India Venster Route: Hiking in Table Mountain from Cape Town

We had such a wonderful experience. I messed up the booking and Lauren and her team were great in rearranging things so we still were able to do the hike. Our guide, Johan, was fantastic - very knowledgeable about the area, the plants ,and the history - it was a great experience. They provided waters, snacks, back packs, rain gear, and hats - super professional. I highly recommend Mother City Hikers.

What an amazing morning hike up to Table Mountains plateau. We discussed before with our excellent guide Monique the different route alternative's. and decided for a challenging morning. We took the Indian Venster route, which sometimes was a bit challenging, but definitely doable and an amazing experience. An unforgettable memory for my doughter (15 years) and my son (18 years), and myself. Excellent guiding which I encourage you to book if you have the possibility! Meals and snack included.

Amazing in all kinds of way! You truly felt alive! Recommend everyone to do it if you get the oppertunity!

We had a wonderful hiking experience. climbing Lions Head. Lauren called us the night before to give us all our hiking options and helped us make the best hiking choice. They were early the next morning to give us time to again make the best choice. Johan was our hiking guide who was knowledgeable about hiking as well as all the nature and geology we hiked through. He let us go at our best pace, always stopping for short rests and giving us encouragement. He helped and guided our foot placement and climbing strategies I would comfortably recommend Lauren and Johan to my closest friends and family

Lauren and Johan met us at our hotel to discuss our hiking preferences at 5:45am. It was necessary to get an early start due to summer heat and high winds. After discussion and determining the best way to avoid the high winds that day, Lauren dropped us off with Johan to start the hike at Celia Garden. The beginning of the route included large trees and gentle incline then we made our way up Skeleton Gorge, a steep climb including steps, boulders and ladders. Johan kept us safe by providing directions for hand and foot placement when needed. At the top, we had choice of hikes before climbing down (Johan monitored status of gondola, which had closed due high winds). We decided to hike around the reservoirs and then back down the easy way (Jeep trail). This day included just the right amount of challenging climb, learning about the unique and varied plants on the mountain, discussing animals that we might see (which we did not, however Johan pointed out skat of several varieties), weather conditions (wind and mist) and pleasant conversation. It was a perfect day exploring Table Mountain!

We had the best time hiking up Table Mountain with Henning! He is so knowledgeable, funny and interesting and always had an answer to our questions! The pace was perfect and the organization was top notch from pick up to snacks to communication before and after. We would highly recommend Mother City Hikers to take you to the top of Table Mountain!

So we are two middle-aged parents of a 12 and 14 year old. We wanted to spend the day outside hiking with someone who knew what they were doing! From the time we booked, Lauren responded to all our questions. And on the day of our hike (which had to be adjusted due to weather), Johann was amazing. He took time to explain our hike options and offered suggestions--and he was absolutely spot on in what would work for our family (you have different choices). Mother City provided water, snacks, backpacks as well! And they picked us up where we were staying and delivered us back home. All along the way Johann also talked to us about flowers and vegetation, geological history, and water conversation--our kids loved talking with him as we hiked!

I cannot begin to praise Johan and Lauren as the most concerned, professional, and friendly guides that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I took my three granddaughters and two friends on a trip to Cape Town and used Lauren and Johan as guides for Lionshead and TABLE MOUNTAIN. They were overly concerned about our safety and made the hikes so enjoyable. I would recommend them without reservation to anyone who wants to go on one of the best adventures of their lives.

Communication with Lauren was excellent. She answered all of the questions that we had and was very prompt with her replies. Our guide Yvette was super nice, very experienced, and she knew the mountain well. Before starting she brought us through an overview of the hike and different “stages” of the mountain to break down the trip and what to expect. She was very knowledgeable, not just with respect to the mountain, but also teaching us about the wildlife and vegetation during our hike. For difficult areas of the climb, she showed us hand and foot placement first and helped guide us up. Yvette kept a good pace throughout, and spread out breaks when needed. She was well prepared and had everything we needed for the hike ready for us in our own backpacks. She took amazing pics for us throughout the whole trip, both action and posed shots and airdropped them to us at the end :) We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

My wife and I hiked the India Venster trail on our honeymoon in May 2025. Johan was the best guide ever. We loved every minute with him — he was so warm, incredibly knowledgeable, very supportive, positive, easy to talk to, so fun, and took so many great pictures of us along the way. This hike was truly one of the biggest highlights of our trip. The route is challenging but so incredible - I highly recommend for adventurous travelers.