Activating SOTA Summit ZS/WC-047 Constantiaberg, November 2025

 A well marked and safe hike with fantastic views, worth 2 SOTA points

 There are a few hiking route options to reach Constantiaberg: from Chapman's Peak Drive, from Hout Bay (both of which require over 800m vertical ascent) or the easier route from the Silvermine reserve (which I chose).  I had visited Silvermine many times previously when living in Cape Town and knew it as a safe and well maintained reserve.  But I had forgotten the access charge: R200 as an international visitor (much cheaper for South Africans).

 

I had walked to Elephants Eye cave before as part of a circuit within Silvermine.  From the Silvermine car park this is over half the distance to Constantiaberg but only 40% of the vertical ascent.  In the picture above, the distant mountain is the 'elephant' with the eye (out of view) in the 'head' on the right hand side, and Constantiaberg on the elephant's 'back' with the commercial mast almost at the summit.

After Elephants Eye Cave the path splits and remains well marked and easy to follow, but fairly steep for 100 metres of ascent.

 

It is then less steep for the final 200m ascent.  Approaching the summit there are 2 gates closed to traffic (presumably for access to the commercial mast) but the pedestrian gates were open allowing easy access past the mast and up to the rocky summit.  I used the trig marker to support my Sotapole and pointed my inverted V dipole North East to maximise gain towards Gauteng.

There was very little shade on the summit, but I kept my KX2 out of the sun (which seems to reduce power output when it gets too hot) at my operating position under a rock just below the trig marker.

 

HF propagation had not been playing ball over recent activations in South Africa so I was prepared for limited longer distance QSOs.  I only managed 3 unique callsigns on HF, despite moving up and down between 20,30,40 and 15m and self spotting through the chasers' Whatsapp group.  2 of these were local ZS1's and the 3rd was a very weak ZS4 in the Free State, so my 10W signal was not getting anywhere near Gauteng.

 

I had been in touch with Phil ZS1WW who posted my activation on the Cape Town Radio Club's forum, and as soon as I switched to 2m I was greeted with 13 further enthusiastic callers, activating the summit with ease.  Constantiaberg overlooks a large part of Cape Town and its suburbs and so is well suited for VHF and UHF.  I was using a Yaesu Hand Held with its stock rubber duck antenna, 5W, but mostly 5/9 reports.

 

Overall a nice hike to the top with fantastic views over both Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, and great VHF/UHF take off.