
Untamed and craggy, the Cederberg Wilderness Area is about 220km north of Cape Town – a perfect short break that feels a million miles from city life. Here mountains dominate the horizons and you can let your imagination run riot among the jagged sandstone formations. We visited to explore and to stay in CapeNature’s cottages at Algeria.
By the time we arrived the sky was overcast and brooding. I cringed, thinking rain was going to put a kink in any plans for a weekend of exploring, hiking and birding.
We first visited Cape Nature's cottages at Algeria about a year after they opened in 2015. It was the end of July, a pretty time of year with green fynbos and lots of flowers lining the roadside along the gravel road from Clanwilliam.
The cottages are pretty and well-designed, with everything you could possibly need – fabulous mountain views, a river rushing past in front of the deck, a large and well-equipped granite-topped kitchen, main bedroom with double bed and second bedroom with twin beds, both with a view out towards the river and mountains.
Rainy day chilling
Aware of this winter wet-season lottery, Cape Nature was running a 40%-off winter special from May to the end of August – on all its accommodation and camping around the Cape. It’s a clever strategy; it gets bums in beds and, if we’re anything to judge by, it inspires people to plan a return trip sometime soon. Keep your eye on Cape Nature's social media channels to see when this winter special will run again.
We didn’t even care that it was raining, scuppering any plans for a walk to the waterfall. We’d had a busy week and the cottage was so inviting and comfy we simply tucked in for the day with a good book. We made a fire in the little fireplace and soon the place was toasty warm. We had hot chocolate. We had red wine. Walking and exploring could wait until tomorrow.
The next day was clear and we jammed in two days’ worth of exploring into one - read about it here: 15 things to do in the Cederberg.
When we returned in October 2024, the weather was very different. In fact, it was over 30 degrees Celsius. Suddenly we had a new appreciation for the fact that there were air conditioners in the living area and both bedrooms, not to mention a swimming pool for the exclusive use of cottage guests. There was also a hammock for you to hang out in on the deck.
Everything else was just as nice as we remembered it, the view from the main bedroom and the patio being highlights for me. When we weren't out exploring, we spent time on the patio just listening to the sound of the river burbling past, the twittering of birds. A glass of wine or two didn't go amiss at sunset either.
For inspiration, have a look at these posts about other CapeNature destinations:
Stadsaal Caves and San rock paintings in the Cederberg
15 things to do in the Cederberg
Cape Nature reserves: from Cederberg to Kogelberg and more
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