A mountain so old that it makes its own rules about how mountains are supposed to look.

When it comes to natural landscapes that are close to civilisation, you’d be hard-pressed to find a location more impressive than South Africa’s Cape Town. The southernmost city in Africa is host to two phenomenal peaks – Lion’s Head and Table Mountain.

Table Mountain is not just one of the most impressive mountainous landscapes in the world – it’s one of the oldest. At 400-600 million years old, Table Mountain has been on this planet longer than the Andes, the Alps, and the Himalayas. It’s also a botanist’s paradise – home to over 2,000 plant species, of which around two-thirds are estimated to be endemic.

It’s possible to climb both peaks in a day, just make sure you get up to Lion’s Head with enough time to appreciate the stunning colours of the sunset reflecting off the iconic Table Mountain.

Apparently you should avoid the trek down on your own though. After the sun had set and I’d taken enough photos to last a lifetime, I strolled back to the carpark in the dying light and took a taxi back to the hostel. Upon arrival I relayed the story back to the owners – locals from Cape Town – and their jaws dropped. They were apparently mystified that I hadn’t been mugged.

That said, I remember chatting to a South African-born friend in Australia a few weeks before I was due to fly over there. I asked if he had any suggestions or advice and he responded, “just be prepared to have everything you’re carrying stolen at any moment and you’ll be fine”.

Solid advice for backpacking anywhere in the world I reckon.

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Table Mountain viewed from Lion’s Head, Cape Town, South Africa