This is the ninth post of my South Africa Series. Follow along to read my reviews on several different aspects of my trip. Other posts in this series include: Come Along With Me To South Africa!; Flight Review: South African Airways Business Class JFK-JNB; Hotel Review: Westin Cape Town; Trip Report: Watching African Penguins at Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope; Cape Town Dining; Hotel Review: Hilton Cape Town; 10 Things I Love About South Africa; Hotel Review: 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa Luxury Room; Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Johannesburg; Trip Report: South Africa Safari at Savanna Lodge in Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve; Safari Highlights at Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa.

I had a great time eating my way through the Cape Town dining scene as well as exploring farther afield by cage-diving with great whites, wine-tasting in Stellenbosch and visiting the former prison on Robben Island while in Cape Town a couple weeks ago, but by far one of my favorite experiences was taking the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain, which dominates the city skyline and was rightly awarded a place on the new list of Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

Here’s a quick video I made at the top of Table Mountain, and as you’ll see, it’s a truly special place where clouds gather on a moment’s notice and create the famed “table cloth,” which keeps the surrounding lands fertile and provides an absolutely stunning backdrop to Cape Town.

Although the experience of taking the cable car up and then having to wait 45 minutes in line to get back down was a bit touristy for my tastes, this was a can’t-miss experience in the city, and if it had been a bit more temperate up on the top, I could have spent all afternoon there. My advice would be to head up in the morning before the table cloth sets in so that you’re there for the sunny time of day and can spend a few hours hiking along the well-marked trails with uninterrupted views of the city and the spectacular geography of the Cape itself.