Fynbos and Fantastic Views On Table Mountain

When visiting Cape Town, South Africa, Bob and I set aside one morning to explore the plateau called Table Mountain. This flat-topped mountain is recognized worldwide and is easily visible from every part of the capital city.  Fynbos and fantastic views on Table Mountain were part of the draw for Bob and me.

As Bob navigated the narrow road up to the parking area of the Lower Cable Station, we got a sense of the height of the Mountain.  It tops out at 1,086 meters above sea level.

When peering up to the Upper Cable Station perched at the lip of Mountain, I felt a bit daunted.

1,200-meter cables connect the Lower Cable Station to the Upper Station.

Sleek pods have see-through floors, and because each capsule rotates, everyone is afforded fabulous views of the dizzying panoramas.  I was wishing that the 5-minute ride had been longer.

Lion’s Head was radiant in the morning sunshine where it stands sentinel over the suburbs of Cape Town.  At 669 metres high, it was soon left behind.

Hugging the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town is South Africa’s oldest city.  We had a grand overview of the whole urban centre.

In the nearer distance, framed by rocky crags, the shimmer of white sand on Clifton Beaches drew our eyes to Camps Bay.

The sides of Table Mountain are composed of jagged outcrops of granite and sandstone with sheer drop-offs that disappeared into the shadowy depths beneath us.

Further off now, Lion’s Head stood erect with suburban communities skirting it on 3 sides.

Table Mountain is about 600 million years old and was formed under the sea, which explains a lot of the rock formations.  Glaciers carved it flat before the mountain gradually rose, thrust up by tectonic forces.  Table Mountain was then an island until the sea receded.

Bob and I made a beeline for the observation deck once we “landed” and were captivated by the wonderful view afforded of Cape Town, the Mother City, and Table Bay.

A stretch of peaks rising from the Atlantic shoreline forms the back of Table Mountain.  They are called the Twelve Apostles.

Actually numbering more than 12, these buttresses are formed of limestone made from billions of skeletons of marine creatures.  If you look closely, you can see several Rock Dassies enjoying the warmth of sunlit rocks close to the lookoff.

Because Rock Dassies or Cape Hyrax are unable to completely thermoregulate to keep their body temperature within certain boundaries, they are most active in the morning and evening before the temperature gets too hot.

From our high perch, we had a dandy bird’s-eye view of various hiking trails that traverse the sides of the Twelve Apostles.

Soon, Robert and I gave consideration to the various trails available on top of Table Mountain.  Our objective was to appreciate the panoramic views but we also were keen to see some of the unique flora that grows in this location.

To meet those ends, we decided to do the Agama Walk followed by the Klipspringer Trail and onwards to Maclear’s Beacon.

The Agama Walk was posted as requiring 30-minutes to complete, and although fairly easy, we did have to be mindful of the uneven surface.

An abundance of rare plants had Bob and me making frequent stops to appreciate and photograph them. Here we see a Peninsula Conebush.

This beautiful bush is in the same family of plants as Protea.  It is considered Near Threatened.  It definitely reminded us of the pine cones produced by Pine Trees in Canada.

Table Mountain, together with the Cape Peninsula, makes up part of the Cape Floral Kingdom because of the uniqueness of vegetation found there.

The Cape Floral Kingdom is recognized by UNESCO as the smallest of six global floral kingdoms.  It is the only floral kingdom to exist within a single country.

The natural wealth of the Cape Floral Kingdom is impressive with over 9,600 species of African plants found within the region, 69% of which are endemic.

One endemic species Bob and I hoped to see on Table Mountain was King Protea.  I believe this is a Protea bud, but I’m not sure if it is a King Protea.

Table Mountain is just one of 8 protected areas that make up the Cape Floral Kingdom in South Africa.  Making up a large share of the vegetation within the Cape Floral Kingdom is fynbos.  Fynbos is a group of hearty shrubs that create a dense shrub land while bearing pretty flowers.  Here, we see an example of Cape Everlasting.

Cape Everlasting have dry, papery flowers that gave rise to its alternate name Strawflowers.

Table Mountain plateau is 3 kilometres from side to side.

The terrain along the trails invited close scrutiny in order to discover some of the interesting plants.  A small space could support more than a dozen varieties growing in harmony together.  Table Mountain alone has 1,500 species of rare endemic plants.

Very soon, Bob and I found ourselves branching off onto the Klipspringer Trail, a loop of 1.4 kilometres.  A wonderful view down through Echo Valley was a window onto Bakoven Beach far below.

It was exciting exploring the cool shadows for some of the fauna that also makes its home on top of the plateau.  The undergrowth supports an array of animals and birds.  We had already seen several tiny black lizards darting among the rocks.

It was the scope of the fynbos shrub land and the tenacity with which the plants have eked out an existence that we found truly remarkable.  Fynbos vegetation has high biodiversity and endemism, meaning that the species are found only in a very small area and nowhere else on earth.

Fynbos vegetation has uniquely adapted reproduction strategies and adaptability to fire.  One type of fynbos are the Ericas (Heaths).  I was happy to find a specimen of Fire Heath, a plant endemic to South Africa.

True to its name, in fact, fire stimulates the production of blossoms on Fire Heath.

Poking its head above lesser flamboyant plants was Devil’s Heath.  It gets its name from nearby Devil’s Peak and is found within a very small area.  This species is considered Critically Endangered.

The Klipspringer Trail took us along the edge of the plateau and provided a variety of different scenic views.  In the distance, Hout Bay Harbour and Chapman’s Peak were visible.

I got so wrapped up studying various plants that Bob and I often found ourselves far apart.  Despite the number of passengers on the cable car, we pretty much were alone on the trails.

Another plant that captured my interest was Cape Fellwort.  It is a shrub endemic to the Cape, and on Table Mountain, the multi-flowered forms are larger than in some other areas.  What was fascinating were the stiff, leathery leaves so closely packed together.

Just when Bob and I thought the weather was perfect for appreciating the scenic views, things began to change.

When looking out over the fynbos, a thin veil of mist was seen creeping towards us.

As we looked on, the air grew thick with an encroaching layer of clouds.

Not only did the temperature suddenly get much cooler, but the obstructed view meant we had to be more cautious.

Bob and I stayed well away from the edge of the plateau.

A quickening breeze swept the clouds to the edge of the plateau where they tumbled over the brink.  I’m sure those at the base of Table Mountain were revelling at the appearance of Table Mountain’s “tablecloth” as the clouds billowed like fabric down the sides of the mountain.

We were grateful for the hard, bare surface of the trails that stood out among the shrubs.  The quartzitic sandstone almost glowed and guided us forward towards a point above Platteklip Gorge.

The highest point on Table Mountain is a mound called Maclear’s Beacon.  We were anxious to check out the view from there since we would be at 1,086 metres (3,563 feet) above sea level.

A whiff of wind cleared our view in one direction revealing a broad swath of Berry Heath.  This endemic is found only on the Cape Peninsula where its common appearance on Table Mountain paints the landscape a pretty shade of rose-pink.

As we climbed upwards, the diaphanous fog still swirled around the rocky outcrops.

We were grateful to be wearing hiking boots when scrambling over the loose rocks and pleased that the fog finally dissipated.

As is often the case, I was in the lead and often stopped to see if Bob was close behind.  When Bob and I crested the uphill section of the trail, we were in for a big surprise.

Given the dry and parched terrain that we had already traversed on Table Mountain, neither Bob nor I expected to find an area so wet that it requires a boardwalk to make walking easier.  Our visit was in early summer so the abundance of winter rainfall was long over but it still had large parts of the summit plateau waterlogged.

There are perennially wet areas on Table Mountain that include waterfalls, rivulets and seeps, and there are even extensive marshes on the eastern end of Table Mountain.  It is in the winter when the volume of water brings the mountain alive with the sounds of gushing streams that drain down the sides of the mountain.

The weather on top of Table Mountain is classified as Mediterranean climate because of the high levels of winter precipitation and dry summers, but moisture is received year round with the mist or fog known as “the tablecloth” condensing and depositing much needed moisture in the summer.  Reed-like plants called “restios” were the predominant vegetation along the boardwalk.

The swampy areas provide perfect habitat for such plants as this Peninsula Sundew, a carnivorous perennial that flowers in the winter.  It is endemic to South Africa and is restricted to Table Mountain.

Both Bob and I were very surprised to learn that there are a number of “lakes” on top of Table Mountain.  From one high point on the Klipspringer Trail, we had a distant view of the Hely-hutchinson Reservoir with Muizenberg Mountain in the far distance.  The freshwater supply from Table Mountain’s Platteklip Stream is what induced the Dutch to settle at the foot of the mountain in 1652.

Still contemplating the marshy area, I wondered what other surprises awaited us.

Finding a blooming Adenandra villosa or China Flower was unexpected.  This is another shrub that grows well on Table Mountain favouring the wetter areas of the plateau.

This evergreen plant has glistening white flowers that shimmer like porcelain.

Soon enough, the significant pile of rocks called Maclear’s Beacon came into view.

Maclear’s Beacon was assembled in December 1844 at the direction of Thomas Maclear, Astronomer Royale at the Cape.

Bob wanted to contribute to the pile of rocks and get the best view so had to get to the top of the stone cairn.

The purpose of Maclear’s Beacon was to assist with data being collected and relating to the curvature of the Earth.  The 16-foot high structure is a triangulation station.

While Bob scrambled up the cairn, I watched a Cape Crag Lizard creep from the rocky shadows to sun itself on a rock.  This lizard was considerably larger than the little ones we had seen earlier.

The obliging Cape Crag Lizard had a sturdy build and strong limbs that enabled it to navigate the rugged terrain.  The species is native to shrublands and grasslands of South Africa.

Bob and I had already been hiking for a couple of hours when we started back towards the Upper Cable Station.

Seen from afar, the cable car was a speck in the sky where it dangled from the cable.  We had covered about 4 kilometres and had a couple more to go before catching our ride down the mountain.

It was nice to find another view of Lion’s Head from this lofty vantage point.

There was still time to appreciate the delicate flowers of Pineleaf Lobelia that was nestled in a damp crevice between two rocks.

And before stepping back onto the cable car, we are happy to report that we did get to see at least a bud of a King Protea plant.  Our 4-hour tramp around the top of Table Mountain had indeed been very rewarding.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean