Orange Face Back Table

Camel Rock, Wynberg Caves, Table Mountain National Park

This was an interesting hike, at Santie’s suggestion, on the well-trafficked Table Mountain. It is a track less travelled on which we saw no one else although there were hundreds of walkers and joggers on the jeep track up to the Back Table. There are paths and cairns, but we did lose the path a couple of times, especially on the ledges of Orange Face where it is indistinct in places.

Our route can be viewed on the map, but don’t follow it slavishly, We took some “wrong” detours and the GPS is inaccurate on the cliffs above Orange Kloof. The route follows the hiking path up from Constantia Neck and then leaves the jeep track to head up below Eagle’s Nest. It swings north up Constantia Corner past Belle Ombre towards Klaasenskop. On the way is a good tea stop under an overhang and soon after the unmistakable Camel Rock appears. The path then heads down to De Villiers Dam, which is much deeper than I realised and displays very fine stonework. From the wall, follow the path and cairns north-west along the cliffs that overlook Orange Kloof. This section is apparently known as Orange Face, according to some maps. It commands panoramic views over the Orange Kloof reserve and the sprawling residential area of Houtbaai, which simply seems more built-up every time I see it.

Along the face you will find a rather curious hanging pool, a bit bigger than a bird bath, the Wynberg caves, where we had lunch, which I believe are also known as Caveman’s Overhang, and soon after the path swings up to the top via Hole-in-the-Wall. After topping out you look down on the Victoria and Alexandra dams, but before you get to them, there is a beautiful, verdant indigenous forest in a gulley that is hidden from the jeep track. Here you will find fairly large yellowwoods. By this time is was getting late and the crowds on the jeep track had evaporated, so we took a quick walk back along it.