Cederberg
Encyclopedia
The Cederberg mountain
s and nature reserve
are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town
, South Africa
at about 32°30′S 19°0′E. The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar
(Widdringtonia cedarbergensis), which is a tree endemic
to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock formation
s and San
rock art
. The Cederberg Wilderness Area is administered by CapeNature
.
Cederberg is now the generally accepted spelling for the area, which combines the English
(Cedarberg) and Afrikaans
(Sederberg) variants.
and the Skurweberge. The main access road, the N7
, runs to the west of the range. The nearest towns are Citrusdal
to the southwest and Clanwilliam to the north. The area is sparsely populated.
There are several notable mountains in the range, including Sneeuberg
(2026 m) and Tafelberg (1969 m). Tafelberg (Afrikaans
for "Table Mountain") should not be confused with the Table Mountain
in Cape Town
. Notable landmarks include the Maltese Cross, Wolfberg Arch and Wolfberg Cracks.
The dominating characteristic of the area is sharply defined sandstone
rock formations (Table Mountain group), often reddish in colour. This group of rocks contains bands of shale
and in recent years a few important fossil
s have been discovered in these argillaceous layers. The fossils are of primitive fish and date back 450 million years to the Ordovician
Period.
The summers are very hot and dry, while the winters are wetter and cold with typical annual rainfall in the low lying areas of less than 700 mm. The higher peaks receive a dusting of snow in winter. Summer days are typically clear and cloudless. Due to the clear skies most of the year, it makes an excellent site for skywatching
and has its own amateur observatory
.
in the wetter south and west, changing to semi desert scrub in the north and east. The endangered Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) of the family
Cupressaceae
and the Snow Protea (Protea cryophila) of the Proteaceae
are endemic to the area, found only in more remote areas high up in the mountains.
The area's apex predator
s are the felids Leopard
(Panthera pardus) and Caracal
(Caracal caracal). Other mammals include the Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) or "dassie", Meerkat
s (Suricata suricatta) and other mongoose
s (Herpestidae), larger antelope
s (e.g. Bontebok
Damaliscus pygargus dorcas and Gemsbok
Oryx gazella), the vulnerable
Cape Mountain Zebra
(Equus zebra zebra), and Chacma Baboon
s (Papio ursinus). There are also many bird
s, small mammals, reptile
s and insect
s.
Other threatened species
found in the Cederberg Wilderness Area include the cyprinid
s Clanwilliam Yellowfish
(Labeobarbus capensis, Vulnerable), Clanwilliam Redfin
(Barbus calidus, Vulnerable) and Sawfin
(Barbus serra, Endangered).
In caves and overhangs throughout the area, San
rock art
can be found, evidence of the earliest human inhabitants. European settlement brought forestry and some agriculture, and led to massive destruction of the local cedar trees, with thousands felled for telephone poles, furniture
and housing. The European arrival also led to the elimination of the San population. In the north, the old Moravian mission
station of Wupperthal still remains, the heart of a small subsistence farming community, and home to a local industry producing velskoene, traditional soft leather shoes.
The Cederberg was possibly the southernmost battleground of the Second Boer War
. A small band of Boer
guerrillas penetrated into this area from the Boer republics, hundreds of kilometres to the north, hoping to stir up popular support amongst the local farmers of Dutch
descent. In this they failed; the farmers may have had little sympathy for the British
but they had a fair notion of who was going to win the war. It is said that the Boer commandos were confronted in the Cederberg by a lone Englishman, who ordered them to surrender. They laughed at him, because he was one and they were many and tried to reason with him, pointing out the hopelessness of his position. He refused to back down and was in the end shot dead. The place where he fell is today called Engelsmanskloof ("Englishman's ravine").
is limited by the altitude, the dry climate, and the rocky terrain, and few farms exist. Rooibos
tea is the area's most famous export, though fruit and tobacco are also harvested on some farms. The Cederberg area includes one winery
, the highest in South Africa. Around the Wupperthal area are a number of subsistence farms
. Some commercial pine
plantations remain around the Algeria forest station. Protea
s and other fynbos
plants are also grown. A number of farms have become predominantly guest farms catering for the local and international tourist market.
There are no mining activities.
, rock climbing
and hiking
. The main campsite, Algeria, is operated by CapeNature
, while others such as Sanddrif, Driehoek, Jamaka and Krom River are privately operated.
The Cederberg is renowned for its quality of rock climbing routes particularly around the Krakadouw and Tafelberg peaks. The Table Mountain Sandstone creates ideal conditions for spectacular routes. There are numerous day and overnight hikes including the popular and spectacular Wolfberg Arch, Wolfberg Cracks and the Maltese Cross.
The area is also home to an amateur astronomical observatory, which regularly hosts open evenings for the public.
There are various 4x4 routes.
A large tract of the northern Cederberg is owned by the Moravian Church. The quaint village of Wupperthal forms part of a mission station route that provides visitors with an interesting view of rural life. The village is also a well known center for hand-made leather shoes and boots. One of the "buite stasies" (directly translated as outer stations) is Heuningvlei, a small picturesque hamlet that is in the process of developing a donkey cart trail from the summit of Pakhuis Pass to the hamlet. The project, a poverty alleviation project funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism includes the creation of backpacking accommodation, herb garden and various other tourism offerings. It is anticipated that this project will be fully operational by December 2007.
, a 10-day event for Scouts
run every second year by the South African Scout Association
.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s and nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
at about 32°30′S 19°0′E. The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar
Widdringtonia cedarbergensis
Widdringtonia cedarbergensis is a species of Widdringtonia native to South Africa, where it is endemic to the Cederberg Mountains northeast of Cape Town in Western Cape Province. It is threatened by habitat loss.It is a small evergreen tree growing to 5–7 m tall...
(Widdringtonia cedarbergensis), which is a tree endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock formation
Rock formation
This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...
s and San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock art
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
. The Cederberg Wilderness Area is administered by CapeNature
CapeNature
CapeNature is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Western Cape Province, South Africa.-West Coast:*Cederberg Wilderness Area...
.
Cederberg is now the generally accepted spelling for the area, which combines the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(Cedarberg) and Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
(Sederberg) variants.
Geography and climate
The Cederberg mountains extend about 50 km north-south by 20 km east-west. They are bordered on the west by the Sandveld, the north by the Pakhuis Mountains, the east by the Springbok flats and the south by the Kouebokkeveld mountainsKouebokkeveld Mountains
The Koue Bokkeveld Mountains is a mountain range in South Africa lying south and east of Citrusdal in the Western Cape Province. The range runs north-south, falls within the catchment area of the Olifants River and contributes substantially to its flow. Elevations of the range are an average of...
and the Skurweberge. The main access road, the N7
N7 (South Africa)
The N7 is a National Route in South Africa, connecting Cape Town, South Africa to Vioolsdrif, a border post to Namibia. After crossing the border, it changes designation to B1 and runs north through Windhoek and the north of Namibia....
, runs to the west of the range. The nearest towns are Citrusdal
Citrusdal
-About the area:Citrusdal is a town with a population of 5,060 in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is situated on the Olifants River at the base of the Cederberg mountains, 170km north of Cape Town on N7 national road. Agriculture in the area is dominated by citrus fruit farming,...
to the southwest and Clanwilliam to the north. The area is sparsely populated.
There are several notable mountains in the range, including Sneeuberg
Sneeuberg
Sneeuberg may refer to:*Sneeuberg, highest peak in the Cederberg mountains, West Coast, Western Cape, South Africa*Sneeuberge, mountain range in the western part of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa...
(2026 m) and Tafelberg (1969 m). Tafelberg (Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
for "Table Mountain") should not be confused with the Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. Notable landmarks include the Maltese Cross, Wolfberg Arch and Wolfberg Cracks.
The dominating characteristic of the area is sharply defined sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rock formations (Table Mountain group), often reddish in colour. This group of rocks contains bands of shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
and in recent years a few important fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been discovered in these argillaceous layers. The fossils are of primitive fish and date back 450 million years to the Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
Period.
The summers are very hot and dry, while the winters are wetter and cold with typical annual rainfall in the low lying areas of less than 700 mm. The higher peaks receive a dusting of snow in winter. Summer days are typically clear and cloudless. Due to the clear skies most of the year, it makes an excellent site for skywatching
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
and has its own amateur observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
.
Flora and fauna
The predominant vegetation is Mediterranean FynbosFynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
in the wetter south and west, changing to semi desert scrub in the north and east. The endangered Clanwilliam Cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae
The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera , which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130-140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...
and the Snow Protea (Protea cryophila) of the Proteaceae
Proteaceae
Proteaceae is a family of flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises about 80 genera with about 1600 species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae they make up the order Proteales. Well known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea,...
are endemic to the area, found only in more remote areas high up in the mountains.
The area's apex predator
Apex predator
Apex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Zoologists define predation as the killing and consumption of another organism...
s are the felids Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
(Panthera pardus) and Caracal
Caracal
The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...
(Caracal caracal). Other mammals include the Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) or "dassie", Meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s (Suricata suricatta) and other mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
s (Herpestidae), larger antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
s (e.g. Bontebok
Bontebok
The Bontebok is an antelope found in South Africa and Lesotho. The Bontebok has two subspecies; the endangered Bontebok , occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the Blesbok occurring in the highveld.The Bontebok stands 80 to 100 cm at the shoulder and...
Damaliscus pygargus dorcas and Gemsbok
Gemsbok
The gemsbok or gemsbuck is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of southern Africa, but formerly some authorities included the East African Oryx as a subspecies...
Oryx gazella), the vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape mountain zebra, Equus zebra zebra, is a subspecies of the Mountain zebra found in the Western and Eastern Cape in South Africa. They mainly eat grass but if little food is left they will eat bushes...
(Equus zebra zebra), and Chacma Baboon
Chacma Baboon
The Chacma baboon , also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. With a body length of up to 115 cm and a weight from 15 to 31 kg, it is among the largest and heaviest baboon species. The Chacma is generally dark brown to gray in color,...
s (Papio ursinus). There are also many bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, small mammals, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Other threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
found in the Cederberg Wilderness Area include the cyprinid
Cyprinid
The family Cyprinidae, from the Ancient Greek kyprînos , consists of the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives . Commonly called the carp family or the minnow family, its members are also known as cyprinids...
s Clanwilliam Yellowfish
Clanwilliam Yellowfish
The Clanwilliam Yellowfish is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It has long been placed in Barbus, the "wastebin genus" for barbs, by default; however, the species is increasingly being restored to related yellowfish genus Labeobarbus which seems a much more appropriate placement...
(Labeobarbus capensis, Vulnerable), Clanwilliam Redfin
Clanwilliam Redfin
The Clanwilliam Redfin is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is placed in the "wastebin genus" Barbus – the typical barbels and relatives – by default. But actually it is far less closely related to the typical barbels than to the South African redfins in...
(Barbus calidus, Vulnerable) and Sawfin
Sawfin
The Sawfin , also known as Clanwilliam Sawfin, is a ray-finned fish species in the family Cyprinidae. It is placed in the "wastebin genus" Barbus – the typical barbels and relatives – by default...
(Barbus serra, Endangered).
Historical
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock art
Cave painting
Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known...
can be found, evidence of the earliest human inhabitants. European settlement brought forestry and some agriculture, and led to massive destruction of the local cedar trees, with thousands felled for telephone poles, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
and housing. The European arrival also led to the elimination of the San population. In the north, the old Moravian mission
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
station of Wupperthal still remains, the heart of a small subsistence farming community, and home to a local industry producing velskoene, traditional soft leather shoes.
The Cederberg was possibly the southernmost battleground of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. A small band of Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
guerrillas penetrated into this area from the Boer republics, hundreds of kilometres to the north, hoping to stir up popular support amongst the local farmers of Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
descent. In this they failed; the farmers may have had little sympathy for the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
but they had a fair notion of who was going to win the war. It is said that the Boer commandos were confronted in the Cederberg by a lone Englishman, who ordered them to surrender. They laughed at him, because he was one and they were many and tried to reason with him, pointing out the hopelessness of his position. He refused to back down and was in the end shot dead. The place where he fell is today called Engelsmanskloof ("Englishman's ravine").
Agriculture
Arable landArable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
is limited by the altitude, the dry climate, and the rocky terrain, and few farms exist. Rooibos
Rooibos
Rooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
tea is the area's most famous export, though fruit and tobacco are also harvested on some farms. The Cederberg area includes one winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
, the highest in South Africa. Around the Wupperthal area are a number of subsistence farms
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
. Some commercial pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
plantations remain around the Algeria forest station. Protea
Protea
Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes.-Etymology:...
s and other fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
plants are also grown. A number of farms have become predominantly guest farms catering for the local and international tourist market.
There are no mining activities.
Tourism
As a wilderness area, the primary activity is eco-tourism, including campingCamping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
. The main campsite, Algeria, is operated by CapeNature
CapeNature
CapeNature is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Western Cape Province, South Africa.-West Coast:*Cederberg Wilderness Area...
, while others such as Sanddrif, Driehoek, Jamaka and Krom River are privately operated.
The Cederberg is renowned for its quality of rock climbing routes particularly around the Krakadouw and Tafelberg peaks. The Table Mountain Sandstone creates ideal conditions for spectacular routes. There are numerous day and overnight hikes including the popular and spectacular Wolfberg Arch, Wolfberg Cracks and the Maltese Cross.
The area is also home to an amateur astronomical observatory, which regularly hosts open evenings for the public.
There are various 4x4 routes.
A large tract of the northern Cederberg is owned by the Moravian Church. The quaint village of Wupperthal forms part of a mission station route that provides visitors with an interesting view of rural life. The village is also a well known center for hand-made leather shoes and boots. One of the "buite stasies" (directly translated as outer stations) is Heuningvlei, a small picturesque hamlet that is in the process of developing a donkey cart trail from the summit of Pakhuis Pass to the hamlet. The project, a poverty alleviation project funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism includes the creation of backpacking accommodation, herb garden and various other tourism offerings. It is anticipated that this project will be fully operational by December 2007.
Scouting
The Cederberg is also the site of the Senior Scout AdventureSenior Scout Adventure
The Senior Scout Cederberg Adventure is a biennial event for Scouts in South Africa, and from overseas, and is organised by the South African Scout Association. The adventure takes the form of a hike of about 10 days, usually in the Cederberg mountains...
, a 10-day event for Scouts
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
run every second year by the South African Scout Association
South African Scout Association
The South African Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognized Scouting association in South Africa. Scouting began in the United Kingdom in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell and rapidly spread to South Africa, with the first Scout troops appearing in...
.
External links
- Cape Nature Conservation Cederberg page
- The Clanwilliam Cedar and its conservation status.
- Cederberg Astronomical Observatory
- Cederberg Winery
- Cedarberg Travel