Mountain Walks

Mountain walks

Discover a bountiful floral kingdom of fynbos with unique views of Cape Town

An idyllic exploration

As your walk on the fynbos trail draws to a close, arrange a special picnic surprise set within a secluded woodland clearing.

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Protea Illustration

The fynbos trail

This 3km walk is circular, beginning and ending back at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa and taking approximately one and a half hours to complete. The walk commences in the hotel gardens before heading out onto the trails of the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range, part of the Table Mountain National Park. The route follows a gentle climb as you look down on the white sands and rippling waters of Camps Bay. The walk is easy, with level path available throughout.

You will cross some small streams before heading back down to the hotel with the majestic Atlantic Ocean as your backdrop. Shortly before the end of this walk, you will pass a stream running beside an abandoned kraal – a traditional African village of huts – which once formed part of a local farm. Arrive back at the hotel and enjoy a well-deserved post-walk refreshment.

Leopard Print Background

Discover nature and the floral kingdom

Blue-headed agama lizard

Wildlife

There are plenty of animal-spotting opportunities available on your walk from the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa. Wildlife is diverse and prolific in our area and it is often possible to sight a dassie or rock hyrax. During your hike, you may also catch sight of mongooses, lizards, snakes, tortoises, and porcupines. Keep an eye out for southern rock agama lizards, distinctive reptiles with bright blue heads, often found in the Table Mountain National Park.

Mountain Walks

Fynbos

The word fynbos comes from Afrikaans, meaning fine-leaved plants. Fynbos is an evergreen shrubland located on the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa and this ecoregion is renowned for its native vegetation. In fact, South Africa’s Cape is well known for being one of the richest areas in the world for plant biodiversity. Of the 9,000 plant species that grow in this area, the vast majority are made up of native fynbos vegetation.

Tail Fin

Whale watching

The waters of the western Cape are home to dozens of cetacean species, from families of orca and resident pods of bottlenose dolphins to the southern right whales that migrate here from Antarctica during the winter months (June to September).

Humpback whales and Bryde’s whales have also been known to grace the waters around The Twelve Apostles. Keep your eyes peeled and look to the waters for signs of movement and you might just spot a whale.