table mountain

Kloof Nek Road falls under the category of a suburban pass and Cape Town has no shortage of those! The road is steep and dangerous and has something of a reputation for fatal accidents. It connects the city centre with Camps Bay through the obvious neck between Table Mountain and Lions Head. It was built in 1848 when Kloof Nek was used primarily as a look-out post for soldiers and the road was used as a supply route to Camps Bay.

Kloof Road is a steep descent from the six way intersection at Kloof Nek in a westerly direction towards Clifton. The road is exceptionally scenic and has the entire area of Lions Head and Signal Hill as part of the Table Mountain National Park to its right (east) with The Glen and the historical Roundhouse in the valley to the left (west). The Glen is a wonderfully tranquil, natural wooded area and a great place to go for a walk or a picnic. These were also the hunting grounds of Lord Charles Somerset back in the early 1800's. The road was first built in 1848. The surface is a little bumpy in places and the road loses 181m in altitude at the point where it joins Lower Kloof Road in Clifton.

This road falls under the category of a suburban pass and after a short steep ascent from Kloof Nek it climbs rapidly via two 180 degree hairpins to level out at the lower cableway station. Thereafter it runs more or less on an even contour line all along the north face of Table Mountain. Some years ago, rock slides caused the the road to be closed at the 4,1 km mark, leaving the remainder of the eastern section open only to hikers and cyclists. The road provides unparalleled views of Cape Town, the harbour, Robben island and the Cape Flats. It is usually extremely congested with tourist vehicles wanting to access the cableway and hiking trails.