Skeleton Gorge & Nursery Ravine

Lily and I met Callum when we hiked Platteklip Gorge, but that was not our last hike with him! A few days later, we hiked to one of the dams atop Table Mountain. We ascended on the Skeleton Gorge trail, which starts in the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and winds through Newlands Forest. It’s an interesting hike with ladders and a scramble through a waterfall.

At the top, we looped around Castle Rock and walked along the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir, which has created in a man-made beach! It felt so strange to walk up to a beach after hiking through the forest. We hiked back down through the Nursery Ravine trail, which had some gorgeous vistas along the way. This hike is so lovely and ends back in Kirstenbosch where you can spend a few hours picnicking or walking around.

Distance: 11.5 km total | Elevation gain: 1,900 ft | Starting & Ending points: Kirstenbosch Gardens (pay entrance fee) | Summit point: Dam next to Castle Rock

Read about other hikes around Table Mountain here.

Photography by Cybil Zhang