Cape Town – Table Mountain, Signal Hill & the Noon Gun (South Africa)

Categories: Travel reports, Africa, South Africa

If you want to have a great view of Cape Town, the sea and Table Mountain, the best place for this is certainly the Signal Hill.

Signal

The 350-metre-high Signal Hill in Cape Town

Signal Hill is part of Table Mountain National Park and is a mountain in Cape Town, along with Lion’s Head and Table Mountain. It is about 350 meters high and is both easy to reach on foot and by car.

On the flat top of the mountain there is a parking lot, which only offers space for about 30 cars. On weekends or at certain times of the day it can get quite crowded up there – the Signal Hill is also a popular jogging track.

The yellow photo frame on Signal Hill

Just a few meters away on foot from the parking lot is a yellow photo framethat perfectly frames the Table Mountain in the background. We had already seen a similar specimen at the V&A Waterfront.

Yellow Photo Frame, Signal Hill, Cape Town, Table Mountain, South Africa, Travelreport

The Yellow Photo Frame with Table Mountain

The view from Signal Hill

From Signal Hill you have a great view of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the Olympic Stadium, the city centre and the Bo-Kaap district on the one hand, and on the other side you have a great view of Table Mountain.

Table Mountain in Cape Town

The Table Mountain,which significantly shapes the silhouette of Cape Town, is probably the most famous mountain in South Africa and is one of the 7 wonders of nature. The highest point is at 1,087 meters at the northeastern end of the rocky plateau. There are two ways to climb Table Mountain:

(1) There are numerous hiking trails with different levels of difficulty that lead up to the summit.

(2) Using the cable car – or Table Mountain Aerial Cableway – is probably the most convenient way to get up. Since 1929, the cable car has been on tafelberg and overcomes a height difference of 700 metres during the journey. Today, up to 900 people can be transported per hour.

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa, Travelreport

Table Mountain in Cape Town

The Noon Gun on Signal Hill

One should not be surprised if you hear a loud bang at noon in Cape Town. These sounds come from the Noon Gun, which is fired every day at 12 o’clock from Monday to Saturday. You can also watch the spectacle yourself. To do this, simply drive over the Military Road in the Bo-Kaap district until you reach the launch site.

In the past, the cannons were used to send signals, i.e. cannon shots were fired to warn residents when they were sighting ships. Later, the cannons were used as a time signal for anchoring ships. At noon there was always a signal through the cannons, with the help of which the ships could adjust their ship chronometers. Tradition is that the shots are still fired at Signal Hill today. This is definitely a spectacle that should not be missed. And of course it also offers the possibility to adjust his watch correctly, because the cannon is coupled with Cape Town’s atomic clock.

All travelogues from South Africa & Zimbabwe

All travel reports from our trip through South Africa and the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. South Africa Day 01 Travel planning for South Africa, Zambia & Zimbabwe (Africa) (Südafrika)
Day 02 Cape Town – The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (South Africa)
Day 03 Cape Town – The colourful district of Bo-Kaap (South Africa)
Day 04 Cape Town – Table Mountain, Signal Hill & the Noon Gun (South Africa)
Day 05 Cape Town – Hout Bay & Chapman’s Peak Drive (South Africa)
Day 06 Cape of Good Hope – The Southern Tip of Africa (South Africa)
Day 07 Muizenberg – The colorful beach houses & World of Birds (South Africa)
Day 08 Simons Town – The Penguins at Boulders Beach (South Africa)
Day 08 Cape Town – Swimming with sea lions in Hout Bay (South Africa)
Day 09 The Imhoff Farm – Riding on the beach of Noordhoek (South Africa)
Day 09 Betty’s Bay – The Penguin Colony at Stony Point (South Africa)
Day 10 Cape Agulhas & De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa)
Day 11 Garden Route – The Gondwana Game Reserve in Mossel Bay (South Africa)
Day 12 Gondwana Game Reserve – Safari & the Big Five (South Africa)
Day 13 Oudtshoorn – The Cango Wildlife Ranch (South Africa)
Day 14 Panorama Route – God’s Window & Blyde River Canyon (South Africa)
Day 15 Kruger National Park – Safari & Lower Sabie Restcamp (South Africa)
Day 16 Kruger National Park – Safari & Olifants Restcamp (South Africa)
Day 17 Kruger National Park – Safari & Shingwedzi Restcamp (South Africa)
Day 18 Kruger National Park – Safari & Punda Maria Gate (South Africa)
Day 19 Pretoria – Nelson Mandela Statue & Union Buildings (South Africa)
Day 19 Johannesburg – Tourist Attractions & Things to Do (South Africa)
Day 20 Victoria Falls – Arrival in the City of Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
Day 20 Victoria Falls – The Waterfalls on the Zimbabwe Side (Zimbabwe)
Day 20 Victoria Falls – A boat trip on the Sambesi River (Zimbabwe)
Day 21 Victoria Falls – A helicopter tour over the waterfalls (Zimbabwe)
Day 21 Victoria Falls – The waterfalls on the Zambia side (Zambia)