Exploring the Cederberg Mountains

Four hours north of Cape Town, the Cederberg offers a range of self-catering cottages, relaxed riverside campsites and a remarkable lodge, called Kagga Kamma, cut directly out of the rock face. This is by no means a verdant area – these rugged mountains receive very little rain and temperatures can top 40°C in summer.

camping in Cederberg national parkThings to do in the Cederberg Wilderness Area

The small rivers that do flow feed beautifully, deep swimming holes and there are stunning hiking trails when the weather’s cooler.

Hiking Wolfberg Cracks and Wolfberg Arch

One not to miss is the full-day hike through the towering, ochre rock formations known as the Wolfberg Cracks, to the famous Wolfberg Arch. Permits are available from Cape Nature.

Camping at Sanddrif Holiday Resort and Wine Tasting at Cederberg Wines

Sanddrif Holiday Resort has camping and cottages along a good swimming river and gets a special mention because of its association with the nearby wine farm, Cederberg Wines. They do an excellent wine tasting Monday to Saturday and brew a very good craft beer too. 

Explore PakhuisPass

This is a 25km long mountain pass on the R364. It connects Clanilliam to Calvinia. This pass reaches an altitude of 905m.

Sevilla Rock Art Trail

Explore ancient rock art paintings left behind by the San people who lived in the area for thousands of years. This is a 5km trail along the Brannewyn River.

Go fishing at the Clanilliam Dam

A great place for fishing, best used as an overnight fishing venue. Fish that can be caught here include bluegill sunfish, smallmouth and bigmouth bass, and the clanwilliam yellowfish. You need a freshwater license which can be acquired from the post office.

 

hiking in cedeberg to wolfberg archDriving to Cederberg

The roads through the Cederberg are gravel, but you can explore most of them in a regular car.

From Cape Town, take the scenic route through Bainskloof Pass to Ceres and then it’s about an hour until the first dirt road. The drive is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon so time your arrival for sunset. And be sure to stay at least three or four days to let the otherworldly scenery sink in.

When traveling through the Cederberg area, booking a 4×4 hire would be ideal to navigate through some of the terrain in the area.

self drive safari across africa