We began our 13 Peaks Challenge on Friday the 13th at 15:31 under a cloudless Cape Town sky.
With mysterious coincidences, brutal wind, and an unexpected rescue, here’s how our first two days unfolded on one of SA’s most iconic trail adventures.
The Legend Behind the Challenge
In the world of ultra-endurance trail running, few names shine brighter than Ryan Sandes.
Known as Hedgie, he’s conquered some of the toughest multi-day races across all seven continents. But his most iconic creation might just be right here in Cape Town: the 13 Peaks Challenge.
What started as a personal project to link Cape Town’s most prominent peaks—spanning from Signal Hill to Muizenberg Peak and back—has become a bucket-list course for local runners, hikers adventurers, and weekend warriors.
Covering roughly 100 to 120 km (depending on your route), and over 6,000 metres of elevation gain, the challenge invites you to choose your own pace: some run it in a day, others savour it over weeks or months.
For all it’s a sacred journey of sweat, spirit, and something slightly preternatural.
📌 Quick Facts – 13 Peaks Challenge By Ryan Sandes
| Fact | Details |
|---|
| 🏁 Start / End Point | Signal Hill (Loop) or Muizenberg (One-Way) |
| 🧭 Number of Peaks | 13 |
| 🥾 Distance | 100–120 km (route dependent) |
| ⛰️ Elevation Gain | ±6,300 m |
| ⏱️ Fastest Known Time | 15h 51m (Ryan Sandes, loop format) |
| 📱 Track Your Route | 13peaks.co.za or Strava |
| 🧭 Maps & GPX | Available on official site & Trailforks |
| 🪪 Registration | Free. No permit required unless entering SANParks controlled zones (e.g. Silvermine) |
| 🧠 Tip | Do it your way. Run, hike, or even crawl—just do it with heart. |
A Start Written in the Stars (or Numbers?)
We began our 13 Peaks Challenge at 15:31 on Friday the 13th. You could laugh at the timing or raise your eyebrows at the numerology—but either way, it felt like something was aligning.
The light was golden, the skies were spotless, and for once in Cape Town’s wild winter mood swings, not even a whisper of wind danced across Signal Hill.
And then, just for good measure: we hiked for exactly 2 hours and 13 minutes. Yes—13 again. We were already in it.
Peak 1: Signal Hill to Lion’s Head
Friday, 13 June 2025
Distance: ±5 km | Time: 2h13 | Elevation gain: ±500m
From the beacon at Signal Hill, we traced our way up the B-Route to summit Lion’s Head, surrounded by afternoon light so crisp and blue it looked Photoshopped.
Cape Town was outdoing herself—sun-drenched in midwinter. The air was clean, the trail firm beneath our feet, and the energy was high.
We reached the summit in time for panoramic views of the Atlantic and Table Bay—grateful, giddy, and golden in the light.
We ended our hike at the base of Lion’s Head just as the sun dipped beyond the sea. That was our end point for the day—and would become our exact start point for what lay ahead.
Day 2 Begins: Sunrise at Kloof Corner
Saturday, 14 June 2025 – 6:41am Start
The next morning, we met at the Lion’s Head parking lot and walked through the stillness of dawn toward Kloof Corner, just as the sun began to peek through Devil’s Peak. The air was sharp. Birds stirred. The city blinked awake below.
From Kloof Corner, we hugged the Contour Path all the way to the base of Platteklip Gorge, beginning the long stairway to the top.
Peak 2: Maclear’s Beacon
Summited: ±10.30 am
We reached the top of Platteklip Gorge despite the wind, that cold biting Southeaster known as The Cape Doctor —and made ourselves comfortable. Why rush?
We were in no race. In fact, we sat there for a good hour, watching trail runners from The Beast Trail Run as they galloped past with wild joy and sweaty focus. Shout out to Kerri-Ann and Jana from AAC who were killing the 30km and 50km respectively.
At 10.30 am, we tagged our second peak: Maclear’s Beacon, the highest point on Table Mountain. The views were wide open, and the wind was becoming wild.
Echo Valley and the Gathering Wind
From Maclear’s, we hiked through Echo Valley—a narrow trail above the dams, an undulating fynbos-lined path that would have been peaceful if not for the wind, which had now turned wicked.
It shoved us sideways, knocked us off balance, and rattled our packs. One moment we were laughing, the next we were crouching to avoid being thrown off trail.
It was exhausting. It was exhilarating. It was classic mountain theatre.
Peak 3: Grootkop
Tagged: 3pm
We stopped for a long, well-earned lunch, sheltering from the worst of the gusts.
After refueling and layering up, we reached Grootkop—Peak 3—by 3pm.
And what a summit it was. Grootkop is wild, wind-blasted and always a bit lonely. But it rewards you with sweeping views and a sense of gritty satisfaction.
Peak 4: Judas Peak
Tagged: 4pm
From Grootkop, we made our way to Judas Peak—a short but blustery trek that tested every muscle in our legs and lungs.
We reached the summit just after 4pm, wind–battered and buzzing.
From Judas, we began the rugged descent down Llandudno Ravine.
Llandudno Ravine and a Brush with Reality
Our Green Goddess said it best: “Looks like Llandudno Ravine didn’t order wind today.”
And thank God she didn’t. We were granted a windless descent down one of the most rugged and thrilling ravines in the Western Cape.
But halfway down, we came upon something sobering: a rescue operation in progress.
Volunteers from Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) and SANParks rangers were tending to a hiker who had been caught in a rockslide down Myburgh Ravine, just next door.
By the time we passed, she was thankfully walking off under her own power.
To the WSAR and MCSA volunteers: we salute you. Your selfless service is the hidden scaffold of all outdoor adventures.
Hard Decisions, Healing Feet
It had been a long, brutal, beautiful day.
We’d tagged three peaks, battled wild wind, and watched a real-time rescue. Some in our group were fighting off the flu, others nursing bruised toes and tight knees.
Despite this, we conquered, we survived.
Ryan Sandes is a masochist and so are we … 🙂
Stay tuned for part 2.
Photo credits:
Aneesa
Anni
Saeed
All the best to you and your crew for your 13peak adventure. Be safe and enjoy this great and amazing challenge.
Exhausted just reading and listening to the wind. Excellent account of the days.
Sterkte hojnv forward
Well done to the group.
Amazing account of your exciting journey!Incredible to know that all of this beauty is right here in our neck of the woods.Thank you for sharing…looking forward to part two.
Awesome…. Pity I missed out… Flu for 10 days now… that don’t want to leave me… Also family wedding on Saturday which put a spanner in the wheel
Great guys. How do I join?
Hi Anwar.
Would you like to join the Challenge? We finished peak 7 today but we are going away for a few weeks and will resume end of July. If you can catch up or would just like to hike for the gees, send me your number and I will add you to our whatsapp group. Please dont put your number on here. Send via email. Check the box below.
Mail your number to me on [email protected] … not wise to have your phone number floating around on the interwebs…
would it be possible to join your group
my son 22 is an avid hiker and rock climber, and has done some of the peaks, he recently completed the amatola
Hi Thania. Of course. You can send me his number and I will add him to our whatsapp group. We have a weekly Sunday hike (easy to intermediate) and we also arrange multi-day hikes from this group. As well as the 13 Peaks challenge that we are busy with now.
Please dont put your number in the comments. You can mail me his name and number? [email protected]