15 things to do in the Cederberg

By Roxanne Reid
Just 200km from Cape Town, the Cederberg Wilderness Area is a destination to please everyone. Whether you love hiking and mountain biking or you’re a culture vulture, even if you simply like to chill with a glass of wine and watch the play of light on the mountains as the clouds whizz by, there’s something here to make your day. Here are 15 things to do there.

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1. Hiking

Photo: CapeNature

Choose from 1-8 hour day trails, or overnight hikes, depending on your mood or level of fitness. Walk to the waterfall from Algeria’s campsite, to the strange rock formation called the Maltese Cross (get a permit from Dwarsrivier office, about 28km from Algeria) or go the full hog to the Wolfberg Arch. Remember to take water, hat, sunglasses and sunblock in summer, and something warm in winter. Tell someone which route you’re taking in case of emergencies. For more info on the options go to Activities then Hiking on this link.

2. Mountain biking

Photo: CapeNature

Bring your own mountain bike and ride along the public gravel roads or on one of a number of designated MTB routes. Each will cost you a day visitor’s fee for a permit (adults R60, kids R35) unless you have a Wild Card that gives you free entry. There’s a route for everyone, from families to fitness freaks. Get more info. 
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3. Stargazing
Go stargazing at the Cederberg Observatory 2km from Dwarsrivier for slide shows and a chance to look through telescopes. A two-hour show starts at 20:00 every Saturday evening, weather permitting, except weekends closest to full moon. Or just lie back and enjoy the night sky in an area where there’s little light or air pollution.

4. Lot’s Wife

Take a drive up Uitkyk Pass and to Dwarsrivier to enjoy the mountain scenery. Watch out for the sign to Lot’s Wife, a rock that looks a bit like a person turned to salt, just before Dwarsrivier (about 28km from Algeria).

5. Game viewing
See if you can spot the mammals of the Cederberg like grey rhebok, klipspringer, baboon and dassie, or even a leopard.

6. Birding
Look out for raptors like Verreaux’s eagle, jackal buzzard and rock kestrel, or many smaller species like Diederik and Klaas’s cuckoo.

7. Fynbos

Enjoy the fynbos of the area, from red disas and snow proteas in summer to vygies, daisies and other annual flowering plants in spring. The Cederberg forms part of the Cape floral region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

8. Stadsaal Caves

Drive 40km from Algeria to the impressive Stadsaal Caves at Matjiesriver. Get a permit and code for the locked gate from the Algeria office first. The main cavern is impressive, but you can explore along a trail to discover many smaller openings and unusual formations.

9. Rock art

On your way to the Stadsaal Caves in the Matijiesriver Nature Reserve, take some time to see well-preserved KhoiSan rock paintings depicting elephants. (You’ll need to stop at the Algeria office first to get a permit and the code for the locked gate.) The painting is over 1000 years old and the paint mostly made from ochre rock.

10. Wine tasting

Visit Cederberg Wineries at Dwarsrivier for a tasting. Be warned that you probably won’t get out of there without a few bottles clutched in your hands.

11. Craft brewery

At the Ceder Brew craft brewery at Kromrivier you can try Catfish Ale, Chubbyhead Stout or Yellowfish Lager – even a pumpkin ale called Jan Pampoen. Sisters Tania and Melanie, seventh-generation Nieuwoudts at Kromrivier, offer tastings for larger groups. Anyone else can order a bottle with a light meal or to take home. Open 8:00–18:00 every day except on Sundays when they close 12:00–16:00. 

12. Clanwilliam

The Old Gaol, Clanwilliam

Take a day drive to the small town of Clanwilliam. Visit the Old Gaol (historical monument and museum), restaurants or coffee shops. Clanwilliam is the centre of the rooibos tea industry so have a cuppa. It’s also a good place to shop for anything you might have forgotten to bring with you.

13. Camping

Camp at the Algeria campsite – 48 sites with communal ablutions. Choose your site carefully according to whether you like to be in the thick of things with other people or enjoying a more peaceful time on a larger site with some privacy. There’s also camping at Kliphuis.

14. Cottages at Algeria

Stay at CapeNature’s lovely cottages in Algeria. They have two bedrooms, a huge kitchen and living area and a deck with a built-in braai. Enjoy the view of mountains and the sound of the Rondegat River. 

15. Wuppertal
​If you stay at Kliphuis (cottages and campsite) on the Pakhuis Pass it’s only about a 90-min drive on a gravel road to visit the photogenic mission village of Wuppertal, originally founded in 1830.

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Stadsaal Caves and San rock paintings in the Cederberg

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