“It’s not the peak that breaks you. It’s the distance between them.”
Me
A Year-Long Journey Across Cape Town’s Most Iconic Mountains
The first time we attempted the Ryan Sandes inspired 13 Peaks Challenge (over a long weekend nogal) we learned something quickly.
The peaks themselves are not the real test. The real challenge is everything around them.
The long kilometres between summits. The navigation across the vast ridgelines of Table Mountain National Park. The fatigue that creeps into your legs long before sunrise. The emotional rollercoaster that hits halfway through when your brain quietly asks a dangerous question:
Why am I doing this again?
Completing the 13 Peaks Challenge in a single push means tackling more than 100 kilometres of mountain terrain and climbing roughly 6,000 metres of elevation across the peninsula.
Athletes like Ryan Sandes make it look poetic.
But most of us are not ultra-trail running machines.
We are ordinary hikers and runners with jobs, families, deadlines, sore knees and calendars that fill up faster than we expect.
So we asked ourselves a simple question:
What if more people could experience the 13 Peaks Challenge — without having to do it all in one brutal day? Or even over a long weekend which we (when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘me’) thought we could do in 4 days. Did we, I mean ‘I’ have to make more modest and realistic goals in a hurry, especially after day 2.
Having learned the lessons of 2025, the 2026 Thirteen Peaks Challenge Series became even more modest, and more achievable.
Instead of compressing the entire challenge into a single ultra-endurance event, or even over a few days, we decided to spread the adventure across eleven months.
Thirteen peaks.
One mountain journey.
Taken step by step.
2026 Thirteen Peaks Challenge – Key Facts
Total peaks: 13
Location: Table Mountain National Park
Total distance (full challenge): ~100 km
Total elevation gain: ~6,000 m
Challenge creator: Ryan Sandes
Our format: 13 peaks across 11 months
A More Accessible Way to Do the 13 Peaks Challenge
The original 13 Peaks Challenge is legendary in the Cape Town trail running and hiking community.
Participants must summit thirteen peaks across the peninsula in one continuous effort, linking them on foot across rugged terrain.
Those peaks include iconic mountains such as:
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Table Mountain
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Devil’s Peak
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Constantia Peak
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Chapman’s Peak
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Lion’s Head
It’s an extraordinary test of endurance and navigation. But it’s also a daunting commitment. That’s why it’s a ‘challenge’.
That’s why our 2026 challenge series breaks the route into manageable stages while still preserving the spirit of the original journey.
Our format:
• 13 peaks
• spread across 11 months
• full linking routes maintained
• manageable distances for regular hikers
• time between hikes to recover and live life
Instead of one giant suffer-fest, the challenge becomes a year-long mountain adventure.
Stage 1: From Signal Hill to Lions Head
The journey officially began on 8 February 2026.
Our starting point was the panoramic slopes of Signal Hill, overlooking the city bowl and Atlantic coastline.
From there our route would take us to the first summit of the challenge:
After tagging the summit we would continue along the linking route toward the trailhead of Platteklip Gorge — the starting point for Peak 2.
Twenty-four hikers gathered that morning.
Some had already completed the full 13 Peaks Challenge in previous years. They returned not to prove anything, but to support the newcomers starting their journey.
Others were attempting the challenge for the first time.
That mix created exactly the atmosphere we wanted.
Not a race.
Not a competition.
A shared expedition across Cape Town’s mountains.
When the South Easter Shows Its Teeth
Cape Town hikers know the reputation of the South Easter wind AKA The Cape Doctor.
Some days it whispers gently through the fynbos.
Other days it arrives like a roaring freight train.
The morning of our first hike belonged firmly in the second category.
As we left Signal Hill the wind began whipping across the saddle between Signal Hill and Lion’s Head.
Caps flew.
Backpacks swayed.
At exposed sections hikers leaned into the gusts just to stay upright.
Despite the blustery conditions, the trail up Lion’s Head was buzzing with activity.
That’s hardly surprising.
The Lion’s Head hike is one of the most popular hiking routes in South Africa.
On weekends the trail is usually packed with:
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sunrise hikers
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trail runners
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tourists
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photographers
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fitness groups
As we climbed higher, descending hikers began warning us.
“The wind is crazy up there.”
“People are turning around.”
But sometimes a challenge requires a simple decision.
Forward.
Tagging Peak One
Climbing Lion’s Head is always rewarding.
Climbing it in storm-level wind adds a different kind of excitement.
The summit was a chaotic theatre of flying hair, flapping jackets and hikers crouching behind rocks for shelter. Phones appeared for quick photos before gusts could steal them.
High-fives were exchanged.
The first summit of the 2026 Thirteen Peaks Series had been tagged.
And with that small moment, the challenge had officially begun.
Twelve peaks to go.
The Hidden Challenge of the 13 Peaks
Many hikers assume the hard part of the challenge is summiting each mountain.
In reality, the real difficulty lies somewhere else entirely.
The distance between peaks.
The genius of the 13 Peaks Challenge Cape Town is how it connects the mountains of the Cape Peninsula into one continuous journey. Those linking sections add serious distance.
They wear down your legs.
They test your patience.
And they remind you that mountain challenges are rarely about a single summit.
After descending Lion’s Head we continued along Tafelberg Road toward the start of Platteklip Gorge.
The wind blasted straight into us.
Conversation became shouting.
But step by step the group moved forward.
Because the journey had already begun.
Some brave souls took on the Kloof Corner trail and emerged relatively unscathed while the backmarkers stayed on the tarred road.
Eventually the familiar stone steps of Platteklip Gorge came into view. For many hikers, Platteklip is the classic route up Table Mountain. The 13 Peaks Challenge doesnt specify how you get to the peak, just that you get to the peak in a particular sequence. On foot. No cheating by driving between peaks. Platteklip is the easiest way to Peak 2, viz. MacLear’s Beacon, but you can also take India Venster, which is a more adventurous option.
For us Platteklip or ‘Platties’ as we affectionately call the trail was the finish line of Leg 1 but also the starting line for Peak 2.
Why Breaking the Challenge Across the Year Works
The traditional 13 Peaks Challenge Cape Town can take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours for many (mostly elite trail runners) participants.
That’s simply not realistic for many hikers.
By spreading the challenge across the year we gain several advantages:
More accessible
Regular hikers can participate without ultra-runner fitness.
Stronger community
Each hike becomes an event in itself and a shared experience.
Safer conditions
Most peaks are tackled in daylight instead of through the night.
Flexible participation
Miss a hike? You still have time to catch up.
Instead of a single epic push or even a multi-day challenge, it becomes a year-long mountain journey.
What Comes Next: Peak 2
Our next hike is scheduled for April 2026.
The gap between February and April was intentional.
It coincides with the holy month of Ramadan and our group’s upcoming trekking adventure in Nepal, where we’ll be hiking to the famous viewpoint of Poon Hill on our way to the Annapurna Base Camp.
The longer break also gives anyone who missed the first hike enough time to complete the route from Signal Hill to Lion’s Head and rejoin the challenge.
The journey remains open.
The Adventure Has Only Just Begun
Standing at the base of Platteklip Gorge at the end of that windy February morning, the group looked tired but energised.
The first step had been taken.
Twelve peaks remained.
Hundreds of kilometres of trail still wound across the spine of the Cape Peninsula.
Our 2026 Thirteen Peaks Challenge Series had begun exactly the way mountain stories should:
With wind in our faces.
Friends on the trail.
And the quiet promise of many summits still waiting ahead.
Peak 2 loading… 🏔️
All 13 Peaks of the Challenge
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Lion’s Head
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MacLear’s Beacon
- Grootkop
- Judas Peak
- Little Lions Head
- Suther Peak
- Chapmans Peak
- Noordhoek Peak
- Muizenberg Peak
- Constantia Peak
- Klassenskop
- Devils Peak
- Signal Hill
FAQ: 13 Peaks Challenge
What is the 13 Peaks Challenge in Cape Town?
The 13 Peaks Challenge Cape Town is a demanding hiking challenge that involves summiting thirteen major peaks across the Cape Peninsula in one continuous journey.
How difficult is the 13 Peaks Challenge?
It is considered one of the toughest hiking challenges in South Africa, covering over 100 km and more than 6,000 m of climbing.
Can beginners attempt the 13 Peaks Challenge?
While the full challenge requires high endurance, breaking it into stages across the year makes it achievable for many regular hikers.
Thanks
As ever my thanks to the following legends for their photos:
Akbari
Gary