Cederberg Travel Guide

Around 200km (124 miles) north of Cape Town lies the Cederberg Wilderness Area. This hikers' paradise features majestic jagged sandstone mountains that glow an unearthly deep red at sunset; strange-shaped rock formations that dominate the horizon; ancient San (Bushmen) rock-painting sites; burbling streams in which to cool off; a variety of animals, such as baboon, small antelope, leopards and lynx; and rare mountain fynbos such as the delicate snow protea and gnarled Clanwilliam cedar. You can drive to a number of spots, but the best way to explore this area is on foot.

In keeping with its "wilderness" designation, there are no laid-out trails, though maps indicating how to reach the main rock features -- the huge Wolfberg Arch and the 30m-high (98-ft.) Maltese Cross, as well as to the two main Cederberg peaks -- are available. Covering 710 sq. km (277 sq. miles), the Cederberg Wilderness Area is reached via a dirt road that lies halfway between the towns of Citrusdal and Clanwilliam. Of the two, the pretty town of Clanwilliam is the more attractive base, with a few attractions of its own, including the country's main Rooibos tea-processing factory, the Ramskop Wildflower Reserve, and a spectacular drive to the nearby Moravian mission station of Wupperthal. You can camp in the Cederberg or book a self-catering chalet through Cape Nature Conservation (hikers be warned: visitor numbers are strictly limited, so book early); but if you don't want to rough it and are interested in rock art, look no further than the ultraluxurious Bushmans Kloof, northeast of Clanwilliam.