Abseil Table Mountain for an exhilarating and memorable experience

When my brother called and asked whether I would like to abseil down Table Mountain I thought, ‘You must be nuts!’. But I said I would think about it… 

I few years ago I read Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. The book is based on Shonda’s experience of opening herself up to new opportunities by saying ‘yes’ for one year. It is astounding that our inclination is to decline things immediately based on preconceived ideas, fears (of the unknown) or limiting beliefs.

With this at the back of my mind, I usually challenge myself and I after chatting to Waleed we agreed to do it. I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous but also comforted that my brother and his wife were going to join us.

We made sure we were on the first cable car to the top of Table Mountain at 9am on the Sunday morning. My brother chose to hike up Platteklip Gorge. You have to book in advance with Abseil Africa and they give you a time slot for your abseil. 

There is a safety briefing beforehand and you can ask them as many questions as you like. I asked the most questions, including whether anyone died doing this. The guide humoured me and he also checked that my harness was correctly fitted twice, when I requested.

The abseil briefing point is very close to the Upper Cable Car Station. You attach yourself to the safety line with two metal clips as you climb down to the starting point. The staff are extremely friendly and have music playing in the background to ease any nerves. You can give them your cellphone to take pictures of you as you descend. 

The Abseil starting point

They give you more instructions and suit you up. You wear gloves and basically sit back in the harness while feeding the rope through a pulley system. The initial descent is against some rocks where it is best to use a jumping action against it to help with a smooth descent. 

You go for a little while against the rocks when suddenly there is no more rocks to kick against and you are hanging in the harness, just enjoying the view. I found this part the most exhilarating. The entire distance for the abseil is 112m. It is an amazing experience and I definitely recommend it!

When you get to the landing site, the Abseil Africa guys help you out of the equipment and it is about a 30-minute hike up the mountain. You are allowed to abseil with a backpack. It is a good idea to bring some water for the hike and your camera as the views are absolutely incredible.

You can either hike down the mountain or take the Cable Car. Both the abseiling and the cable car do not operate during adverse weather conditions, like heavy winds. 

Looking at Elephants Eye from a different perspective

The view from the top of Table Mountain

Raring to go...

My brother, Zubair

Zubair and Fatima - ready, set, go...

The Lion looking marvelous

Supporting local tourism

Abseil Africa

Abseil Africa are currently offering promotions to get more people to try it. Covid-19 and the lockdown has been particularly harsh on the travel industry, with people not travelling as much, both locally and internationally. 

Many of the guys who work for Abseil Africa are gig workers, who do a few hours a week, in between their other jobs. One of them is a tour guide who takes students on cultural tours around the Mother City. And because of the effects of the pandemic, he’s had to pivot and find other ways to earn an income. 

For more information click on the link: Abseil Africa 

Travel-click.co.za

Travel-Click is a young and dynamic travel company that creates personalised and memorable travel experiences for their clients. Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, they take care of all the arrangements. Established in 2012, they are a 100% black-owned company, with a level one B-BBEE rating. They too have not been immune to the devastating effects the pandemic has had on businesses. And while you may not be keen on an international holiday just yet, they are encouraging locals to explore South Africa and the extraordinary activities it has to offer. 

For more information click on the link; Travel-Click.co.za

Win two tickets to Abseil Table Mountain

Travel-Click is sponsoring two tickets to Abseil Table Mountain. 

To enter you need to follow these 3 easy steps. 

1. Like Travel-Click Facebook and follow Travel-Click Instagram
2. Like KineticKygo Facebook and follow KineticKygo Instagram
3. Tell us why you deserve to win this abseil adventure by commenting on this post.

The winner will be chosen randomly, based on the most creative reason why the adventure is needed. It includes an Abseil experience for two adults. 

*You’ll need to book and use the tickets before 31 May 2021.

*It excludes the return trip with the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. 

*You will need to be in Cape Town to redeem the prize.

The competition is open from Monday, 8 March and closes on Monday, 22 March 2021. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, 24 March 2021. The winner will need to be following both accounts at the time of the draw.

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Take care,

Imtithaal