners shooting up and down in far less time. I was always more of a moderate hiker though.

How difficult is it to hike up Lion’s Head?

When you look at pictures of Lion’s Head, it’s hard not to notice that it looks like there are sheer grey cliff faces as you get towards the top. The good news is that the pictures are deceiving. The pathway spirals around the mountain as you go up so – with the exception of one optional section – you are never ever climbing up cliffs.

In fact, you don’t really need any prior hiking experience at all the make your way to the top. The pathways are well worn and you’ll always have plenty of other hikers in close proximity to help you out along the way if you get into any difficulty. When we used to hike up before work, we’d make sure to arrive at 06:30 and we were still not the only ones on the mountain at that horrendous time of the morning.

How do I get to Lion’s Head?

Depending on where you’re staying, it’s certainly possible to walk there from some areas of Cape Town, although it’s a fairly long way and up hill, so you’ll probably be ready to turn back before you even start the hike. As with anything in South Africa, your best bet is to rent a car or jump in a taxi. If you opt for a car, there is usually ample parking near the start of the hike on Signal Hill road.

Top Tip

If you’re looking for a quicker way to get down from the peak of Lion’s Head so you can get back to sipping cocktails on the beach faster, there is a tandem paragliding option back down. It takes you directly to the beach from about two thirds of the way up the mountain. I’ve never tried it myself but I’ve heard nothing but good reviews from those I know who have.

When I’ve been sitting on Camp’s Bay beach in the hot summer months, it’s always looked incredibly exciting and one of the things I regret not doing.