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10 Incredible Table Top Mountains

Last updated on June 7, 2020 in Landscapes 9 Comments

Deep inside Venezuela’s jungle lie isolated islands of table top mountains, called tepuis. The table top mountains are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to some two billion years ago. As they are completely isolated from the ground, these ”islands above the rainforest” have a large number of unique plants and animals not found anywhere else in the world. Table top mountains also exist in other parts of the world where they are called mesa, tuya, butte, amba or simply table mountain.

10. Mount Conner

Mount Connerflickr/F.d.W.

Mount Conner is a flat-topped and horseshoe-shaped mountain. It is often confused with Uluru, since it can be seen from the road to Uluru and Kata Tjuta , when approaching from Alice Springs. The region’s Aborigines, who call the mountain Artilla, believe it to be the home of icemen who create cold weather.

9. Brown Bluff

Brown Bluff

Located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, Brown Bluff is a ice-capped, flat topped 745 meter (2,444 ft) high volcano with a prominent cliff of reddish-brown color. The shores in front of Brown Bluff are home to thousands of Adelie and Gentoo penguins.

8. Mount Asgard

Mount Asgardwikipedia/Ansgar Walk

Mount Asgard is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped cylindrical rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park in Baffin Island and is perhaps the most famous of the Baffin Mountains. The peak is named after Asgard, the realm of the gods in Norse mythology. In 1976, stuntman Rick Sylvester performed a BASE jump off the mountain for the opening sequence of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, although the fictional setting was the Austrian Alps.

7. Kukenan

Kukenan

Kukenan is a 2,680 meter (8,793 ft) high and about 3 km (1.9 mi) long tepui. It is located near the more famous tepui Mount Roraima. Kukenan is more difficult to climb, so it is ascended much less frequently than Mount Roraima. Cuquenan Falls, the second tallest waterfall in the world, is located at the south end of the tepui.

6. Heroubreio

Heroubreioflickr/Ludovic Hirlimann

Situated in the Highlands of Iceland, Herðubreið is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano which was formed after lava erupted through a thick glacier. This kind of flat topped mountain is called a tuya. Due to the mountain’s steep and unstable sides, the first ascent was in 1908 despite centuries of knowledge of its existence.

5. Debre Damo

Debre Damowikipedia/Ondrej Zvácek

Debre Damo in northern Ethiopia is the name of a flat-topped mountain and a 6th century monastery located on the top. The monastery, accessible only by rope up a sheer cliff, is known for its collection of manuscripts, and having the earliest existing church building in Ethiopia still in its original style. Tradition claims the monastery was founded in the sixth century by a Syrian monk.

4. Canyonlands

Canyonlandsflickr/Redeo

Canyonlands in eastern Utah is a national park with a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado and Green River. The rivers divide the park in several district. One district, The Island in the Sky, features a broad and level mesa with amazing views out over the surrounding country.

3. Auyantepui

Auyantepuiflickr/ronbrinkmann

Auyantepui, which means “Devil’s Mountain” in the language of the native Pemon people, is the most visited tepui in Venezuela. The world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, drops from a cleft near the summit of Auyantepui. The falls were named after pilot Jimmie Angel who accidentally discovered the falls in 1933. During a return trip in 1937, Angel crashed his small plane on top of Auyantepui. It took him and his crew 11 days to descend the mountain.

2. Mount Roraima

Mount Roraimaflickr/Alejandro Sosa

Mount Roraima is the highest (2,772m/9094ft) and most famous tepui in Venezuela. Because the mountain is completely isolated from the ground forest almost one third of the species of plant life on Roraima evolved there and are unique to the plateau. Mount Roraima was made famous in 1912 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his fictional novel entitled The Lost World. It describes the ascent of a Roraima-like mountain by an expedition in search of prehistoric plants and dinosaurs that were believed to live isolated and unchanged for millions of years on the mountains summit.

1. Table Mountain

#1 of Table Top Mountains

Overlooking the city of Cape Town, Table Mountain is the most famous of the table top mountains in the world. It’s main feature is a level plateau approximately 3 kilometers (2 mi) from side to side, surrounded by steep cliffs. The highest point on Table Mountain is 1,086 meters (3,563 ft) above sea level. There is a cable car that takes passengers to the top of the mountain with views overlooking Cape Town and Table Bay to the north, and the Atlantic seaboard to the west and south. António de Saldanha was the first European to land in Table Bay. He climbed the mighty mountain in 1503 and named it ‘Table Mountain’.

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Comments

  1. Robert Walt says

    January 5, 2020

    Grand Mesa, Grand Junction, Co.? Why is it not on this list?

  2. JT says

    July 30, 2019

    How is it even possible that you omitted the Grand Mesa?

  3. ken newhook says

    January 16, 2018

    i think the table top moutains in newfoundland in gros mourne should be on this list

  4. Grand Junction Man says

    February 15, 2014

    Where is the Grand Mesa in Colorado? Every morning and every evening I am greeted by this behemoth and its beauty. It should most definitely be on this list!

  5. Johan Horak says

    May 6, 2013

    Hi Interesting. I live near Cape town in Simonstown and Table Mountain dominates the Cape Town skyline. You could never really get lost with Table Mountain in sight. And you see it from far.

  6. touropia says

    March 6, 2013

    @Robert, Actually, Mount Roraima lies on the border of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana

  7. Robert Dupa says

    March 5, 2013

    I think you Guys made a mistake..
    Mount Roraima Is not in Venezuela it is located in Guyana Neighbouring Venezuela.

  8. Bastian says

    February 19, 2011

    I think Sigiriya in Sri Lanka should be included in this list. See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

  9. greg urbano says

    December 16, 2010

    love the venezuela shot, but where is the water coming from for that fantastic waterfall?

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