Table Mountain Facts

Table Mountain Facts for kids

• Did you know that Table Mountain actually only looks flat from one side?
• The first cableway for Table Mountain was officially opened in 1929. The cableway has been redone and is used multiple times a day to accommodate for the hundreds of tourists
• You can find Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the east side of the mountain. This is home to many incredible displays of flora that is iconic to the Cape.
• It is the only mountain that is included on the list of Seven Natural Wonders of the World and stands at a magnificent 1086 meters!
• Table Mountain is also a World Heritage Site!
• The mountain doesn’t only get visits from people but many animal species too that are indigenous to Table Mountain. One of these animals is the Table Mountain Ghost Frog. Another mammal that lives on the mountain is the dassie which looks like a large guinea pig.
• Table Mountain is a popular hiking destination. The first ever recorded hike all the way to the top of the mountain happened in 1503 and was by a man called Antonia de Saldanha. The first woman who hiked to the top was Anne Barnard and this was in 1790. Today there are about 350 trails that take you to the top of Table Mountain.
• Table Mountain was originally named Howrikwaggo which means ‘mountain in the sea’.
• The rocks of the mountain according to scientists are approximately 600 million years old. The rocks found at the base of the mountain are called shale and the western side has rocks known as Cape granite.