The Cederberg Heritage Route, marketed by Cedarberg African Travel, is the collective name for three new community-based walking trails of three to six days. The Heritage Route is a not-for-profit association set up to market the trails and is supported by Cedarberg African Travel who arrange the walking trails, Cape Nature Conservation, the Moravian Mission villages and the Living Landscape Project which focuses on rock art walks in the region. The revenue from these walking trails is directly helping the local community.

The majestic and rugged Cederberg Mountains are easily accessible, only two hours drive north from Cape Town. The Cederberg is a gigantic mass of sandstone, richly coloured by iron oxides and eroded into a variety of strange shapes. This 100km long mountain range rises above the vineyards and citrus groves of the Olifants River valley. The Cederberg is famous for these unique rock formations as well as for fine examples of San (Bushmen) rock paintings and spectacular wild flowers in spring (August to early September). Most of the Cederberg is a designated Wilderness area and thus remains one of the most undisturbed areas of South Africa.

Historically this wilderness status meant that walkers had to choose between taking day walks into the mountains, which restricts you to more accessible shorter walks, or taking a pack and camping out in the forestry huts which are the only form of habitation in the area.  However the hiking trails of the Cederberg Heritage Route now 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 guesthouses in or near Clanwilliam on the western side. Thus walkers can explore some of the classic walks of the northern Cederberg; Heuningvlei, Krakadouw peak and Boontjieskloof in comfort and safety.

The trails are fully inclusive: guests stay at comfortable community guesthouses in the picturesque Moravian mission villages with all meals provided; they are guided by local community guides and they only need to carry a day pack as their overnight luggage taken to their next night’s stay.

• The 3 night Klein Krakadouw Trail is ideal for people wishing to enjoy a long weekend in the mountains and combines the Krakadouw Pass trail with interesting rock art sites.
• The 4 night Groot Krakadouw Trail has a greater focus on walking, with 3½ days spent hiking into the heart of the Wilderness Area.
• The 5 night Wupperthal Trail offers an optional hike up Krakadouw peak, the highest mountain in the northern Cederberg, as well as the Sevilla Rock Art trail and walking all the way to Wupperthal, the picturesque mission village founded in the early 19th century.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under General / news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.