Visitors to Table Mountain are often surprised by its scale. Away from the flat-top, the mountain reveals a less familiar side: lush river valleys and craggy peaks, frog-filled wetlands and white-sand beaches. It makes for a great day’s hiking and thanks to Table Mountain overnight accommodation, you can spend the night there too.

Orange Kloof Tented Camp: the hiker’s traditional choice.

Hidden away in Table Mountain’s forested interior, Orange Kloof Tented Camp provides the under-canvas experience. Private, secure and completely surrounded by nature, it’s the perfect way to finish a full-day hike on Table Mountain.

Orange Kloof’s tented chalets catch the early morning sun.

Run and staffed by South Africa National Parks, the camp sleeps up to 12 people in semi-permanent tents raised off the ground on wooden decks and thatched for shade. Each comes with electric light, a bed and mattress but no bed linen. A four-sleeper tent is ideal for families with younger children.

The camp’s outdoor area is perfect for socialising.

Your accommodation is linked to the rest of the camp by raised walkways, illuminated at night. The camp has communal bathroom (hot water showers and flush toilets) and a kitchen well-equipped for self-catering cooking. There are big fridges, a microwave and you can recharge batteries here too. A cheerful outdoor area with braai (barbeque) pit completes the deal.

Raised walkways connect the camp’s buildings.

What Happens the Next Day?

Things wrap up at camp after breakfast and there’s vehicle access to arrange pick-ups. For hikers with more time however, Orange Kloof Tented Camp is just one of several overnight hiking accommodations tucked away in the mountains of the Cape Peninsula. Hikers can lace up their boots and continue on the Hoerikwaggo Trail – a four or five day hike that runs from from Table Mountain to Cape Point.

A Cape Point hike makes an unbeatable day two.

And there’ll be time to visit Boulders Beach on the way.

For a two-day hike combination, a Table Mountain and Cape Point hike is hard to beat, especially as it can easily be combined with the Boulders Beach penguin colony, bringing together Cape Town’s three best natural attractions in two amazing days.

The Overseer’s Cottage: home-from-home comfort on Table Mountain.

Ideal for families, groups of friends, special anniversaries and company incentives, the Overseer’s Cottage is the more luxurious of the two overnight accommodations on Table Mountain.

The Overseer’s Cottage is completely equipped for large groups & families.

It offers guesthouse-style comfort with superior self-catering facilities. The cottage is staffed and luggage, food and drinks are transported to the cottage by park authorities – guests have to walk up however! The routes to the Overseer’s Cottage range from a simple walk up the jeep track to easy scrambling trails.

The cottage’s accommodation is suitable for the more discerning hiker.

Sleeping up to 16 people, the cottage is fully furnished and bed linen can be supplied on request. There are bathrooms with flush toilets and hot showers plus a kitchen with gas oven and cooker, fridge and freezer and everything you need to cook it up. There’s a family-sized dining table and plenty of lounging-around space plus the must-have outdoor braai (barbeque) area.

The outdoor deck has panoramic views during the day & star-studded nights.

Bunk beds make it fun for children.

Although non-electrified, the cottage makes use of lamps, candles and fireplaces to create a familiar and homely atmosphere. The stock of board games and reference books is a nice touch.

Hot showers & flush toilets add another layer of comfort.

What Happens the Next Day?

The Overseer’s Cottage is generally suited to those who do not plan to continue hiking the next day so there’s no rush in the morning. You can even fit in a walk before breakfast. SANParks rangers will take the luggage down to a point of easy vehicle access while you hike down, arriving at your luggage and transport by mid-morning.