Tranquility Cracks – 30 April 2016
It was a cold but beautiful Saturday morning and even with dramatic weather predictions, we were all at the meeting point bright and early. Our team leader, Anwaaz Bent, would have cancelled our hike for safety reasons if it had started raining. Fortunately the weather turned out to be perfect for hiking.
We met on Theresa Avenue in Camps Bay and set off along the Pipe Track, the same start as for the route to the Valley of The Red Gods via Kasteelspoort.
We passed Slangolie Ravine, and on the way to Corridor Ravine, we were shown a dark and rather narrow cave for the brave-hearts to explore – not being one I stayed clear! We even had an unexpected, nice cold shower from the waterfall on our way to Tranquility Cracks.
The path after the waterfall got narrower and steeper, but the breathtaking forest and astonishing views made it all worth our while. We took a breakfast break at one of the “cosy” overhanging rock formations that boggle your mind, and can suddenly turn you into a romantic. The short rest was a well thought out break, because soon after that the ascent began. I started wishing for escalators at some point (lots of laughs).
The path was not without challenges. It was slippery at times with lots of loose stones, but the hike leaders egged us on and advised us to climb with great care.
When we reached the cracks we realised why it carried it’s name so aptly. These narrow corridors were so serene and tranquil and we were lucky to be the only group at that time on the mountain. We had the entire place to ourselves.
Being a Type-1 diabetic hiker, I could not have chosen a better group to hike with. Hiking with diabetes can complicate things, but Anwaaz Bent keeps encouraging me not to allow the disease to hold me back. His enthusiasm for the mountain is the perfect level of motivation to finish all my hikes.
We made our way to Woody Ravine (situated between Kasteelspoort and Slangolie Ravine) which leads down to the Pipe Track. The way down was more intense and challenging. It is a very steep descent and scrambling is required to overcome some large boulders along the way.
The hike to Tranquility Cracks provided some of the most beautiful views of the mountain. There are no short cuts and sometimes you might wish the mountain would get out of the way but once you get to the peak (or planned destination), you will be blown away by the sheer beauty of it all.
Submitted by: S. Dada
Hike oversight: Anwaaz Bent
Hike leaders: Steven Shiraz Scheffler, Johan Stapelberg and Shamiel Garson
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- Receiving some valuable information from hike leaders after regrouping at the only landing zone close to the Pipe Track.
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- View towards the tip of the Twelve Apostles.
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- Early morning sun kissing the back table of Table Mountain.
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- “Brunia”along the Pipe Track.
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- View of clouds through tree alongside the Pipe Track.
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- Old water pipes all along the path – the reason why it is called “Pipe Track”.
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- More piping along the Pipe Track.
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- Some more piping.
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- Another regrouping and informative chat.
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- Slangolie “cave” on the side of the path, about 6 adults can fit in single file to the back.
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- Our breakfast stop for the day at Slangolie overhang.
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- Safety first – our junior hiker harnessed to an adult as we approach a part of the path with sheer drops on one side.
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- At the top of Corridor Ravine the leaders quickly consult their maps to ensure we stay on course.
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- Time to leave the summit of Corridor Ravine behind us and onwards towards Tranquility Cracks.
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- Entering the main crack to the inner sanctum of the Tranquility Cracks
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- Exploring the various cracks inside Tranquility Cracks
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- Four massive boulders touching forming a closed crack.
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- Group photo at Tranquility Cracks.
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- Cable Car station visible from the back of Table Mountain.
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- View towards Simon’s Town with Elephant’s Eye to the right.
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- Group descending towards Woody’s Ravine.
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- View from top of Woody’s Ravine.
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- Safety is priority again and our junior hiker gets harnessed again as we descend Woody’s Ravine.
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- Our hikers ascending through the cool, damp and mystical part of Woody’s Ravine.
Web Team
2 Comments
Michael Wilcox · February 14, 2018 at 2:25 pm
Dear Kelly,
Thank you for your comment.
You are most welcome to post about your experiences on our Facebook group, “The Hikers Network ZA”.
Michael
Exciting Cape Town hikes that aren't Lion's Head: Part I - Bad Influencers · January 18, 2018 at 7:50 pm
[…] This wonder of the natural world can be accessed in a few ways, but I find the best route is up Corridor Ravine from Pipe Track. Once you’re up top, the Tranquility Cracks will be on your left. It can be a little tricky to […]