Highlights
- Scramble up Table Mountain's front face, with chains and real exposure
- Start at sunrise, with the cable cars gliding past overhead
- See the rock 'venster' window that gives the route its name
- Ride the cable car down; your one-way ticket is included
- Hike privately with a registered guide certified as a Wilderness First Responder
Description
India Venster is the best half-day route up Table Mountain for confident hikers. It climbs the mountain's front face from just beside the lower cable station, with scrambles, ledges and real exposure, and the cable cars gliding past overhead. It's about 2 to 3 km to the top, with around 720 metres of climbing.
The route is named after a rock window (venster) that overlooks a ravine which, seen from the city, looks a bit like a map of India. Some sections need your hands as well as your feet, and a few short stretches have fixed chains. Your guide sets the pace and the safety line, and picks the best line for your group.
At the top of the front face there's time for coffee at the upper cable station (own account), with an optional loop on the plateau if there's time. Then we ride the cable car down; your standard one-way ticket is included. If wind closes the cableway, we walk down by the safest route on the day and refund the cable car fare.
Your guide is a nationally registered Cape Town tour guide and a certified Wilderness First Responder.
Every hike is private, just for your group, and starts at sunrise. It takes about 5 hours from pick-up to drop-off. This is a strenuous route: steep and long, with scrambling, so you need good fitness and a head for heights.
Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel in the City Bowl, Atlantic Seaboard or Southern Suburbs are included for up to 3 guests, in a Suzuki Jimny. Any additional guests, and larger groups of up to 8, make their own way to the India Venster start beside the Lower Cable Station on Tafelberg Road, where we meet them at sunrise. No food or drinks are included, so bring your own water and snacks.
Includes
Private guided hike for your group only
Professional guide (nationally registered, Wilderness First Responder certified)
Hotel pick-up and drop-off in the Jimny, for up to 3 guests (City Bowl, Atlantic Seaboard and Southern Suburbs)
Standard one-way cable car ticket down (refunded if the cableway closes)
First-aid kit
Table Mountain National Park access (no fee for the India Venster route)
Excludes
Transport to and from the meeting point for guests beyond the first 3
Food and drinks (including coffee at the upper cable station)
Gratuities
Travel insurance
Important Information
- Good fitness and a head for heights required: about 3 hours of steep climbing with scrambling, exposed ledges and short chain sections. Not for anyone with a fear of heights.
Not wheelchair accessible. Not recommended for travellers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions.
Guests under 18 must be with an adult. The person booking accepts the hiking indemnity for everyone in the group.
The hike starts at sunrise: pick-up is about 15 minutes before sunrise, from about 05:15 in midsummer to 07:35 in midwinter. Geoff will message you your exact pick-up time.
Weather changes fast. Geoff checks the forecast the day before and confirms the route, a safer option or another date. If the cableway closes, we walk down and refund the cable car fare.
No food or drinks are included; bring your own water and snacks.
Private hike for up to 8 guests. Hotel pick-up is included for up to 3; other guests meet us at the India Venster start, beside the Lower Cable Station, Tafelberg Road.
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
