Constantia Nek

Last updated

Constantia Nek sign.jpg
Intersection at Constantia Nek, looking south towards Vlakkenberg Constantia Nek.JPG
Intersection at Constantia Nek, looking south towards Vlakkenberg
Eagles Nest (421m), a rocky outcrop overlooking Constantia Nek Eagles Nest, Table Mountain.JPG
Eagles Nest (421m), a rocky outcrop overlooking Constantia Nek

Constantia Nek is a low pass over the Table Mountain range in Cape Town, South Africa, linking Constantia to Hout Bay in the west. It is one of three passes connecting Hout Bay to the rest of the city, and, with Ou Kaapse Weg is one of the two passes over the mountain range between the city centre and the Fish Hoek valley.

The summit of the pass is at 212m. Three roads meet at the summit of the pass: Rhodes Drive, heading north towards the city, Constantia Road, heading towards the Constantia and the southern suburbs, and Hout Bay Main Road, heading into the Hout Bay valley. It is the highest point on the Two Oceans Marathon ultramarathon route. [1]

Many hiking routes start at Constantia Nek. To the south, a path heads over Vlakkenberg towards Constantiaberg. To the north, the Jeep Track (also called the Bridle Path) ascends to the reservoirs on the "back table" of Table Mountain, while the contour path heads into Cecilia Park and northwards towards Kirstenbosch. To the west, a path heads into the restricted area of Orange Kloof.

The pass was called "Clooff Pas" by Jan van Riebeeck when he crossed it on 23 March 1657. [2] Constantia Nek Restaurant, situated at the top of the pass, is the oldest restaurant in Cape Town. [3]

The mountainside at Constantia Nek is covered in Peninsula Granite Fynbos, an endangered vegetation type that is endemic to Cape Town - occurring nowhere else. Another different endangered and endemic vegetation type, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos, can be found much further up the mountain slopes. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Mountain</span> Flat-topped mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. Table Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in South Africa, attracting 4.2 million people every year for various activities. The mountain has 8,200 plant species, of which around 80% are fynbos, meaning fine bush. It forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, and part of the lands formerly ranged by Khoe-speaking clans, such as the !Uriǁʼaes. It is home to a large array of mostly endemic fauna and flora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil's Peak (Cape Town)</span> Mountain peak in Cape Town, South Africa

Devil's Peak is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town, South Africa. When looking at Table Mountain from the city centre, or when looking towards the city across Table Bay, the skyline from left to right consists of Devil's Peak, the flat summit of Table Mountain, the peak of Lion's Head, and Signal Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Oceans Marathon</span> Annual marathon in Cape Town, South Africa

The Two Oceans Marathon is a 56 kilometres (35 mi) ultramarathon and 21 kilometres (13 mi) half-marathon held annually in Cape Town, South Africa on the Saturday of the Easter weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Peninsula</span> Rocky peninsula in the Western Cape, South Africa

The Cape Peninsula is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. On the northern end is Table Mountain, overlooking Table Bay and the City Bowl of Cape Town, South Africa. The peninsula is 52 km long from Mouille point in the north to Cape Point in the south. The Peninsula has been an island on and off for the past 5 million years, as sea levels fell and rose with the ice age and interglacial global warming cycles of, particularly, the Pleistocene. The last time that the Peninsula was an island was about 1.5 million years ago. Soon afterwards it was joined to the mainland by the emergence from the sea of the sandy area now known as the Cape Flats. The towns and villages of the Cape Peninsula and Cape Flats, and the undeveloped land of the rest of the peninsula now form part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The Cape Peninsula is bounded to the north by Table Bay, to the west by the open Atlantic Ocean, and to the east by False Bay in the south and the Cape Flats in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion's Head (Cape Town)</span> Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa

Lion's Head is a mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Lion's Head peaks at 669 metres (2,195 ft) above sea level. The peak forms part of a dramatic backdrop to the city of Cape Town and is part of the Table Mountain National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantiaberg</span> Mountain on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Constantiaberg is a large, whale-backed mountain that forms part of the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula in Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town, South Africa. It lies about 7 km south of Table Mountain, on the southern side of Constantia Nek. The mountain is 927 m high. It is not known who first ascended the peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman's Peak</span> Mountain on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Chapman's Peak is a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa. The western flank of the mountain falls sharply for hundreds of metres into the Atlantic Ocean, and a road, known as Chapman's Peak Drive, hugs the near-vertical face of the mountain, linking Hout Bay to Noordhoek. Tourists and locals often stop at viewpoints along this road, which offer views of Hout Bay, The Sentinel peak and surrounds, as well as over Noordhoek Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hout Bay</span> Seaside suburb of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Hout Bay is a seaside suburb of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, twenty kilometres south of the Central business district of Cape Town. The name "Hout Bay" can refer to the town, the bay on which it is situated, or the entire valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Mountain National Park</span> A nature conservation area on the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, South Africa

Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation. The park is managed by South African National Parks. The property is included as part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constantia, Cape Town</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious suburbs in South Africa. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Floristic Region</span> Smallest of the six recognised floral kingdoms of the world

The Cape Floral Region is a floristic region located near the southern tip of South Africa. It is the only floristic region of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, and includes only one floristic province, known as the Cape Floristic Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Kloof</span>

Orange Kloof is an area of Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa.

Dozens of fortifications were built in Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula between the 1650s and the 1940s. Most have gone, but a few still stand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller's Point, Western Cape</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Miller's Point is a headland and stretch of protected coastline in South Africa. It is located about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Simon's Town on the road to Cape Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table Mountain Challenge</span>

The Table Mountain Challenge is a 37 km mountain trail run annually clockwise around Table Mountain and Devil's Peak, South Africa and consisting mostly of single track with a few kilometers of jeep track. The trail involves a great amount of scrambling, passing through an indigenous forest and crossing mountain streams, steep slopes of fynbos and views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula Granite Fynbos</span> Vegetation type endemic to the city of Cape Town, South Africa

Peninsula Granite Fynbos is an endangered Fynbos vegetation type which is endemic to the city of Cape Town and occurs nowhere else. It is a unique type of tall, dense and diverse scrubland, scattered with trees. It can be found all along the belt of granite that encircles Table Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos</span> Vegetation type endemic to the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, South Africa

Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos is a unique and endangered vegetation type that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town. This type of Mountain Fynbos occurs on very poor, acidic soils but is incredibly rich in biodiversity with an enormous number of plant species – many of which occur nowhere else. Due to its poor soils and steep, inaccessible location, it has not been developed for farming or houses, and consequently it is relatively well conserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecilia, Table Mountain</span> Section of the Table Mountain National Park

Cecilia is a section of the Table Mountain National Park on the lower eastern slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, located just to the south of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was previously used for commercial logging and known as Cecilia Forest or Cecilia Plantation, but has now been given protected status and integrated into the National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokai Park</span> Small section of Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa

Tokai Park, previously known as "Tokai Forest", is a small wing, about 600 ha, of the greater Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. Tokai Park is made up of two sections: upper and lower Tokai Park. Lower Tokai Park is flat, and characterized by the threatened Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. Upper Tokai Park is on the slopes of Constantiaberg Mountain, and consists of conservation area as well as the Tokai Arboretum. Upper Tokai Park is characterized by Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos and Afromontane Forest and noted for its diversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Cape Town</span> List of links to articles about Cape Town on Wikipedia

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cape Town:

References

  1. "Ultra Route, Two Oceans Marathon". Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. Burman, Jose. "The History of the Nek Restaurant". Constantia Nek Restaurant. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  3. "Constantia Nek Restaurant". Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  4. "Brochures, booklets and posters". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2013.

34°0′43″S18°24′20″E / 34.01194°S 18.40556°E / -34.01194; 18.40556