Most-rated Lion's Head or Table Mountain hike
Lion's Head or Table Mountain guided hike
★ 5.0 · Rated by 2,127 guests
- Price fromfrom $44
- Length2.5 to 3.5 hrs
- Free cancellationIncluded
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Set your date and group size and the total follows along; the next page then shows the live price and what is still open.
- No-fee cancellation up to 24 hrs before
- Book now, pay later
- Spots go 6 days in advance
Know before you go
What's covered, what to bring, what's extra
Included4
- A live guide who speaks English
- A choice of sunrise or sunset on Lion's Head, or a Table Mountain route
- Pickup from your accommodation, if you choose that option when you book
- Flashlights for the sunrise and sunset climbs, when needed
Bring3
- Water, since the trail has none
- A warm layer and a windproof jacket
- Shoes with grip for rock and loose stones
Not covered2
- Your own food and drinks
- A fixed start time: it follows the sunrise or sunset of your date
2,127reviews
guest reviews of this hike
669m
the summit of Lion's Head
24hours
free cancellation window
1.5hours
the park's longest time up
How they differ
Four ways up a Cape Town mountain
A second guided Lion's Head and Table Mountain hike
Cape Town: Lion’s Head Sunrise/Sunset hike or Table Mountain
★ 5.0 · Rated by 795 guests
- Price fromfrom $37
- Length3 to 3.5 hrs
- Free cancellationIncluded
Table Mountain summit hike with a guide
Cape Town: Table Mountain Guided Summit Hike
★ 4.9 · Rated by 754 guests
- Price fromfrom $59
- Length3 hrs
- Free cancellationIncluded
Table Mountain by cable car instead
Cape Town: Table Mountain Cable Car Ticket
★ 4.1 · Rated by 400 guests
- Price fromfrom $60
- LengthNot stated
- Free cancellationIncluded
What each row shows
Our guided Lion's Head or Table Mountain hike beside a second guided hike, a guided Table Mountain summit and the cable car ticket.
Starting rates per person, as listed on GetYourGuide.
Feedback
Guest ratings and notes
4.9
★★★★★2,127 verified guests
The guide was knowledgeable and experienced, and the climb felt like a proper adventure. I enjoyed a day outdoors and being active, and would recommend it.
OlgaAugust 2026, traveling solo
Our guide got the group up and down safely with real energy, and the sunset from the top showed Table Mountain and the city beautifully.
NoelAugust 2026, traveling solo
Our guide set a good pace for everyone, told plenty of stories about Cape Town and had head lamps ready when it got dark early.
JustinJune 2026, as a couple
This was a high point of my trip. The guide knew the area, nature and history, and made everyone feel safe and motivated. The views were breathtaking.
MariamJuly 2026, traveling solo
A small group suited us, and the guide made the climb fun and kept us safe. It is a real mountain climb, not a stroll, but the views repay it.
NiamhJuly 2026, as a couple
I took the India Venster route up Table Mountain. A lot of it is scrambling and the heights were my biggest challenge, but the guide helped with every foothold.
LeylaJuly 2026, as a couple
the hike
A short climb with a rocky finish
The Lion's Head hike in Cape Town that we list is a guided outing from Cape Town on which you choose, when you book, between Lion's Head at sunrise, Lion's Head at sunset, and Table Mountain by the Platteklip Gorge or the India Venster route. The listing gives the whole experience as 2.5 - 3.5 hours, with a live English guide and a pickup option, so one booking covers several moods of the same city.
Lion's Head is the peak to the right of Table Mountain when you face it head on, and SANParks calls its hike short but popular, with 360 degree views of the Atlantic seaboard, the city and Table Mountain. The park rates the route easy with some minor rock scrambling, and the summit stands at 669 m. Few city skylines give you a view like that for the price of an easy afternoon.
What gives the hike its character is the top. Near the summit come a steel ladder, a chain handrail and an optional chain ladder, with an easier south-east ridge route around the chain ladder. Nothing in that stretch is long, and a guide's company is most welcome there, which is why this page leads with a guided option and not a map.
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Dawn light, chains and the city below
Photos from Lion's Head and Table Mountain hikes
the mountain
Lion's Head inside the national park
Lion's Head belongs to Table Mountain National Park, which SANParks describes as mainly open access. The Lion's Head trail starts just off Signal Hill Road, passing a security boom and then climbing a pebbled jeep track that Cape Town Tourism calls an easy meander before the hike proper.
Early on you pass the paragliding launch site on the left, where Wesgro says colourful paragliders can often be seen hovering alongside the peak when conditions are right. The path then spirals round the mountain, with views that change at every turn, before the short, steep scramble to the top.
The park asks visitors to treat the mountain as it is: stay on the demarcated paths, and do not feed, touch or harm any animal or bird, since dassies, baboons and even the African Penguin all have ferocious bites. Those are small rules that keep a very busy mountain pleasant.
Book, no fee to canceltable mountain
If you would rather climb the bigger mountain
The same listing offers Table Mountain by 2 routes. Platteklip Gorge is the direct, less technical and more crowded one, with hundreds of big rock steps and about 2.5 hours; India Venster is the rugged, less crowded one, with some rock scrambling and about 3.5 hours.
SANParks rates Platteklip Gorge moderate to tough, at about 3 km up, and puts the highest point of Table Mountain, Maclear's Beacon, at 1,088 m. Lion's Head, at 669 m, is the gentler introduction.
The listing says the Table Mountain options come down by cable car if it is open, or by the direct route if the cableway is closed. That is worth knowing before you choose: the walk down is part of the day.
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Your hike
A short climb, a big view.
Pick your date and your option. Cancellation stays free until 24 hours before.
the sun
Sunrise and sunset through the year
The start time of this hike follows the sun. The US Naval Observatory gives sunrise at Lion's Head on the 15th of each month in 2027 from 05:30 in December to 07:50 in June and July, and sunset from 17:44 in June to 20:00 in January. The listing says the start can therefore differ from the time you first booked.
In the long days of January the sun rises at 05:51 and sets at 20:00, which gives a warm, late evening for a sunset climb. In June the sun sets at 17:44 and rises at 07:50, so the afternoon is short and the pre-dawn start is late. Neither season is wrong; they simply need different clothes and a different alarm.
The guided sunset option starts about 2 hours before sunset and reaches the summit about 1 hour before it, and the sunrise option starts before dawn with flashlights supplied. The sunrise and sunset pages of this site list the times for every month.
Book, no fee to cancelRating summary
Feedback from 2,127 guests
4.9
Excellent★★★★★
- 5-star reviews100%
- 4-star reviews0%
- 3-star reviews0%
- 2-star reviews0%
- 1-star reviews0%
Our bars cover the 10 most recent reviews in the dataset. On GetYourGuide the best-rated appear first. Counting all 2,127 reviews, the overall rating is 4.9.
View dates and spots
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the reviews
What guests keep saying about the climb
Guests rate the listing 4.9 from 2,127 reviews, and the newest ones on our list keep returning to the same few things. The guides come up in nearly every review, praised for knowing the mountain, for looking after the group and for keeping a pace that suits everyone on the day.
Several guests mention the views from the top at sunrise or sunset, and one calls the hike one of the highlights of a trip. Others stress that the climb feels like a real mountain climb and not a stroll, which fits the listing's own request for a good fitness level and an intermediate skill level.
Reviews are one traveller's day, not a promise, and the weather on a mountain changes the picture. They are still the most honest guide to what a guide-led group feels like in practice, and the cards below show a sample of the newest ones.
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FAQ
Curious?We explain.
How long does the guided outing last?
Is climbing Lion's Head difficult?
Can I choose sunrise or sunset?
Is pickup included?
Do I need to bring a torch?
What does the hike cost?
Is there water on the trail?
Can children or dogs come?
Which is bigger, Lion's Head or Table Mountain?
What if the weather turns bad?
the wind
Wind, cloud and the tablecloth
Cape Town's mountains make their own weather. SANParks says wind is a defining feature of the peninsula climate, with mean speeds of 20 to 40 km/hr, and that the weather on Table Mountain especially is unpredictable and can change suddenly.
The famous tablecloth is the cloud that pours down the slopes of Table Mountain when the south-easter blows. From Lion's Head you look across at it, which is a good reason to climb the smaller peak on a day when the bigger one is hiding.
None of this should put you off, but it should shape the plan. Check the forecast the day before, pack a windproof layer, and remember that the listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before for a full refund if the forecast turns against you.
Book, no fee to cancel669m
A peak, counted
SANParks puts the summit of Lion's Head at 669 m above sea level.
That is a modest mountain beside Table Mountain's Maclear's Beacon at 1,088 m, and it is exactly why the climb suits a first visit with a clear view across at its bigger neighbour.
the dark
Starting before dawn, finishing after dusk
A sunrise or sunset climb touches the dark at one end, and the official advice is worth knowing. SANParks asks walkers to hike in daylight hours only, and the City of Cape Town says never to hike in the dark and to allow time to finish before sunset.
This listing is arranged around that tension. The sunrise option starts before dawn with flashlights supplied, and the sunset option walks down in the twilight with flashlights supplied when required. SANParks lists a torch or headlamp among the things everyone should bring when walking outside at night.
Cape Town Tourism adds that the trek down after sunset can get chilly. Bring a layer you can put on at the summit, and keep your light where you can reach it.
Book, no fee to cancelLion's Head, Cape Town
A peak above the city.Chains, views, a long sky.Sunrise or sunset.
This is the Lion's Head hike we list: a guided outing from Cape Town where you choose, when booking, sunrise or sunset on Lion's Head, or Table Mountain by one of 2 routes. The listing gives the whole experience as 2.5 - 3.5 hours, with a live English guide and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Free to cancel until 24 hours before
what to carry
What to put in the pack
The park's list for any day in the mountains is short and sensible: a good map, a sun hat and sun block, a torch or headlamp, sufficient water, energy snacks, sturdy hiking boots and wet weather gear or wind breakers. No water is available along the Lion's Head route, so fill your bottle at the start.
Shoes with grip matter more than anything else, because the last stretch uses your hands. Gloves are optional, a small pack is better than a bag swinging from one shoulder, and a phone with a charged battery is worth having for the photographs and for emergencies.
The City of Cape Town also advises leaving valuables behind, and SANParks says not to carry valuables, cash or cameras. A phone is the sensible compromise, kept out of sight when you are not using it.
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company
Going with a guide, or with friends
SANParks recommends groups of four or more for walking in the park, and says criminals are much more likely to go after individuals than groups. A guided group is one way to meet that advice with one booking.
The listing offers private or small groups with a live English guide, and the meeting point depends on the option booked, or you can choose a pickup from your accommodation. Ask when you check availability how many people the group holds.
If you prefer to climb with your own party, the route is open access and rated easy by the park, but keep to the advice on company, daylight and light.
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Plan your date and spot
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- starts at $44 per person
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before you go
The small traps on a short climb
The first trap is parking. Wesgro says it is best to start early to avoid crowds and the difficulty of finding parking along Signal Hill Road. If you book the guided hike, check the meeting point for your option and decide whether the pickup suits you.
The second is the queue at the chains. Wesgro notes that queues form at the fixed chains, which is a minor delay in daylight and a longer one in the dark. The third is the start time, which follows the sunrise or sunset of your date and can differ from the booked time.
The last is the way down. SANParks warns that darkness and the initial steep descent are a dangerous combination on full-moon nights, with several accidents on record. Go with a light, a layer and a plan to be below the rock before it is dark.
Book, no fee to cancelwho it suits
Who the hike suits, and the honest caveats
It suits people who want a real summit view without a day of climbing: first-time visitors to Cape Town, couples, small groups of friends and anyone who wants a guide to take care of the timing. The park rates the route easy, and children are fine but may need help at the chains.
It suits people who like a little rock. The listing asks for a good fitness level and an intermediate skill level, and it names hiking, scrambling and exposure to heights among the demands of its trails.
It is less suited to anyone nervous about heights, unless they take the bypass, and to anyone who needs a flat, wide path. Dogs are not recommended on the route. Bad weather can change the plan, and the free cancellation window exists for that reason.
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