Cederberg Mountains

Wine, Walks & Wild Swimming in the Cederberg Mountains

Fancy a dose of big sky, big rocks, and even bigger peace and quiet? Welcome to the Cederberg Wilderness Area – a 100km-long sandstone mountain range where you’ll swap phone signal for soul-soothing silence.

The Cedarberg mountains rise majestically above the vineyards and citrus groves of the Oliphants River valley, their burnt orange hue courtesy of ancient iron oxides.

Wind and rain have spent millennia sculpting the rock into curious shapes such as the well-known Wolfberg Arch, the dramatic Maltese Cross, and the ancient Stadsaal caves.

The Wolfberg Arch is over 250 million years old – older than dinosaurs, older than the Drakensberg Mountains, and possibly older than your last email clean-out.

Most of the range forms part of the Cederberg Wilderness Reserve – one of the Western Cape’s last truly wild corners. Here you can enjoy hiking, bouldering, swimming, wine-tasting, and ultra scenic drives.

Lace up your hiking boots and explore hiking in the Cederberg; through montane fynbos and surreal boulder-strewn landscapes. Don’t forget your swimsuit: natural rock pools like Maalgat are pure bliss after a morning hike.

Fynbos species include the extremely rare Snow Protea and Clanwilliam pincushion. (You can even hike up to summit of Sneeuberg in its flowering season to see it.)

Where to Stay in the Cederberg Wilderness?

Accommodation ranges from luxurious country retreats like Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge and to charming upmarket self-catering options such as Mount Ceder Lodge and Cederberg Park (Kromrivier) – both offering hearty meals if you don’t fancy self-catering.

Note that there are plenty of other options for wonderful self-catering and camping which we DON’T book as it’s simply not what we do.

The Northern Cederberg mountains, near Clanwilliam, are also discussed under Clanwilliam.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What’s the best time to visit the Cederberg Mountains?

It’s a year round destination. Probably Autumn (March to mid-May) and Spring (Sept & October) are ideal, due to cooler hiking conditions. But the higher altitude means that temperatures are lower then in the valley around Clanwilliam and the rock pools come into their own in Summer.

Are the Cederberg Mountains suitable for families?

The Cederberg Mountains are great for families with older kids and teenagers who will enjoy mountain hiking, boulder-clambering and adventure. Ask us about the ‘’Narrow Cracks”. There are plenty of shorter walks for younger kids as well. Plus many family-friendly Cederberg lodges like Cederberg Ridge and Cederberg Park at Kromriver are ideal for families and multi-generational get-togethers.

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If you’re after pristine hiking, star-gazing, wild swimming, wine-tasting, and rock-art you’re in the right place. Let’s craft a tailor-made Cederberg adventure for you. Drop us a line – we’ll take it from there.

Is it the Cederberg or Cedarberg mountains?

You may have noticed that our company name is remarkably similar to the Cederberg region? We named ourselves after this glorious region (Clanwilliam is our hometown, after all). At the time, the English name was “Cedarberg”, while the Afrikaans name was “Sederberg”. Eventually, someone settled on “Cederberg” – a neat little blend. But we stuck with Cedarberg Africa, because we sell safaris far beyond this beloved mountain range.