Travel north from Cape Town and over the Piekenierskloof Pass beyond Piketberg and you descend into a different world. You are only two hours drive from Cape Town and yet the country has changed; wilder, warmer with a raw, dramatic beauty. Towering mountains, brilliant purple in the late afternoon light, preside over a fruit-filled valley laden with the scent of orange blossom in the spring.

The majestic and rugged Cederberg Mountains are a gigantic mass of sandstone, richly coloured by iron oxides and eroded into a variety of strange shapes. This 100-km long range rises splendidly above the vineyards and citrus groves of the Olifants River valley. The Cederberg is most famous for these unique rock formations as well as for fine examples of San (Bushmen) rock paintings and spectacular wild flowers in spring (early/mid August to early September). Most of the Cederberg is a designated Wilderness area and thus remains one of the most undisturbed areas of the country. The hiking trails of the Cederberg Heritage Route aim to make this beautiful area accessible to walkers via the use of charming community guest cottages in the Moravian Mission villages of Heuningvlei, Brugkraal and Wupperthal on the eastern side of the Wilderness area and other guesthouses in or near Clanwilliam on the western side.

Rating of the severity of the hikes/walks

Most of the hiking/walking on the Cederberg Heritage Route trails is not very severe, though the paths are often stony and uneven. (Also, take note that during the winter (wet) season some of the streams/rivers may be difficult to cross without removing one’s boots and wading. In extreme circumstances the guide may have to change the route.)  However, some optional hikes are more challenging. We use the following Rating to describe each day’s hike.

1 – Fairly easy walk on undulating terrain, up to 8km

2 – Relatively easy walking on undulating terrain, about 8-12km

3 – Steeper walking/hiking and/or a longer distance, up to about 18km

4 – Steep mountain hike with several hours of uphill walking

A – no exposure to heights and no scrambling

B – some walking up rocky steps

Estimated times

The times estimated below include stops for ‘tea’ and lunch and some time for photography, swimming and other activities. Hikers are provided with a packed picnic lunch at the start of each day so that you only need to carry a day-pack containing items needed during the day (water, snacks, additional clothing, rain gear), as your other luggage is transported from one overnight stop to the next.

Accommodation on the Trails

Accommodation on the Cederberg Heritage Route Trails is either in comfortable guesthouses or in community-based guest cottages. Please note that, though the community-based guest cottages are well kept, they do not have the bathroom facilities or perhaps the level of comfort that you may be used to. Bathrooms will usually have to be shared between the group and the room configuration may require three persons to share a bedroom, given the traditional nature of the mission cottages. We aim to describe this as accurately as possible but please come with an attitude of acceptance. The revenue from your walking trail is directly helping the local community.

Arrive at Yellow Aloe Nursery in Clanwilliam by the late morning (by 12.30pm) in time for lunch.  There you will be met by a representative from Cedarberg Travel and you will receive your documents.  After having lunch at Yellow Aloe, you will have a guided tour of the “Ou Tronk” (Old Jail) Museum.  After the guided tour of the museum you will park your vehicle/s at the Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project (CLLP) premises in Park Street. At the premises you will be met by their representative and he will take you on a guided rock art walk of about 3hr (Rating 1A) in the beautiful Jan Dissels River valley with the Cederberg mountains towering in the background. You stay overnight at Klein Boschkloof Chalets in the same area on a DB&B basis.

Clanwilliam

Clanwilliam is one of South Africa's oldest towns. Colonialists settled the area by 1725. In 1820 about 350 Irish settlers arrived in Clanwilliam. You can still see some of the attractive 1820 settler houses in Park Street. Clanwilliam is now a centre for an agricultural community cultivating the uniquely South African Rooibos tea, citrus, table grapes and vegetables. The citrus orchards can be seen along the Olifants valley from Citrusdal to Clanwilliam. Further north there are a number of vineyards producing both wine and table grapes.

If you arrive in the town earlier in the morning, you may like to visit the Old Gaol Museum, the Strassberger's Shoe Factory to purchase a pair of locally made 'veld' shoes, or the Rooibos tea factory for a video of the tea-making process. Project participants at the CLLP make a number of attractive necklaces and bags available for sale at their craft shop.

Alternatively you may like to pre-book an optional walking tour of the community called the Sederville Slinger (approx one hour) with one of the community guides.

San (Bushmen) Rock Art

One of the most appealing activities is to follow a trail to some of the ancient rock paintings of the San people, the first inhabitants of the Cape. The Cederberg is one of the best areas for rock art in Southern Africa with 2,000 discovered sites. (The other three area are the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu Natal, the Brandberg in Namibia and the Matopas in southern Zimbabwe.) It is not only the quality of the San's artistry that makes so many rock paintings appealing to the modern eye - many of the paintings show a strong sense of whimsy, flowing with movement and life.

Accommodation at Klein Boschkloof Chalets

Accommodation at Klein Boschkloof Chalets is provided in different types of comfortable chalets (depending on the size of the group) generally with en suite facilities.  Dinner will be provided at Klein Boschkloof Chalets.

Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project will transfer you to the top of the Pakhuis Pass with a short guided rock art visit on the way. From Pakhuis at about10.30am, you take the Donkey Cart Trail to the charming mission village of Heuningvlei for lunch. After lunch you take an easy 8km guided walk, on a donkey cart track via Witwater village, to the small settlement of Brugkraal where you stay overnight in a community guest cottage on a DBB basis. The walk passes through a mixture of small farms and open country with the Cederberg mountains to your right and rocky hill country to your left.

You can opt to ride in the traditional donkey cart of the area – an exhilarating 2 hour ride (including a couple of stops for photography), or choose to walk all or part of the trail. This is a 12 km trail on a wide track which would typically take 2½ to 3 hours to walk (Rating 2A) The mountain scenery is spectacular and there are usually a variety of indigenous flowering plants to be seen along the way. Take note that the donkey cart is not a luxury vehicle – it is a bumpy ride though cushions will be provided!

Accommodation at Brugkraal

Accommodation at Brugkraal is in a community guest cottage. There are two bedrooms. One has one double bed and one single bed. The other has four single beds. There is one bathroom, off the passage, which is shared between the two bedrooms.

Today you enjoy a guided day hike of about 15km (6 to 8 hours) from Brugkraal via Grasvlei up to the Boontjieskloof Hut, in the heart of the Cederberg Wilderness Area, and then down to Heuningvlei. There are swimming opportunities en route in pools in the perennial Grasvlei stream. There are fascinating rock formations and an interesting variety of indigenous vegetation along the way. The Boontjieskloof Hut is one of several simple stone huts in the Wilderness Area that were built originally to provide shelter for the forestry workers. They are now mainly used by backpacking hikers. (The trail is not steep with a gentle climb up of 250 metres and then a 300 metres descent, Rating 3B). You stay overnight in a community guest cottage at Heuningvlei on a DBB basis.

Accommodation at Heuningvlei

Accommodation at Heuningvlei is provided in the brand new community guesthouse which is very comfortable. Dinner is provided by the ladies of the community.

Today you enjoy a guided hike of about 13km (between 6 – 8 hours) up to Krakadouw Nek and then down the Krakadouw Pass trail, through the heart of the Cederberg Wilderness Area, back to a guest cottage in the Jan Dissels River valley. The views are breath-taking. The down trail follows the valley of the perennial Dwarsrivier stream through patches of beautiful indigenous bush and trees. It also passes an unusual round blockhouse built in about 1901 by the British forces during the Anglo-Boer War. (The trail is not steep with a gentle climb up of 300metres and then a 900metres descent, Rating 3B).

Accommodation at Krakadouw Cottages

Accommodation at Krakadouw Cottages is in two or three bedroom cottages which have a small sitting room and one bathroom.

This morning you are transferred back to the CLLP premises in Clanwilliam where you collect your cars and depart for home.

2009 Nett Prices

• Accommodation and meals as specified in the itinerary (Full Board)

·         Road Transfers as mentioned in the itinerary

·         Services of a local community guide for all the hikes

·         Transport of luggage between overnight stops

• Transport to/from Clanwilliam (quoted extra on request)

·         Travel insurance

·         Drinks (but tea and/or coffee are provided)