If you can walk up stairs for 20 minutes without stopping, you can do this hike. About 1.5 hours up with plenty of breaks; the chains near the top are optional.
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A conical peak wedged between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, Lion's Head spirals upward through fynbos and granite, opening to a 360° panorama of Cape Town, the Atlantic, and the Cape Flats.
The lower half is a gentle jeep track. The upper half tightens into stone steps and a short chain scramble to the summit block — the city's most popular sunset and full-moon hike.
A voucher for a guided sunrise, sunset or full-moon hike — emailed in minutes, valid for 3 years.
The trail spirals counter-clockwise around the peak.
Tap a photo to see it full screen.
Begin at the parking area on Signal Hill Road, off Kloof Nek. Look for the metal gate and stone steps heading up the spine.
Wide gravel zig-zags climb gently through silver tree and fynbos. Stop often — the city view opens fast behind you.
The path wraps around the seaward side. Camps Bay, the Twelve Apostles, and Clifton's beaches spread below. The spiral begins here.
Stone steps and rock slabs wind counter-clockwise around the dome. Poles help on the descent. The gradient bites.
A 15-metre scramble up chains and steel staples. There's a bypass around the seaward side if you'd rather skip it — most hikers do, on the way down.
Table Mountain fills the south, Robben Island floats in Table Bay, and the Cape Flats stretch to the Hottentots Holland. Stay for the light.
The final scramble uses chains and steel staples bolted to the rock. It's optional — a bypass route skirts the seaward side and re-joins above. Don't attempt the chains in wind, rain, or darkness, and never descend facing outward — turn around and down-climb.
If you're unsure, the bypass is genuinely the better call.
Start at 05:00 to reach the summit as the sun clears the Hottentots Holland mountains. Headlamps are provided for all guided hikes.
Depart at 16:00 to reach the summit as the Atlantic goes gold, then pink, then deep blue. Headlamps are provided for the descent.
A Cape Town tradition. Climb as the sun sets, descend by moonlight. Headlamps are provided for all guided hikes. Go one night before for fewer crowds.
Plan your lunar ascent
Peak Season
November to February
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You can book in about a minute — free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so you can change your mind.
Or ask us — a guide answers personally, 08:00–20:00 (Cape Town time).
+27 81 762 5551 · bookings@hikelionshead.co.za
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Book a few days ahead — sunrise and sunset hikes fill up quickly in peak season (November to February).
Hiking solo? A guide is the safest way to do Lion's Head on your own — especially on the dark stretches of a sunrise or sunset hike.
−10% 4 or more hikers: 10% off the whole group
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4.9 out of 5 · 15,000+ reviews
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Private guided hikes for 10 to 200 people
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A voucher for a guided hike up Lion's Head
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Last updated: 6 November 2026
In short: we use your booking details only to run your hike and keep our records, and we never sell them. Card details go straight to Stripe or PayPal and never reach us. Our booking statistics use no cookies and don’t identify you. You can ask us to see, correct or delete your information at any time.
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Last updated: 6 November 2026
These terms apply to every booking with Hike Lion’s Head (“we”, “us”) made on www.hikelionshead.co.za, by WhatsApp or by email. By making a booking you confirm that you have read and accept them, including the risk notice in section 7.
Hike Lion’s Head is a guided hiking service in Cape Town, South Africa.
Email: bookings@hikelionshead.co.za · WhatsApp / phone: +27 81 762 5551 · Website: www.hikelionshead.co.za
Please read this section carefully. Hiking on Lion’s Head involves risks that careful guiding can reduce but not remove. They include steep and uneven ground, loose rock, chains and ladders, heights, darkness on sunset and full-moon hikes, heat, cold, wind and changing weather, and the possibility of slips, falls and injury.
Summit photos are included and shared with you after the hike. We only post photos in which you can be recognised on our website or social media with your permission.
Our hikes are leisure services provided on a specific date, so the seven-day cooling-off period in section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act doesn’t apply to bookings (section 42(2)(j)); our cancellation policy in section 4 applies instead. A gift voucher isn’t for a specific date: you can cancel a voucher you bought on our website within 7 days of buying it, as long as it hasn’t been used, and we refund you in full within 30 days.
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