by Geoff Taylor

Created on: August 23, 2007   Last Updated: September 03, 2009

Holiday Hot Spots

A Bird's Eye View of South Africa

Legend has it that a Dutchman named Van Hunks once climbed a flat-topped mountain and challenged the devil and St Peter to join him in a pipe-smoking contest. The game lasted for a long, long time and all three men smoked and smoked until the air all around the mountain formed a giant cloud and none of the three could be seen.

When the game finally ended, still with no clear winner, the cloud of smoke lingered for a while and it seemed as though a giant tablecloth had been laid across the mountain. The people in the city at the foot of the mountain watched this spectacle in wonder. They named the place where Van Hunks sat Devil's Peak and it is said that nowadays, whenever the "tablecloth" appears, the pipe-smoking trio have gotten together for a rematch.
The story may be fictional, but both the mountain and the city are real enough; Table Mountain is the dominant feature of one of South Africa's most picturesque cities Cape Town.

A vibrant city at the southern tip of the African continent, Cape Town is home to about 2.7 million people. It has a tourist-friendly climate, with temperatures ranging from a winter average of 18C to a summer average of 26C, and also provides a perfect launching pad for trips to other parts of the country. But where better than a mountaintop to start telling you about this jewel in Africa's crown?

Access to the top of Table Mountain is by cable car and once you arrive at the upper cable station it is possible to walk across the "table" and experience some truly spectacular views. Chief among these are the city, Table Bay and the harbour, plus views across the Cape Flats and north to the Hottentots Holland Mountains. Looking south you can see Hout Bay and beyond that all the way down towards Cape Point, which is the southern tip of the Cape peninsula.

Tourists are told that this is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, but the actual meeting place of these two is not entirely certain. Whatever its precise location, it is definitely somewhere between Cape Point and Cape Agulhus the African continent's southernmost point.

At the eastern end of Table Mountain is McLear's Beacon, which at an altitude of 1086 metres is its highest point. Further east still lies the legendary Devil's Peak.
Looking down over Table Bay you can see Robben Island. Until 1931, Robben Island was used as a hospital for lunatics, lepers and the chronically ill. Then, for a while it was not used for any purpose

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