The first objective of any adventure is to get home safely at the end of it. At Cape Trail Tours our clients’ safety is our absolute primary consideration and a responsibility we take very seriously. Our guides are experienced mountain runners with emergency First-Aid training and skills. In addition we work closely with the seven different Mountain Rescue Club of SA sections operational in the Western Cape, as well as other sections around the country. South Africa has first world medical facilities and a sophisticated first-response infrastructure if it may be necessary to call on them. All of our guides and operators are well-versed in emergency protocols, and we will make sure that before you set foot on a trail, you are too.
Like everywhere, crime is always a consideration and unfortunately South Africa, with high levels of economic disparity, is no exception. That being said it is important to remember that 10 million tourists safely and happily enjoy South Africa’s natural wonder and diverse range of activities every year, and it’s estimated that the Table Mountain trails alone play host to more than 2 million active nature lovers annually. More than that, of the few incidents that do occur, the vast majority of those are petty, contactless crimes like cell phone snatching. All of this does not mean that we take things lightly, and all of our guides are well-versed in recognising potential situations and take particular care to avoid risky areas or current crime “hotspots” to ensure that the chance of anything happening is extremely rare.
In addition, just like any mountain race, we do have some Compulsory Equipment requirements depending on the tour options selected and the time of year, which we will enforce. We will do a basic kit check on arrival, and should you need anything in this regard when you are in South Africa we will help you source it. We will also require every client has comprehensive travel insurance – the cheapest thing you’ll never need.
Lastly, nothing beats home ground knowledge. Every tour we put together will consider any risks or dangers that may emerge from time to time, be they animal, environmental or human, and if necessary, adjusted accordingly. As the saying goes, we know the lay of the land like the back of our hand, and our job is to make sure that the worst thing that happens to you in our beautiful country is you don’t like one of the local protein bars.
Weather Advisory: Although Macro Climate and Local Weather conditions are generally mild enough to allow activities to go ahead in almost all circumstances, remember that the Cape Town region is a mountainous peninsula at the Southern edge of a continent surrounded by two oceans and the weather can be unpredictable. Luckily enough the very things that make for some of the volatility also provide for a wide range of options, and when the wind is blowing a gale on one side of a mountain, the other side might be calm and protected. In the event of bad weather impacting one or more of the Tour options, we will make every effort to arrange equivalent alternatives.
(*Please note that all Tours are weather permitting. Cape Trail Tours reserves the right in its sole discretion to adjust, change or, in extreme circumstances, cancel a scheduled activity. Safety will never be compromised.)