Cape Town Trails - A Nature Lover's Paradise

There are few areas to live in as highly-sought after as the Atlantic Seaboard and with good reason. With its long white beaches, cocktail bars and top class restaurants, it ticks all the boxes, but it offers much more than this, with the coastal stretch also considered a nature lover's paradise.

Trail running, in particular, has become a hugely popular pastime in Cape Town. With Table Mountain as a backdrop, surrounding forests, and a multitude of established trails in close proximity, it's easy to see why the city is considered to be a trail runner's paradise.

The Atlantic Seaboard is close to some of the best trails on offer in the Mother City with Lion's Head, The Chapman's Peak Contour Path in Hout Bay, the Tuesday Trails Block House run, Pipe Track and Platteklip Gorge regarded as being amongst the best routes in the city.

Pipe Track

Close to the city bowl and Atlantic Seaboard, Pipe Track is popular with runners and hikers, because of its ease of access, meaning a quick run before or after work is not entirely out of the question. Starting just off the top of Kloof Nek, at the entrance towards the Table Mountain Cableway, the trail follows a water pipeline that runs along the top of Camps Bay all the way past Bakoven, offering some incredible views of the beaches below and the mountain looming overhead. Relatively flat - with an admittedly steep climb up towards the chain-link steps - and not very technical, Pipe Track is open to a wide range of fitness levels.

Platteklip Gorge

Platteklip Gorge is the most direct route to the top of Table Mountain and not for the faint of heart. It's a challenge. Starting on Tafelberg road, about two kilometres from the Aerial Cable Way station, the hike up is a short, relatively smooth, but extremely steep climb, gaining about 600m in elevation in just under 2.5km. It's tough and should be attempted before the Cape Town sun hits the slope, because there is not much in the way of cover. But if you're up for it, you will be rewarded with epic views of the Cape Town city bowl and Table Bay.

Lion's Head

Close to the city and with most runners/hikers managing to summit within an hour, it's no wonder Lion's Head is such a popular route for Atlantic Seaboard and city residents. There are a couple of routes to the top - a tough 4.5km route that circles upwards to the top and an easier 5.3km circuit around the base of Lion's Head. Either way the views are epic and the pay-off for the hard work is magical.             

The Chapman's Peak Contour Path in Hout Bay

Chapman's Peak is considered to be one of the city's most beautiful drives, but the real beauty of this stretch is along the contour path that winds along the mountain slopes. Look out for the large parking area at the last checkpoint before the main viewpoint and you will see the green SANParks sign at the start (a day pass is needed when coming from the Hout Bay side). The contour path is just over 5km - there and back - with about 450m of elevation. The summit delivers 360 degree views of the Cape Peninsula in all its glory. Well worth it!

Tuesday Trails Group run

If you prefer running in a group, Tuesday Trails is the perfect option. A community-based running group, they run every Tuesday - starting 6pm sharp - and rotate their starting point between Newlands and town-side each week. The group base themselves at The Round House in Camps Bay and are always up for a cold beer after each run. It's a great way to meet likeminded runners and the social aspect really lends itself to the trail running scene.  They're not the only social running group in Cape Town, but they are arguably the largest and most well-known.

Check out this great video produced by Wesgro that explores the local running community and be sure to keep an eye on the credits that highlight more running groups in, and around, the city.