Table Mountain National Park (formerly Cape Peninsula National Park) is located in South Africa, in the Western Cape. The park was founded in 1998 with the aim of protecting the unique ecosystems and natural diversity of the Cape Peninsula, covers an area of 25,000 hectares, located along a mountain range stretching from north to south from Signal Hill, through the peak of Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Silvermin and to Cape Dobry Hope and Cape Point. The landscape of the park is picturesque and diverse - mountains, forests, valleys, rocky cliffs, bays and beaches. The park has historical and natural sights of world significance, including Table Mountain, Cape Point and Good Hope Cape, Boulders Beach Cove with a colony of African penguins living in it.
Table Mountain is a visiting card of Cape Town, its height is 1085 meters above sea level, its name owes to a plateau-shaped peak 3 km long, which makes the mountain look like a table. The mountain is surrounded by the peaks of the Twelve Apostles, the Devil and the Lion's Head, on which you can still see a large cross carved by the Portuguese Antonio di Saldanha - the first European to climb the summit of Table Mountain in 1503. Since then, thousands of followers have followed in his footsteps, hiking trails of various degrees of difficulty have been laid on the slopes of Table Mountain, there are several climbing routes. In 1929, a cable car was built, raising tourists to the top of Table Mountain. In 1997, its modernization was carried out, the Center for visitors, shops and cafes were opened. During the existence of the cable car, more than 22 million people used it to climb to the top of the most famous mountain in South Africa - one of the seven new wonders of the world.
The Cape of Good Hope (the extreme southwestern point of Africa) was opened in 1488 by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias. The pioneer called it Cape of Storms, as strong storms constantly rage at these shores. The Cape of Good Hope was later dubbed by the Portuguese King Juan II in honor of the opening of the sea route from Europe to India. One of the most famous natural attractions of South Africa is very popular among tourists - to visit the place where the coastline of the African continent makes its first eastward opening, opening a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, tens of thousands of people come from all over the world every year.
Cape Point is located east of Cape of Good Hope. In 1857, on its rocky shore, at an altitude of 271 meters above sea level, a lighthouse was built, at that time the most powerful in the world (80,000 candles, visible for 80 kilometers). But during its construction, the fact that at night the top of the mountain was completely covered with clouds was not taken into account, and, despite the power of the lighthouse, the sailors simply did not see it, which caused frequent shipwrecks near the dangerous shores of Cape Point. Another lighthouse, built in 1936 at the foot of a cliff, shines on ships at an altitude of only 88 meters. And from the old lighthouse offers stunning views of the ocean, here you can often see drifting icebergs and whales swimming along the coast.
Boulders Beach - three secluded sandy beaches, protected from the sea by huge boulders. A colony of African penguins (a little more than 2000 individuals), endangered, lives here. Boardwalks were built for visitors, from where you can watch penguins without disturbing the birds. It is allowed to swim on the beach, but it should be remembered that cute-looking birds have very sharp beaks, so it is not recommended to go close to penguins and try to feed or stroke them. For tourists near the Boulders Beach, a Tourist Center is open, there are restaurants and cafes.
Due to the species richness and diversity of Flora representatives, Table Mountain National Park is part of the Flower Kingdom of the Cape Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most common type of vegetation in the park is Feinbos, a type of shrub vegetation found only in the Cape Province (Proteus, Erica, Restio, geophytes). On the slopes of Mount Lion's Head, an endemic grows - the Silver Tree. The tree is cultivated by local residents, however, in the wild it is found only in the territory of the Table Mountain Park. In total, 8,200 species of plants grow in the park, 80% of which are endemic species, and 300 species are threatened with extinction. Among the representatives of the Fauna are the antelope Eland, mountain Cape zebra, caracal, porcupine, baboons, mongooses, ferrets, 22 species of snakes, endemic species of lizards and frogs, insects.
In the park, Tourist information centers are open for visitors, fascinating routes have been developed, excursions are held, there are campsites, hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops.