Hi guys! Today I’m in Cape Town, South Africa.
Did you know that it’s the oldest urban area in South Africa
and also happens to be the capital? English is the main spoken language here.
They also have a nickname for the city: the Mother City.
The weather here is so gorgeous and I can’t wait to discover this place.
Let’s go do that.
This is the EF school and I’m going to meet South African photographer and vlogger Nicole Eddy,
who will show me some spectacular views.
Hi! Hey!
How are you? I’m good. How are you?
I’m good, thank you. It’s good to see you.
It’s so good to see you as well. Yes. It’s so beautiful here.
Yes, thankfully we have some good weather. Summer has arrived.
Okay, tell me what we’re going to do today. I’m so intrigued.
We are going to hike up Table Mountain,
which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
If we stand outside, we should be able to get a view of what we are about to climb today.
Okay.
So, that is Table Mountain and that’s what we are going to be climbing up today.
That looks pretty high up.
It is pretty high up, but the views from the top are so worth it.
That’s great. Why do they call it Table Mountain?
Simply because of the shape of it. At the top it is so incredibly flat, like a table.
Makes sense! Yes.
Let’s do this, guys. Let’s do it.
So, it’s super windy. It is!
Unfortunately, we may not be able to do the Table Mountain hike anymore.
As you can see, the cable car is even closed. On very windy days, they shut the cable car down.
If we hike to the top,
I think we’ll be in a massive cloud and we won’t see any views of the city.
We have a name for the cloud. It’s called the Tablecloth.
Oh! That makes sense. Exactly.
Whenever this wind blows, which is called the South Easter,
this cloud kind of forms and blows over. My suggestion is Lion’s Head, which is behind us,
and is actually Cape Town’s most popular hike.
It’s a little bit shorter, there’s no cloud. Sounds like a great alternative.
Do you think it will be a less windy? I hope it’s going to be less windy, but let’s go find out.
I swear, I could just lay on the wind.
I don’t think I’ve ever been in such windy conditions in my life before.
Welcome to Lion’s Head. I have to say, this feels more doable.
There’s some wind, but I’m not flying over the other side.
Exactly, there is a lot less wind here and it’s quite a lot warmer, actually.
Yes, true, but I’m keeping my jacket on just in case. You never know.
Exactly. In Cape Town you always have to be prepared.
Shall we do this? Yes.
Let’s go. How long is this hike?
Fourty-five minutes to an hour, depending on fitness and whether the trail is busy.
On weekends, it gets very busy.
What would you always bring when you go up? Cape Town’s weather changes all the time.
Some people say we have four seasons in one day, as we have experienced already.
So, when you’re hiking, always bring a warm jacket or a windbreaker,
and suncream, water and snacks.
Wow. It’s a lot of cloud, right?
I know.
It looks like the mountain doesn’t even exist under there.
Yeah.
That beach is Camps Bay Beach
and this whole area that you can see behind us is Camps Bay.
On a beautiful, hot day with no wind in Cape Town,
it’s full of umbrellas and people and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.
The trees are beautiful. It is such a diverse, floral habitat.
In fact, Table Mountain National Park is part of one of six floral kingdoms in the world.
That one is called the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and it’s the smallest of all of them,
but it’s the most bio diverse.
I think there’s something crazy like between 8,000 – 9,000 species
of which 69% or 70% only occur in that region.
Only here? Only here.
That’s really cool. Yeah.
That’s like a dream for an explorer. Exactly.
So this is where we’re heading. That’s where we’re heading.
That’s the top. We’ve got a little way to go still.
Once a month, during the full moon, there’s something called the Moonlight Mass,
which takes place in Lion’s Head. Everyone hikes up just before sunset.
Everyone has a head torch, and on the way down, everyone has their head torches on.
If you are looking at Lion’s Head from afar, you can just see all of these torches coming down.
It’s really cool.
That sounds like an amazing experience. You must definitely come back and try it.
Yes, I will!
Can you hear that? Yeah. What is that?
Crickets. Little insects. It’s like a little symphony.
Yeah. For me, this is synonymous with the sound of summer in Cape Town.
That’s nice. You can always hear them.
That’s a lovely association. Yeah.
Now we can see a whole other side of Cape Town.
As we weave around the mountain, there are new views to be seen on every side, which is amazing.
It’s like the mountain divides the city into two parts.
Exactly. This stretch of mountain is called Signal Hill.
This is Seapoint Side. This is an old area of Cape Town.
That is Capetown’s CBD, the Central Business District,
a big business hub in Cape Town where lots of big companies are based.
A busier area.
So, this is where the fun begins. There’s a ladder. Why is there a ladder?
It seems like this is the only option up.
Yep. This is our only way up. Here it goes.
Yeah, good job! Yay! I made it.
I’m very happy that there’s a chain here.
They just renovated the park at the end of last year,
so I think these chains are new, and some of the ladders, too.
Newly installed. Good. This is fun. Just for you.
Now it’s windy. Holy moly, guacamole! Freedom! Wind everywhere!
And sand in my eyes. I feel like a pirate. I see the chains.
It looks worse than what they are. Really?
I feel like I’ve said that about everything so far on this hike, but I promise you.
Yes. It’s proper climbing. Do you see this?
Let’s rumble. You make it looks so easy.
Oh my gosh, the bars are finished. I was looking to hold onto something!
Yes, like a natural. Okay, one section is done.
One section? There’s more. This is the last section.
You promise? I promise.
I’m scared. I’m genuinely … Are you alright?
I’m a little bit …
I don’t know if I can do this. I’m not kidding! Okeedokee. I can do this, I can do this!
You’re doing a great job.
Thank you. Now, I’m going to be very proud of myself.
You did a great job. Yay!
Nice.
We came up this way, with staples and chains, but I see there’s an alternative footpath as well.
Yeah. So, if you don’t feel like braving the staples and chains,
this is where the other route joins up with the main part,
so you can avoid that whole section. Good. So there’s a way for everybody.
There is. That’s what’s great about Lion’s Head.
The wind is back! This is quite an adventure. Are we there yet?
We are almost there. We can pretty much see the summit.
Yes, that gives me hope.
If I ever move to South Africa, the first thing I’m going to do is buy hiking shoes.
Proper hiking boots. Yeah.
This is spectacular. The view from up here is amazing.
The view’s incredible, right? Amazing.
There’s another ladder. There’s another ladder. I’m sorry.
It’s okay.
Maria, I’m happy to say we have officially reached the summit.
I’m so proud of myself. Good job!
It’s the first time I’ve ever climbed a mountain from bottom to top.
Really? Yeah.
That’s incredible. It’s a great mountain for your first one.
Yes, definitely. This is …. Wow. We did it.
I think we’re also at the highest height that we could possibly be on Lion’s Head right now.
Yes. Good job!
That was such a fun day.
It was amazing. Thank you. I would never have been able to do it without you.
No, you did incredible well. Speaking of fun activities,
I think this is an awesome activity to do with a partner or loved one.
Yes, and speaking of love, tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day.
What is your idea of a great date?
Comment below and the winner is going to get this handcrafted key ring made in KwaZulu-Natal,
another province in South Africa.
Thank you so much for watching, and make sure to come back and watch the next episode.
I’m going to Camps Bay. Bye!