Silent yellow wood forests, secret caves, whiskey-coloured lakes and plunging valleys of flowers: a scene out of Tolkien? No, it's Table Mountain, slap-bang in the middle of Cape Town, South Africa's second biggest city!

TABLE MOUNTAIN? But isn't that just the flattish thing with all those long queues for the cable car? Where are all those forests and caves?

Not where the crowds are, that's for sure. Table Mountain is 57 km² of mostly deserted valleys and peaks but hardly anyone knows this (they're all busy queuing at the cable car). A dozen or so trails snake up the mountain from various points, giving access to extraordinary places and astonishing views.

But it's just a big rock, right?

Not quite. Antelope still browse in quiet valleys, birds of prey float overhead and you can drink straight from the mountain streams - and then there's the mind-bending flora ... Table Mountain has the same number of plant species as the British Isles, and something is always in flower.

Sounds amazing! But how do I see all this?

Well, you can join the queues and shuffle around the restaurants and shops on the popular Western Table or you can go with a qualified, experienced and registered mountain guide and see the real Table Mountain. The only hard part is the walk up - it usually takes between 1 and 2 hours - and then it's a route that can be designed according to interests, time and fitness. It's all on well-marked trails and we stop regularly for hot drinks, snacks and of course a picnic lunch. Hikes are usually circular though some destinations require a short transfer.

Sugggested TABLE MOUNTAIN Walking Tours:

Table Mountain Classic

Starting at Constantia Nek, the southern end of the mountain, we walk up little-used Constantia Corner via the enigmatic Camel Rock. Tea and coffee are served with fresh croissants on a peak overlooking the entire Southern Peninsula and False Bay.

Reaching the famous Smuts Track, we then skirt along the eastern edge of Table Mountain with unrelenting views of Cape Town and the Hottentots-Holland Mountains before we push on into the Central Table or up to Maclear's Beacon depending on time. Lunch is taken somewhere special: a big cave or viewpoint.

Then it's back to Constantia Nek via a jeep track which always for easier walking at the end of the day. We pass dams and even a museum (bet you weren't expecting that) before reaching our cars, strategically parked next to a friendly hotel with a comfy bar.

Table Mountain Secret Explorer

Not many people know about the ways up the mountain from Camps Bay - the Diagonal Traverse offers amazing views and a deserted route up, culminating in the king protea fields of The Valley of the Red Gods.

Breakfast - tea, coffee and fresh croissants - is served with sensational views overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and then it's off to Tranquility Cracks, a little-known forest growing in a labyrinth and definitely off the beaten track.

There are several options from here but the best is to secure a permit and descend into Disa Gorge, a protected indigenous forest of tall hardwoods, dripping moss walls and, in summer, blood-red orchids.

After exploring the Central Table (and having a quick swim in the dams in summer) we return to Camps Bay via the easier Kastelpoort route.

Table Mountain Adventure

Here's one for the brave, fit and fearless. Starting at a cul-de-sac in Hout Bay we hike up through indigenous forest until the breakfast at the sylvan Myburgh's Waterfall. Then it begins: a big, careful climb up the boulder-strewn watercourse, then a couple of scrambles, an astonishingly steep slope and then we're at the top, overlooking the Atlantic and pumping with adrenalin.

Trouble is, we have to come down ...

After lunch on Judas Peak (views of the entire Peninsula) we'll descend via steep and scenic Llandudno Ravine and the alien-looking vegetation of Eureka Face. Breaking out into patches of rare renosterveld above Llandudno, we reach a flat path all the way back to our starting point.

It's Table Mountain's most exciting ascent and no climbing experience is required though a walking rope is taken along just in case.