September 2020

Hidden on top of Table Mountain, and nestled out of sight, is an area known as Tranquility Cracks. It is made up of slabs of granite rock, which appear to have been dropped down from above, forming a series of walls and corridors. Inside this shaded “maze” you will find yellow wood trees and caves, the perfect living environment for the infamous Table Mountain caracal.  

Getting to this magical place isn’t too difficult, however the route is not well marked and we did get lost after following some badly written internet articles on how to find it.

The way we found it is as follows. Park at Teresa avenue, and then make your way up the concrete jeep track. When the road forks, go right, and it eventually meets up with Pipe Track. Continue along the path with the 12 Apostles on your left, and Atlantic Ocean on your right. After a short incline along a dusty section of path you will come to the pump house, with a forest on your right. Do not take the unmarked path to your left which comes just after the pump house. We incorrectly misinterpreted another guides directions and took this route, which led to a dead end and some tricky navigating back down. 

You want to continue along Pipe Track. The path will lead you to some stairs, chain handrails, and a small waterfall, with a ravine in front of you and to your right. Follow the track past Slongoile Ravine which is marked “dangerous, do not enter”, and over the small stream. You will soon enter a forested section with a tree trunk in your path. Navigate around it, which then leads you to a fork. Take the path to the left and up the slope. This leads you to a series of rocky overhangs which is a perfect place to stop, rest and take some pics of Lions Head. Continue along the path and it soon begins to turn up. This is Corridor Ravine, unfortunately there are no sign boards, but you can’t really go wrong from here as long as you stay on the path. If you look back towards the Atlantic you will see the 12 Apostles Hotel down on your left. The trail up is quite steep and gets tricky towards the top with loose sand and stones which makes life a little interesting. Its is quite a sharp and intense hike, but definitely manageable if you stop frequently to catch your breathe. 

Once you’ve made it to the top you will see a pile of stones about 1m high in front of you. Follow the path to the left, which slopes up gradually, and walk for about 5mins. You will see a path branching off to the left, that’s your entrance to Tranquility Cracks. If Lions Head becomes visible you have gone too far. Once you have turned onto the path leading to Tranquility Cracks you have a short walk before you will see a bunch of smaller paths leading to your right. Choose any one as they all lead into different areas of the cracks. 

Once inside enjoy the narrow corridors, boulders, scrambling and general adventuring! Make your way to the top of the Cracks and enjoy the view of Lions Head. If you are quiet and very lucky, you may get a brief visit from one of the caracals, like we did, but it was so quick that we didn’t have a chance to grab our cameras never mind turn them on before the majestic cat had disappeared.

Once you have finished exploring, you can make your way back down to the start via Corridor Ravine, or hike further along the path and descend via Kasteelpoort. Or if you are feeling extra energetic make your way to the Cable Car for some coffee and a R200 ride down.