Atlantic (West)

Table Mountain West (Atlantic)

OSM map

This side of TM offers the largest number of routes from the easy to the more demanding, including a number of 4-star gems. It is characterised by a series of buttresses known as the 12 Apostles although in fact there are more like 13 buttresses and none are named after the Apostles! 

Most of the climbs start from Theresa Avenue in Camps Bay (Google map or OSM map) and from there up and along the pipe track which runs from Kloof Nek to Grootkop - halfway along the Apostles. With the pipe track running at 300 to 400m elev and the top of TM at this point 700 to 900m, the climbs are relatively short and most can be done in a brisk 1/2 day or an easy full day with additional exploring added on.  Most of the climbs end up meeting the Apostles Path which runs for 12km from the upper cable station all the way to Hout Bay.

A Table Mountain map is a good addition to the descriptions here (which focus mainly on the route up) for planning the route down, where many variations are possible. Popular options are to go up one of the scrambling routes and down via the cableway, or to traverse along the Apostles Path to one of the easy descents such as Kasteels Poort (KP), or to cross the Back Table from west to east and come down into Kirstenbosch or at Constantia Nek.

One of the delights of Table Mountain is this amazing range of different combinations of circular routes that are available, making it possible to climb every day for weeks (or every week for a year or two) and never repeat the same route twice.  A route is available for all seasons and all weathers and many local groups walk every week of the year whatever the weather by picking a route that is appropriate. 

All the key access points are marked on the maps - pan and zoom to see them all. Most paths are also visible by name when zoomed in on the OSM maps.