Cape Town Hiking: The India Venster Route

via Kloofnek Corner

18 December 2022

“Sometimes the fear won’t go away,

So you’ll have to do it afraid”

Tracy A. Malone

Why Is It Called 'India Venster'?

‘Venster’ is the Afrikaans word for window. Thus, the Trail is named “India Window” because at one point there is a hole-shape in the rock that presumably resembles the Indian sub-continent.

I have had a good long look at that hole, and it does not resemble the Indian sub-continent, regardless of how I twist my neck.

Now I am spatially challenged and can’t tell a circle from a square, so I am not a good benchmark. Maybe others can see the Indian-ness of the Venster, but I have not.

Edit: On another perusal, after flipping the picture I was able to see the sub-continent. Perhaps I should have stood on my head when looking at it.

Notwithstanding the unorthodox name, the trail itself is one of the most challenging and exciting ways (bar Kloof Cor[o]ner Ridge) to summit Table Mountain.

If you read my ‘About’ page, you will know I am afraid of heights. I’m afraid of falling. This is completely rational. I make no apologies.

I know nobody who is not afraid of falling. Ok. I don’t mind falling. I’m afraid of the pain that follows a fall. That is completely rational as well.

Part of managing and conquering that fear is exposing myself to heights. I am still afraid of heights. I just manage my response to the fear better.

I have not done a hike that exposed me to heights in a while. Maybe Sneeuberg in the Cederberg in February 2021. I felt completely exhilarated after that hike. There is nothing like traversing a ledge to make you appreciate life. Especially during the Covid pandemic.

It just made me extra grateful to be alive.

But it had been a while since I climbed up chains and ladders and had to scramble over ledges, so when B Cassiem chose half of India Venster as our Sunday hike, I was a bit disappointed.

“What is half of India Venster, B Cassiem?”

“We are just going to the venster and then going back,” said he.

Ok, I thought. We do as the hike leader says.

Peer Pressure

The window is off the trail and in all the times I’ve done it, I never actually went to the window. But not today. Today would be different.

India Venster remains one of my favourite scrambles, but I hadn’t done it since 2014.

At the best of times my memory of a trail is patchy, but at some points on Sunday I wasn’t even sure I was still on Table Mountain. That could be due to adrenaline or just because heights bring out the silly in me.

Either way, I annoyed Chucky no end by second-guessing BasheeRush.

On the contour BasheeRush and Mubeen, B Cassiem’s son, decided to go all the way up. I said Chucky and I would join them. Mulimah Mariam was also up for the challenge.

The rest of the group decided to stick with B Cassiem’s plan, since they didn’t have time to do the full hike.

In total, 5 of us decided to go all the way.

A Different Start

The India Venster Trail starts at the Upper Cable Car station. A set of stone steps is visible behind the tour bus parking area. We didn’t start there this time since the plan was to climb half the route only.

Starting from Kloof Corner added a total of two hours to the hike duration. Maybe. We also didn’t take the cable car down but hiked down Platteklip (we all know how I feel about Platties) Gorge, along the contour and back down Kloof Corner. It took us just under 6 hours.

Total hiking time was maybe 5 hours 15 mins, because we spent a long time at the top of Patties, having breakfast and marvelling at the destruction the latest fires had wrought on our beautiful mountain.

I Dont Remember This Route!

I have the worst sense of direction. When driving. When walking. And especially when on the mountain. I don’t have an eye for eye-marks.

I felt like it was my first time going up India Venster. Even the staples and chains looked unfamiliar to me. I didn’t remember them that way.

But memory is a liar.

Fortunately, BasheeRush, had done the trail a few weeks ago with Dirty Toes and confidently led the way. I had to ask her to slow down so we slow-pokes could catch up.

Nothing looked familiar to me. Part of the joy of hiking is that nature changes – all the time – depending on the season, the time of day, the weather, a trail you have done a thousand times can be a different experience.

I hadn’t done this one in nearly 8 years.

The one scramble I did remember, we didn’t even do!

Natural Beauties

Uniquely Venster

What sets India Venster apart from other routes up Table Mountain?

The views are phenomenal.

The view of Lions Head is unparalleled.

The panorama from Lions Head, the west coast (yay, we see you Tableview people!) the city, all the way to the Cape Flats, is something I never tire of.

When you hike India Venster, you will ascend a well-defined path of stone steps.

Nothing too steep or strenuous.

Eventually you will get to the venster where you will pose for the obligatory photo op.

At this stage we parted with the rest of the group and 6 of us continued ahead. Akbari joined us with enthusiasm, and she was a delight, off-setting Mubeen’s general grouchiness!

How she did not throw that boy off a ledge is a testament to her sense of humour and good nature.

Chains & Ladders

Once you leave the venster and get back on track, the trail will veer to the left.

It’s not a hard slog but the views will want to make you stop and stare forever.

Eventually you will get to a set of staples and chains. This is where you need to take reasonable care.

In 2009 6 people died falling at this point, at various times, which is why SANparks installed the staples and chains.

This is the best part of the hike… and the most dangerous.

The climb is not hectic if you stay calm, take your time, and relax. Maintaining your composure is key. I was surprised to see so many people on the route. India Venster used to be one of the lesser travelled routes.

At this point don’t allow yourself to be rushed by anyone behind you. If there is a Q, allow the other hikers to go ahead.

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule of Scrambling is to always have 3 points of contact with the mountain at any time.

This means, at any given time, make sure you have 2 feet and 1 hand or 2 hands and 1 foot on the mountain.

At all times.

NEVER have 1 foot and 1 hand or both hands or both feet off the mountain at the SAME time. That is asking for an accident to happen.

Safety first.

Leave your ego in the car.

When scrambling, everyone is different. Taller people have longer legs and can reach toeholds easier than shorter people. Generally, men have more upper body strength than women.

The key is to do what you are capable of and work within your own limitations. If you need to take an extra step or need extra time to find a comfortable grip or a steadier foothold, then do that.

It’s important that you feel confident and capable.

If you have no head for heights, I suggest Platteklip Gorge and/or Kasteelspoort as viable alternatives. If you want an adrenaline rush with a capital R, choose Kloof Corner Ridge.

Three Sides Of A Mountain

The India Venster Route offers three sides of the mountain, so in addition to the view from the face of Table Mountain, you will also hike around to the back of the mountain.

After the chains, the trail will veer right where you will be exposed to amazing views of Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles.

The trail is well signposted, and they have added yellow footprints to mark the route, a sure sign of its popularity.

We Missed One

The India Venster Route is above the cable car station and stays under the cable car, so often you will see the car riding while on the route. It’s polite to wave to the people in the car.

Once you have passed the chains and ladders the trail will traverse right around the back of the mountain.

Having admitted that my memory of trails is awful, I am sure we missed a scramble that would take us up to the contour below the back of the cable car station.

The reason I am sure is because I usually bum my way on that scramble due to my short legs.

When I say, ‘bum my way’, I mean I have to sit on my buttocks to get to certain places.

We Didn't Start The Fire

This time we walked on a lower contour all the way to the top of Platteklip Gorge. Mubeen agreed with me, we had missed a scramble.

The reason could be that the mountain-scape had changed after another fire several weeks ago.

Only charred remains of once-green fynbos remain, lending a distinctly bleak, Mordor-ish taint to our beautiful mountain.

We need to do this hike again very soon so we can find that last scramble. Hopefully it will be much greener then.

The amazing thing about hiking is that there is always more than one way to get to where you are going. As in life, you need to choose the route that is best for you.

The aftermath of the fire was devastating.

Fortunately, the resilient fynbos, a species which requires fire to regenerate, is already starting to grow back, and defiant watsonias (Is this the correct flower? Someone? Anyone?) provide splashes of colour amongst the charred remnants.

We took a longish break before descending Platteklip, chatting to people, welcoming tourists. We had become the unofficial Welcome To Platteklip Society.

This is when my paaper (fried leftover samosa leaves) was snatched from my hand by a sneaky, rude little bird.

I am not sure what it’s called, but Google seems to think it’s a red-winged starling

Seagulls are known rogues, notorious for stealing your chips and even entire ice cream cones out of the hands of unsuspecting beach goers, but I expected more from these little birds.

Kleine skelm!

In addition to baboons, must we now guard our food against the birds as well?

Seriously though, please don’t feed the wildlife.

Experts say feeding baboons indicates to the baboon that you are its inferior. So, unless you enjoy having your lunch snatched by a hairy primate, please do not feed the baboons, or any wild animals.

Hungry hikers do not qualify as wildlife, although their looks, especially after a tough hike, may suggest otherwise.

A Hike, proper!

Hiking down Platties is wayyyy worse than hiking up.

The descent is hard on my knees. Luckily Beatle was there to take the pressure off.

But Platteklip on a Sunday is not a hike, its a social. It’s a meet and greet, stop for a chat, encourage the hikers coming up and the obligatory white lie telling them they are nearly there, even if they just started.

If someone asks, how much further, regardless of where they are on the ascent, the standard response is, “You are nearly there, just another 15-20 minutes.”

Chucky likes to tell the kiddos there is ice cream on top. There is. At the restaurant at the cable car station! I hope their parents reward them accordingly!

I enjoyed the last bit on the contour, stopping to yank the chain going to Kloof Corner Ridge. I’m going to have to work on my courage to do that hike again (and my upper body strength). There are only 2 people in this world I would trust to lead me safely on that hike.

I felt amazing. I hadn’t done a 6-hour day hike in a long time. I was super satisfied with myself and the group. Little did I know that the very next day I would do another 6-hour hike!

Stay tuned for that one 😊!