Lions Head (Cape Town)
📍 Western Cape , City of Cape Town · Nearest city: Cape Town (4 km)
38 XC score / 100 · takeoff at 403 m · 📍 View on map
Coordinates and external links
-33.93810, 18.38820Takeoff orientations
Green = good orientation · Yellow = possible · Gray = not suitable
🗓️ Best season to fly (2024 climatology)
Monthly climate score: historical avg of temp, wind, rain and cloud cover. Green = optimal month.
⭐ Best month: May (90/100, 18°C, 23mm lluvia) · Worst month: Jul (43/100, 315mm lluvia)
Why this site has thermal potential
| Factor | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspot density (5 km) | 3 | Medium |
| Avg thermal probability | 0.88 | Based on thousands of aggregated IGC flights |
| Solar orientation | 0.05 | Slope faces north in southern hemisphere |
| Own flight history | 0.00 | Thermals detected in platform IGC tracks |
Takeoff description
'Lower launch' is reached after a 10 minute walk, where the path narrows from a jeep-track width into a hiking track. It is a challenging launch through a silver-leaf tree grove from a short net-covered runoff. Be meticulous in your layout and pre-flight checks. This is where to launch if it is soarable and SW. The 'Top site' is reached after another 10 minutes of brisk walking. It is NOT on the top of Lion's Head! It's below the cliffs on the NW side. The path is slightly hard to spot on the first pass if you're not following a local, as it's a couple of steps up rocks. Lion's Head is a rocky launch site that is both steep and loose underfoot, though the loose rocks are contained under a tight green net that has been stretched over the launch area (weak ankles, beware). The launch is steep enough that your wing is, between cycles, likely to slide down the netted hill towards you. The wind is usually cross from the left here and there's a significant drop-off a couple of feet from the bottom of the netted area, making good ground-handling and committed launch techniques essential for a safe get-away.
Nearby sites
Signal Hill Bench (50) · Table Mountain (48) · Constantiaberg (37) · Llandudno (42) · Noordhoek Peak (38) · Kommetjie (42)