Yes, there is a beach on Table Mountain and many are pleasantly surprised to walk straight on to it, as they break out of the top of Skeleton Gorge on an area called the 'back-table' of Table Mountain, at about 750m above sea level (ASL) ... but obviously, there is no sea.

Instead of sea, the beach is a sandy area on the eastern end of the Hely-Hutchinson dam; one of five dams on the back-table of Table Mountain.

And what makes it a beach has more to do with the geology of Table Mountain, than the water.

The rock that is Table Mountain is sandstone, formed on the sea-bed about 500 millions of years ago from sand that was carried by rivers, from the land into the sea. Over those millions of years, that sand was compressed by its sheer weight and compacted to form rock (Sandstone), lying on the sea-bed.

Then, about 350 million years ago, tectonic plate movement under the surface of the earth, caused the sea-bed to lift up, about 3km above the sea, creating the Cape Fold Mountains, which can be seen right across the area around Cape Town.

Over the 350 million years that followed, the rock slowly eroded and broke down into the sand it was once before and naturally moved downwards to lower areas.

So, hikers breaking out from the top of Skeleton Gorge onto the back-table, suddenly find the path becoming very soft and increasingly sandy. Proceeding over about 40 metres of sand dune, hikers are then suddenly and pleasantly surprised, to find themselves standing on the beach.

Ready to visit the beach? Book one of our guided Table Mountain hikes and experience this and many other fascinating features of Table Mountain through the eyes of a knowledgeable local guide.