Only Half a Day for a Cape Town Hike: Lion's Head or Table Mountain?
6 min read
With half a day, book the Lion’s Head sunrise/sunset hike or Table Mountain hike from €48.31: 3 to 3.5 hours, 5.0 stars from 872 reviews, and you choose between Lion’s Head and Table Mountain. If the summit of Table Mountain is the whole point, the Table Mountain Guided Summit Hike costs €67.10 and takes 3 hours. The Saturday group hike is the shortest at 2.5 hours, but it only exists on Saturday mornings.
Three hikes, three different end times
| Tour | Duration | Price from | Rating | Reviews | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion’s Head Sunrise/Sunset Hike or Table Mountain Hike | 3–3.5 hours | €48.31 | 5 | 829 | Choosing the mountain yourself |
| Table Mountain Guided Summit Hike | 3 hours | €67.10 | 4.9 | 765 | Reaching the summit on foot |
| Table Mountain Group Hike – Solo Travelers Welcome | 2.5 hours | €40.26 | 4.6 | 12 | A free Saturday morning |
The €38.27 hike: the mountain is your call
This booking offers Lion’s Head at sunrise or at sunset, or Table Mountain with the cable car down, weather permitting. Both Lion’s Head options sit at the edge of the day, so the middle of it stays free; the Table Mountain choice ends when the cable car does. The listing gives 3 to 3.5 hours, so plan around the 3.5.
The Lion’s Head or Table Mountain Guided Hike costs the same €48.31 and has 2,374 reviews. Its listed time starts lower, at 2.5 hours, but the description names the Direct (Platteklip) and Adventurous (India Venster) routes without saying how long each takes. For a hard deadline, the tour with the narrower 3 to 3.5 hours is the one you can plan around.
See times for the Lion’s Head or Table Mountain hike
The summit hike: €13.56 more for a fixed destination
Here there is no Lion’s Head alternative: you walk up Table Mountain with a local guide and ride the cable car down, weather permitting. The 3 hours are the plan on a day when the cable car runs. The description says nothing about what happens when it does not, so do not put a flight, a restaurant table or a ship departure directly behind it.
Check the Table Mountain summit hike
The Saturday group: shortest, but only one weekday
This hike goes up Table Mountain through Platteklip Gorge on a scheduled Saturday morning, and solo travellers are explicitly welcome. At €39.87 it costs €1.60 more than the flexible hike for 30 minutes less. With 13 reviews and 4.6 stars, it has far less track record than the other two. Book it only if a Saturday morning is exactly what your trip has free.
Check Saturday places on the group hike
Our recommendation
The listed durations cover the hike, not your journey to the meeting point or back. Count both, and if the hike has to end by a fixed hour, choose Lion’s Head on the €38.27 booking and keep the cable car out of your plan.
