How dangerous is Table Mountain? 2026 incidents and the rescue record since 1980
How dangerous is Table Mountain? 2026 incidents and the rescue record since 1980
Table Mountain and Lion's Head rise directly above the city, and every year a steady number of the people who walk on them need help to get down. In this article we look at what the mountain rescue database has recorded since 1980, what has happened on the mountain so far in 2026, how crime fits into that record, and what the figures suggest about staying safe.
Source: S.A. Mountain Accidents Database (SAMA, MCSA Search and Rescue), queried 22 October 2026; the 2026 deaths from the reports listed in section 2 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
About this update. The June 2026 version of this article gave several figures that we could not trace to any source when we checked them in October, among them the total number of incidents, a "danger score" for each route, median response times, and claims about winch anchors and a permit system. It also included two incidents that no rescue service or newspaper reported. We have removed all of them. Every figure in this version comes from the source named beside it, and the long-run numbers are taken directly from the mountain accidents database.
What the mountain accidents database shows
The longest record of accidents on the mountain is the S.A. Mountain Accidents Database, usually called SAMA. It is managed by MCSA Search and Rescue, the rescue arm of the Mountain Club of South Africa, and kept up to date by a volunteer, Andrew Lewis. On the day we queried it, 22 October 2026, it held 6,709 entries and had last been updated on 17 October. The database describes its own figures as inferential, because not every incident is reported to it, so the counts below are best read as a lower bound and as a guide to patterns rather than an exact tally.
For Table Mountain and Lion's Head together, SAMA records 3,034 incidents between 1980 and 2025. That figure follows the database's default setting, which leaves out incidents it classes as crime; with crime included the total is 3,493. The number of incidents has risen over the past decade, from 87 in 2014 to a peak of 173 in 2024, and 2026 has already passed the 2025 total: by its last update the database had logged 151 incidents this year, two more than in the whole of 2025.
Incidents a year on Table Mountain and Lion's Head, 2014 to 2025
Teal bars are accidents and other callouts; gold is what SAMA classes as crime.
Source: SAMA, total statistics for the areas Table Mountain and Lions Head, queried 22 October 2026 with crime excluded and then included; the gold segment is the difference · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
Most of these incidents are not dramatic. Falls account for just over a third of them, and people who are stuck on ground they cannot get up or down for another quarter. Being lost, false alarms, exhaustion, medical problems and overdue hikers make up most of the rest, and heat is recorded as the cause in 128 incidents over the 46 years, according to the database's cause breakdown.
What caused the incidents, 1980 to 2025
Table Mountain and Lion's Head, crime left out.
Source: SAMA, accident cause for the areas Table Mountain and Lions Head, 1980 to 2025, queried 22 October 2026; "Other" combines rockfall, cold, vehicle, insect, drowning, burn, water and air crash · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
The seasons matter. December and January each account for 13 percent of all incidents, when the mountain is busiest with holidaymakers and the days are hottest, while the winter months of June and August account for 5 percent each. Winter brings fewer callouts but harder ones, because wet rock, short days and cloud on the summit turn small mistakes into long rescues, as several of this year's incidents show.
Incidents by month, 1980 to 2025
Table Mountain and Lion's Head, crime left out.
Source: SAMA, monthly statistics for the areas Table Mountain and Lions Head, 1980 to 2025, queried 22 October 2026 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
Where the serious accidents happen
SAMA also keeps a list of the places on the mountain where accidents happen, ranked by a weighting that counts each person involved as 1 if they were unhurt, 100 if injured, 1,000 if critically injured and 10,000 if they died. Ranked that way, Lion's Head comes first by a wide margin and Platteklip Gorge second, which reflects how many people walk those two routes rather than how difficult they are. Behind them come remote and technical places such as Africa Ledge and Second Waterfall Ravine, where comparatively few people have accidents but a high share of those accidents are fatal.
The ten places with the most serious accident record, 1980 to 2025
People involved, by outcome. Ranked by SAMA's weighting of 1 for unhurt, 100 for injured, 1,000 for critical and 10,000 for a death.
| # | Place | Deaths | Critical | Injured | Unhurt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lion's Head | 25 | 35 | 248 | 249 |
| 2 | Platteklip Gorge | 16 | 17 | 222 | 551 |
| 3 | Africa Ledge | 10 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| 4 | Second Waterfall Ravine | 9 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 5 | Skeleton Gorge | 7 | 6 | 37 | 215 |
| 6 | Devil's Peak | 7 | 3 | 25 | 90 |
| 7 | Newlands Forest | 7 | 1 | 35 | 72 |
| 8 | Right Face | 7 | 1 | 3 | 107 |
| 9 | India Venster | 5 | 11 | 28 | 227 |
| 10 | Oudekraal | 6 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Source: SAMA, common accident areas on Table Mountain, 1980 to 2025 (3,442 people at 203 locations), queried 22 October 2026 with the database's default weighting · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
Of the 2,921 incidents with a recorded outcome between 1980 and 2025, 210 ended in a death and 124 in a critical injury. More than half, 1,625, ended with everyone unhurt.
Where the record says whether the person was a local or a tourist, locals outnumber tourists, 1,270 to 828. The database notes that only about 80 percent of reports record this.
Just over half of the people whose age is recorded were between 21 and 40, and the single largest group is aged 21 to 25.
Among tourists whose country is recorded, Germans are the largest group, followed by Americans and British visitors.
Source: SAMA, patient status, tourists versus locals, and age and country, for the areas Table Mountain and Lions Head, 1980 to 2025, queried 22 October 2026 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
The year on the mountain, incident by incident
The list below contains every incident on Table Mountain, Lion's Head and the nearby trails in 2026 that we could find in a rescue-service statement, a SANParks notice or a news report, each linked to its source. It is not a complete count: Wilderness Search and Rescue responds to far more callouts than are reported, and the database above records many that never reach the news. Three people have died on the mountain this year in the published reports, and the cause of the third death is still the subject of an inquest.
- Monday 5 January
Wingsuit jumper killed on Platteklip Gorge
Brendan Weinstein, an American BASE jumper, died when his wingsuit flight ended in a crash onto the Platteklip Gorge hiking trail. His body was taken off the mountain by helicopter and handed to the police. BASE jumping is not allowed in the park. Sources: EWN, 7 January; Capetowner, 6 January
- Saturday 10 January
Fall on Lion's Head
A 28-year-old woman slipped on a loose, sandy section of the path above the first ladder on Lion's Head. Wilderness Search and Rescue and SANParks rangers lowered her with a rope system and moved her on a wheeled stretcher, and the rescue ended at 13:29. Sources: Cape Argus, 14 January; Cape Town Etc
- Sunday 18 January
Couple robbed on The Glen trail
SANParks confirmed that armed men assaulted a couple on the trail and robbed them of their belongings before fleeing towards Kloof Nek. Source: Cape Argus, 21 January
- 24 to 25 March
Fire above Hout Bay, and a helicopter crash
A fire that started just before 14:00 on Tuesday 24 March spread over the Vlakkenberg slopes between Hout Bay and Constantia Nek and burned about 160 hectares, with around 70 firefighters on the line. On the evening of 25 March a firefighting helicopter operated by Kishugu crashed on the slopes above Hout Bay. The pilot, Mike Bothma, escaped unharmed, and the South African Civil Aviation Authority took over the investigation. Sources: Daily News and Daily Maverick, 26 March; Cape Town Etc
- Monday 27 April
Two airlifts after heavy rain
A 28-year-old Brazilian woman slipped near the summit of Lion's Head on a path made unstable by the rain, and a 24-year-old Dutch man hurt his leg in Silvermine. Both were airlifted off the mountain. Sources: Cape Town Etc, 29 April; IOL, 1 May
- Sunday 17 May
Fatal fall, seen from the cable car
Passengers in the cable car saw a hiker fall from a rock face. The hiker was found dead, and the stretcher was brought down using the cable car. On the same evening a 36-year-old woman hurt her ankle descending Platteklip Gorge, and in the Helderberg a 22-year-old trail runner impaled his leg on an exposed metal spike. Source: IOL, 21 May
- Monday 22 June
Two rope rescues in bad weather
Two climbers were stuck on Postern Buttress, high above Camps Bay, after their abseil rope jammed, and the operation to bring them down ended at 22:20. That evening a hiker who had left the path to look for water became trapped on steep ground above the Contour Path; rescuers lowered him back to the path by 21:00. Sources: Atlantic Sun, 25 June; Cape Town Etc
- Wednesday 8 July
Runner stabbed above Deer Park
A 61-year-old runner was stabbed in the arm by three men in an attempted robbery at Deadman's Tree, above Deer Park on the lower slopes of the front face. The police opened a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm; no arrests had been reported at the time. Sources: Atlantic Sun, 17 July; Sentinel News, 10 July
- 31 July to 1 August
A rescue that took nine hours
A young woman in a group of students hurt her ankle between Echo Valley and the top of Platteklip Gorge, and the group called for help shortly after 16:00. The cableway was closed for its annual maintenance, so rescuers had to drive in along the Constantia Nek jeep track. The group then decided to carry her down themselves and the first operation was stood down, but shortly before 23:00 they called again, still on the descent in the dark. The rescue ended at 01:20 on Saturday. Wilderness Search and Rescue urged hikers to call for help as soon as it is clear that a walk cannot be finished safely. Sources: Cape Town Etc, 3 August; Getaway, 30 July, for the cableway closure from 27 July to 9 August
- 2 to 3 August
Fire above Kloof Nek
A vegetation fire above Kloof Nek Corner led to a precautionary evacuation of the lower cableway station and the closure of the Contour Path and nearby trails. About 65 firefighters worked through the night, aircraft joined them the next day, and no injuries were reported. Sources: Time Out; Cape Town Etc, 3 August; CT News
- 6 to 7 September
Fourteen hours on a cliff above Newlands
A 20-year-old hiker walking alone became stuck on a cliff above Newlands. Rescuers descended nearly 200 metres to reach him, with help from an emergency services drone, and the operation ended shortly after 07:00 on Monday with the hiker unhurt. Source: The Witness, 8 September
- 16 to 17 September
Missing hiker found dead
Wayne Barnard, 46, was hiking alone when he last made contact at about 11:05, sharing his location and a photograph. The police and Wilderness Search and Rescue found his body the next day. An inquest has been opened and a post-mortem was ordered to establish the cause of death. Sources: Cape Town Etc; News24, 17 September
- September
Four muggings near Signal Hill
The volunteer group Take Back Our Mountains reported four muggings on the slopes of Signal Hill above Vista High School, the latest one after 19:00 on a Monday evening. Source: Cape Town Etc, 22 September
- Saturday 26 September
The first rescue with an exoskeleton
An exhausted 47-year-old woman on Platteklip Gorge was helped down wearing a powered exoskeleton, the first time one has been used on a rescue in South Africa. Wilderness Search and Rescue had been testing the equipment with its maker, Hypershell, since May. Sources: Cape Argus, 27 September; Cape Town Etc, 28 September
- Wednesday 7 October
Tourists and their guide robbed on Lion's Head
Two tourists and the guide leading them were robbed after dark, at about 20:00 according to Take Back Our Mountains and 20:15 according to the police. A 30-year-old man was arrested and was due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on 9 October; we have not found a report of the outcome. Source: Cape Town Etc, 8 October
- 10 to 11 October
A night on India Venster, and two exhausted teenagers
A German hiker fell about four metres near the Grotto Fountain Cairn traverse off India Venster. Rescuers stayed with him overnight and a helicopter lifted him out at first light. Two teenagers suffering from dehydration and exhaustion were helped down Platteklip Gorge, one of them carried, and all three hikers were off the mountain by 13:40 on Sunday. Source: Tabletalk, 13 October
Two other events shaped the year without anyone being hurt. The jeep track up Lion's Head was closed for planned maintenance from 20 April to 20 June, according to the government news agency, and the cableway was closed from 27 July to 9 August, which matters because a closed cableway means there is no quick way off the summit.
Source: the rescue-service statements, SANParks notices and news reports linked under each incident, read on 22 October 2026; the jeep track closure from SAnews · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
How crime fits into the record
Crime is the risk that visitors ask about most, but it is the hardest to count. The police report crime by precinct, and no precinct boundary follows the trail network, so there are no police statistics for the mountain. SANParks does not publish trail crime figures on a schedule either. The most recent official numbers are the ones its chief executive gave to Parliament's environment committee in September 2025: 133 robberies in the park in 2023, 58 in 2024 and 53 in 2025 up to early September. No figure for 2026 has been published.
The mountain accidents database records some crime as well, because rescuers are often called to it. The incidents it classes as crime on Table Mountain and Lion's Head rose from 24 in 2022 to 85 in 2023, the year SANParks also counted its peak of robberies, then fell to 42 in 2024 and rose again to 67 in 2025. By 17 October the database had recorded 18 such incidents in 2026.
Robberies recorded in Table Mountain National Park in 2023, by SANParks' count.
Robberies recorded in 2024, less than half the 2023 figure. SANParks gave 53 for 2025 up to early September.
Source: SANParks figures given to Parliament, reported by GroundUp, 9 September 2025; SAMA crime entries are the difference between its totals with and without crime, queried 22 October 2026 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
The crimes reported in 2026 follow a familiar pattern. They cluster on Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the lower slopes of the front face, and the most serious happened at the edges of the day: the October robbery on Lion's Head after 20:00, and the Signal Hill muggings after 19:00. In December 2025 SANParks appointed Heinrych Aylward as its senior manager for visitor safety and protection services, a post it had advertised earlier that year. After the October robbery, the park told Sentinel News that it had held planning meetings with the City and other partners in September to revise its safety and security strategy, that rangers work night shifts with roving patrols, and that a joint operation with the City after the robbery had used drones. Take Back Our Mountains, the volunteer group that reported the robbery, said it had been waiting five months for the park's regional manager to update it on the safety plan.
We follow trail crime in more detail in two other places: our analysis of safety on Table Mountain and Lion's Head, published after the October robbery, and the hiking trails crime report, which logs every news report of crime on the Peninsula trails with a link to its source.
Sources: SANParks, December 2025 (via allAfrica); Sentinel News, 13 October 2026; Cape Town Etc, 8 October 2026 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
What the record suggests about staying safe
None of this should keep anyone off the mountain. Table Mountain National Park had 2.8 million visitors in 2023, while the database has recorded between about 150 and 250 incidents a year on Table Mountain and Lion's Head over the past five years, and more than half of all the incidents since 1980 ended with everyone unhurt. What the record does suggest is where the risks lie and how small decisions change them.
The busiest, easiest routes produce the most callouts. Lion's Head and Platteklip Gorge lead the database's list because so many people walk them, so on those routes it pays to start early, carry more water than seems necessary, and leave the summit in good time. Remote and technical routes such as Africa Ledge and the ravines on the back of the mountain see far fewer accidents, but a larger share of those accidents are fatal, and help takes longer to reach them; they are best left to experienced parties, and not attempted alone or after rain.
Several of this year's rescues began with a choice that seemed reasonable at the time: leaving the path to look for water, carrying an injured friend down instead of waiting for rescuers, or walking alone. Rescue is free, and Wilderness Search and Rescue asks people to call as soon as it is clear that a walk cannot be finished safely, and not to cancel the call once help is on the way. Before you go, check whether the cableway is running, because when it is closed the way down is the way you came up, and tell someone your route and the time you expect to be back. On Lion's Head and Signal Hill, where most of the reported crime happens, walk in a group, keep valuables out of sight, and plan to be off the mountain before dark.
Numbers to save before you go
Source: visitor numbers from The Outlier, 26 June 2024; the advice on calling early from Wilderness Search and Rescue, via Cape Town Etc, 3 August 2026 · Last refreshed 22 October 2026
Common questions
How many people have died on Table Mountain in 2026?
Which route has the most accidents?
Are most people who need rescuing tourists?
Is crime on the mountain getting worse?
Does a mountain rescue cost money?
Sources and further reading
The long-run record
- S.A. Mountain Accidents Database (SAMA)Managed by MCSA Search and Rescue, run by Andrew Lewis; queried 22 October 2026 (last update 17 October 2026, 6,709 entries) for the areas Table Mountain and Lions Head, 1980 to 2025 and 2026 to date
- Weekend Argus: more than 4,000 incidents on Western Cape mountains in four decades29 September 2024; the database's Western Cape totals
Crime and park management
- GroundUp: SANParks deploys "boots on the ground"9 September 2025; robberies in 2023, 2024 and 2025 as given to Parliament
- SANParks: Table Mountain ready to welcome visitors this festive seasonDecember 2025, via allAfrica; the appointment of a senior manager for visitor safety
- Sentinel News: SANParks boosts safety measures after Lion's Head robbery13 October 2026
- The Outlier: visitors to Table Mountain26 June 2024; 2.8 million visits to the park in 2023
On capetowndata.com
- Table Mountain and Lion's Head: safety in 2026Our analysis after the October robbery
- Hiking trails crime reportEvery news report of crime on the Peninsula trails, with its source
This article covers incidents reported up to 21 October 2026 and figures read on 22 October 2026. Conditions on the mountain change quickly, so check current trail closures, the weather and SANParks advice before you set out, and rely on the emergency services in any incident. The incident list relies on published reports and will be updated as inquests and court cases proceed.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed and verified by humans.
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