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• Quick overview of hike
• Map of Lion’s Head hike
• Lion’s Head parking + starting point
• Best time to start the hike
• 2 hiking routes: staples & chains vs. alternative footpath 
• 4 Unique views
• Guide vs. no guide 
• Safety of the Lion’s Head hike
• What to bring on the hike
• Table Mountain vs. Lion’s Head
• Final thoughts

• Hiking distance: 5.5 km or 3.4 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: 669 meters or 2,195 feet high
• Hiking time: 2-3 hours*
• Difficulty level: relatively easy but strenuous at times ** 

* Some say it takes only 90 minutes, but this really depends on a lot of factors including your fitness level, how many photos you take, how busy the trail is (there are a few bottleneck points when you are waiting to climb up/down a ladder), and if you stop for a snack/meal at the top of the mountain. We started at 10:30 am and finished at 1 pm on a day that was packed with hikers.

** The hike is basically a spiral; you will continue to circle Lion’s Head peak until you get to the top. As you circle around, you will get 360-degree views of Table Mountain, Signal Hill, 12 Apostles, Camp’s Bay, and the city below. There are times when you will need to climb ladders, use your hands to climb, or utilize chains/rungs depending on the route selected. 

FIRST LADDER: Waiting in line to go up

SECOND LADDER: I am not going to lie. It was a little terrifying to go up and down the second ladder especially with the wind howling around you.

Map of Lion’s Head sandwiched between Signal Hill and Table Mountain 

With Table Mountain in the back and Signal Hill in the front, Lion’s Head is the peak between the two that helps form the dramatic backdrop to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town!

By the way, there is NO entrance fee!

We did the Lion’s Head hike on South Africa’s Heritage Day around 10:30 am, and the parking was insane. There were just lines of cars, which made me happy we took an Uber. I strongly suggest Uber. It is so cheap in South Africa (we paid $2.50 USD to take us from our hotel, Derwent House Boutique Hotel to the trailhead), and they drop you right at the head of the trail. So worth it!

Lion’s Head Starting Point by the Red Truck

For this hike, we purposely chose to start the hike late morning because we wanted to have crowds.

Why? Because I read it is safer to do this hike in groups (muggings do occur). We also happened to hike on South Africa’s Heritage Day, which was one of the busiest days since everyone was out celebrating. Perfect!

There were bottlenecks of hikers going up and hikers coming down the ladders, which required sometimes waiting for 20+ minutes. Sacrificing longer wait times for possible better safety in numbers was worth it to me.

Signal Hill as seen from the Lion’s Head hike

Lion’s Head Peak

Choose your route based on your physical ability and your fear of heights.

You will come to a point about 45 minutes into the hike where you have the option to pick:

1) Staples & chains route or

2) Alternative footpath (or as the sign says, the recommended route).

This route involves a series of chains and rungs to climb to the top. It’s steep and involves a fair amount of rock maneuvering. Not for the faint of the heart.

This route does involve climbing another ladder and at times using your hands to climb up but nothing near as intense as the Staples & Chains Route. This route spirals around the peak and takes a little longer.

This is the route we took, which was just enough for me. 

STAPLES & CHAINS ROUTE: It is difficult to see in the photo, but it shows a line of hikers using the chains to climb to the peak (as depicted by the yellow circles).

ALTERNATIVE FOOTPATH: This is the recommended route, which spirals around the left side of the peak before you take another ladder to climb to the summit. 

No matter which route you take, one of the unique features of the Lion’s Head hike is it offers 4 incredible unique panoramic views.

VIEW 1: Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town

VIEW 2: Signal Hill and the city of Cape Town

VIEW 3: Clifton beaches, Camp’s Bay, and the gorgeous coastline

VIEW 4: 12 Apostles

Once you climb to the summit, there is a partially concrete surface to walk around, savor the panoramic views of the beaches, city, and ocean, and have a snack.

It is up to you, but I did not feel the need for a guide. As long as you can find the start of the trailhead and know which route you want to take when you come to that junctional point, you should be fine.

With that being said, if you are single, I would strongly suggest a guide and a hiking group for safety reasons.

Get Your Guide has a highly-rated (5.0) group tour run by Atlantic Outlook you can join.

The junctional point on the 2 routes: Choose between Staples & Chains or the Alternative Footpath

Here are some highlights of what is listed on the official Table Mountain National Park Website:

• Have a contact person who knows you are going on a hike and what time to expect you back.
• Do not take valuables like expensive jewelry or large sums of cash.
• Know your escape points.
• Avoid known criminal hot spots on the mountain.
• Walk with a purpose.
• Hike in groups. Do not hike alone.
• Take a self-defense class. What?!?!
• Know the emergency number to call: 086 110 6417 (according to the Lion’s Head Hiking Sign at the start of the trailhead).

We almost did not do the hike after this research. Muggings, stabbings, and deaths have occurred over the years during hikes around Cape Town.

We use common sense while traveling to cities (including even our own city) to avoid potentially dangerous situations, but it never once crossed my mind to be on guard while out in nature hiking.

As with all activities, everyone has to assess their own risk. We did the hike on South Africa’s Heritage Day. We purposely chose this time because we knew there were going to be a lot of hikers out celebrating the holiday, which made me feel safer. The great exercise and panoramic views of Cape Town at the top were well worth it!

In summary, use common sense, be on guard, and travel with a lot of people.

If you only have time for one, which hike should you choose? I researched this question before we got to Cape Town, and I chose Lion’s Head for 3 reasons:

1) You get amazing 360-degree views of 12 Apostles, Table Mountain, Signal Hill, Clifton Beaches, Camp’s Bay, and Cape Town.

2) The hike is short (but you still get good exercise!) and you can easily incorporate other activities into the rest of your day.

3) In general, the Lion’s Head hike will be busier with more hikers than Table Mountain (remember, safety in numbers).

A must-do! We put Lion’s Head as one of our top 17 things to do in Cape Town. As long as the weather is corporating and you have a group to hike with, it is definitely worth it. It only takes a few hours, so you have plenty of time the rest of the day for other activities.

Questions about our Lion’s Head hiking experience?

Let me know in the comments below!