Table Mountain National Park, National park and nature reserve in Cape Town, South Africa
Table Mountain National Park is a large nature reserve around Cape Town featuring sandstone peaks, dramatic coastal cliffs, and forests with native trees. The park also encompasses protected marine areas and spans across multiple linked sections around the city.
Table Mountain was declared a national monument in 1957, and the Cape Peninsula Protected Natural Environment was established in 1989. On 29 May 1998, President Nelson Mandela proclaimed the Cape Peninsula National Park, with about 39,500 acres transferred to SANParks. In May 2004 the park was renamed Table Mountain National Park by minister Mohammed Valli Moosa; it forms part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.
The park lies within the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site, and its fynbos is still harvested for traditional medicine, sold as remedies on the streets of central Cape Town. Silver trees grow wild only on the slopes of Lion's Head and a few other Peninsula spots. Chacma baboons inhabit the southern sections and associate people with food.
The park has several entry points, with some requiring payment while others remain free to access. The best time to visit is on calm days, particularly from September through April when weather conditions are more stable.
The park contains more than 2,200 plant species, with many found nowhere else in the world. This exceptional plant diversity makes it a globally rare ecosystem despite sitting within city boundaries.
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