I’ve hiked a lot in the past year but I have always been a little nervous to tackle Skeleton Gorge. It’s a steep, rocky, knarly route up the side of Table Mountain and I needed to attempt it with someone who had done it before to show me the way. Generally once I have done a route once, I’ll be confident to take it on again without a team lead. But this one wasn’t a regular route for your every day weekend hikers. It’s not one of those family 1-2 hour “walks”. It’s a long consistent climb up a rocky riverbed.
I had overheard one of the older ladies from bootcamp mention that her hiking group were doing it last Tuesday so I jumped at the opportunity and asked if she wouldn’t mind me tagging along? She quickly agreed but said we would take it very slow and easy because the group were all a bit older but seasoned hikers. Amazing!!! I’m in!!!
She collected me at 6.45am in the dark and we headed to the start in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the lower slopes of Table Mountain.
We were the first to arrive and slowly the ladies gathered and I realised what she meant by older. They were mostly in their 70s but what a HOOT!!!
We entered the gardens and found the start of the Skeleton Gorge trail that immediately heads up the slope. The next 3 hours were a constant increasing incline. But the start was more like big woody steps through the thick forest that never end.
The ladies would walk about 50 meters and then stop for gab about one or the other LOVE LIFE! What!!? Turns out Glynis who was widowed now has a boyfriend after 4 years alone and says that she has never felt so loved before!! How amazing is that? Next they were teasing her about her Zumba classes and reminding her to keep those hips moving. Oh Lord help me!!
On our slow amble up we passed a beautiful Waterfall and then found a natural swing on the path. But the uphill didn’t stop. We stopped for water regularly and allowed the slower couple in the group to catchup.
The next section was pretty exciting because it was dominated by ladders and climbing. The ladies all made it up with no mishaps. And around this point I got chatting to Tessa (the tiny lady looking up the ladder at me). I think Tessa is an older me! Turns out she’s also walked the Camino (the exact route that I did) and she loved it! We reminisced about the sights and the culture and then she brought up the new show she’s watching on Netflix. Who would have thought we both love OUTLANDER 😂. Hysterical!!! Kindred spirits about 3 ½ decades apart.
After the ladders the river rock climbing began. I was a little worried about a couple of them but they all made it through.
And then we were back onto a steep forested trail that continued the journey up Skeleton Gorge.
So the story goes that the reason it is called Skeleton Gorge is because the remains of a sailor had been found here on the mountain and so it was named Skeleton Gorge. I was quite happy not to find any bodies on our walk and just as happy not to leave any behind!!!!
As we ascended we left the tall trees behind and the blue sky, sunshine and views opened up of the city below. The feeling that we were almost there was on all of us.
At the point we passed Breakfast Rock (don’t ask!) and the directions and marking were quite obvious showing the various options of routes from their point on.
We head straight on towards the top plateau of Table Mountain and the path suddenly turned to pure white sand.
It was such an interesting change in geography and scenery and was absolutely photo worthy! I wish I had a better camera with me because the view of the almost empty Hely Hutchison Dam was like a moonscape.
Hope and I raced off to take photos on the huge sandstone rocks and left the ladies to have their tea and lunch out of the breeze behind a large Boulder.
It had take us almost 3 hours to get to this point and I was hoping the way down would be a little faster. I had no idea that this hike would become a 5 hour adventure.
We found the next path leading along a fence behind the large boulder and walked along the dam and around the back of Cleft peak which sits directly between Skeleton Gorge and Nursery Ravine. This was easier walking as we’re on the flat top of Table Mountain.
There’s is an amazing hike that links all 5 dams on top of the mountain that feed water to the suburbs below. I’m still keen to do that one day soon. We saw Hely Hutchison dam and Woodhead Reservoir. If we had continued along the fence down the side of the Woodhead the path would lead to the 3 other dams and then eventually down the Constantia Nek jeep track.
We were taking a slightly shorter but more dangerous route down Nursery Ravine.
The path kept bending left until the downward slope began. The upper section of the Ravine was actually a real deal plant nursery for various trees a couple hundred years ago, hence the name nursery ravine.
There are old stone walls, caves and well demarcated areas that would have been used for the various types of planets and trees grown here. It’s still very beautiful but obviously wild.
We walked on a small boardwalk and onto the path down the upper ravine through a section called Ash Valley.
The serious descent we upon us. It began with steps and then the steepest rockiest path down the Ravine. I can’t call them steps. We had to do a couple sections sliding over over bigger boulders on our bottoms and just took it all very slowly and carefully.
A lot of the fynbos (our local indigenous plants) were still in flower but the beautiful King Proteas had passed a few weeks back.
With the rocks behind us we reached the forested section again, this time with wooden and muddy steps that still continued down for another kilometre.
We eventually reached the contour path which I’ve hiked often and it began to feel familiar again. Not too far to go now.
Signage here again is very good and you can take various options from this point. We headed down the lower route towards the Kirstenbosch gardens enjoying the plants and the milder path that we could walk a little faster. The rocky downhill and steps had been slow going so now we got to enjoy the walking and make up some time.
The paths leads directly into Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the meadows open up as we enter the upper paths. The Gardens had been left to themselves over the various lockdowns as gardeners weren’t able to travel from home to their beloved gardens, but now the work of clearing and cleaning has begun and they’re making good time.
We took a final glance up at the part of the mountain we had just completed and were pumped to have finished. 5 ½ hours from the start we were back at our cars and ready for a hot shower and a nap (me).
Here’s a route map of the area we covered
I’d love to do this route again with some friends and spend time exploring the dams, so maybe Skeleton Gorge up and then the 5 dams and Constantia Nek route down. It will be a long one but incredibly interesting and beautiful.
I hope you enjoyed the hike with me.
[//]:# (!pinmapple -33.984310 lat 18.426448 long Skeleton Gorge & Nursery Ravine Hike on Table Mountain d3scr)
