Hike to Tranquility Cracks on Table Mountain: Camps Bay's Quiet 12 Apostles Route

Cape Town•moderate

Difficulty

moderate

Duration

4–6 hours

Fitness Level

Moderate fitness: comfortable with sustained uphill hiking and short scrambles; regular walkers will manage this route.

Overview

Escape the cable-car crowds and climb the quieter spine of Table Mountain to Tranquility Cracks — a 10 km guided loop from Camps Bay with bold ocean views, fynbos-rich slopes and short rock scrambles. This private hike emphasizes local ecology and hands-on route interpretation.

Hike to Tranquility Cracks on Table Mountain: Camps Bay's Quiet 12 Apostles Route

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Date

Thu, Nov 6

Travelers

You start in the hush before the city wakes: Camps Bay still holding last night’s salt on the air, a low sun cutting the Atlantic into silver. The trailhead on Theresa Avenue looks ordinary until the path narrows and the city falls away; within minutes you’re climbing out of suburban green into the craggy spine of the 12 Apostles. Tranquility Cracks sits halfway up the Back Table — a rock outcrop of fissures, cantilevered ledges and stunted indigenous trees — and it rewards the effort with sweeping views down the Atlantic Seaboard and the ribbon of Camps Bay below.

Adventure Photos

Hike to Tranquility Cracks on Table Mountain: Camps Bay's Quiet 12 Apostles Route photo 1

Adventure Tips

Start early to avoid wind

Begin before 8 a.m. to enjoy cooler conditions and calmer winds; the south-easter picks up in the afternoon and can make exposed ridges uncomfortable.

Bring at least 2 liters of water

There’s no reliable potable water on route; dehydration is the most common preventable issue on half-day hikes here.

Wear grippy shoes with ankle support

Expect loose sandstone and short scrambles — trail runners with sticky soles or light boots reduce slip risk.

Respect the fynbos

Stay on trail, avoid picking plants, and follow your guide’s route to prevent erosion and damage to endemic species.

Local Insights

Wildlife

Rock hyrax (dassie) often sunning on ledges
Cape sugarbird and other fynbos-specialist birds

History

Table Mountain sits within the Cape Floral Region UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Back Table and surrounding paths were known to Khoikhoi people and later noted by sailors mapping Table Bay.

Conservation

Fynbos is fire-adapted but slow to recover from trampling; stay on trail and avoid disturbing plant communities to minimize erosion and loss of endemic species.