Lion's Head is part of the mountain in Cape Town.

Lion's Head is a dome of sandstone. At 668 meters (2 191 feet) it is tall for a hill but small for a mountain. It is just to the right of Table mountain as you look up from the harbour. Kloof nek is the saddle that separates it from Table Mountain.

When the weather changes from clear to rainy, often the first sign is a little cap of cloud forming over Lion's Head. This will then be followed by the tablecloth over Table Mountain.

One can walk to the top of Lion's Head in an hour or two, though on the steepest sections you will need help from the chains and ladders. The views on top of the sea (The Atlantic ocean, Table bay and Robben island), of the city and mountains (you can watch the cable cars going up and down Table mountain), are great.

The summit is a popular spot for paragliding due to the thermals and the nearby beaches. It's also a popular spot for sundowners. At full moon, you can watch the sun set in the west over the Hottentot's Holland mountains, and then see the moon rise over the sea moments later. As I found out, even if it is warm enough for shorts-and-t-shirt going up, at sunset the wind picks up and the temperature drops, so take something warm to wear.

On the lower slopes outcrops of granite can be found, which are popular for climbers to practice their bouldering.

The hill gets its name from its sphinx-like resemblance to a seated cat's profile: a sharp slope on the Kloof Nek side, a rounded top, and a gentler slope off on the Signal Hill side. The slopes are tawny with dry grass in summer. The Cape Black-maned lion roamed here, until the last of this subspecies were shot in the 1850s (other sources say 1865).

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