South Africa guide › South Africa's landscapes and hikes
Is the Cederberg worth visiting?
Yes, if you like hiking, bouldering or simply raw, empty landscapes. Three hours' drive north of Cape Town, the Cederberg is a maze of wind-sculpted orange sandstone, San rock-art shelters and some of the darkest skies in the country. Give it two nights; a day trip from Cape Town is too rushed.
The range is protected as the Cederberg Wilderness Area, managed by CapeNature, the Western Cape's conservation body. It's named after the Clanwilliam cedar, a tree found only here and now rare. This is also rooibos country: South Africa's red bush tea grows in this region and nowhere else.
What to see:
- Wolfberg Arch and Wolfberg Cracks: a tough full-day hike through narrow rock clefts to a giant natural arch.
- The Maltese Cross: a lone sandstone pillar about 20 m (65 ft) high on a plateau, around four hours' walk return.
- Stadsaal: sandstone caves and San paintings, a few minutes' walk from the track.
- Clanwilliam: the little rooibos town, with farm tours and tastings.
- Spring wildflowers in August and September, especially in the Biedouw Valley.
On the way, the West Coast has two good stops: Lambert's Bay, with its Cape gannet colony on Bird Island, and Langebaan, with its turquoise lagoon and West Coast National Park, carpeted in flowers in August and September (R352, about US$21, per day in flower season).
Roads in the range are gravel, fine in a normal car if you take it slowly. Hikes need a CapeNature permit, bought online or at the Algeria office, the main campsite. Avoid high summer (December to February), when it often tops 35°C (95°F) and shade is scarce. Spring and autumn are ideal; winter is chilly, with occasional snow on the peaks.
Verdict: a great stop for hikers and lovers of wild landscapes, and easy to pair with the Namaqualand flowers in August–September. If you only have a week and aren't into walking, spend the time on the Cape Peninsula instead.
Tip: hike at first light: the low sun sets the sandstone ablaze, and you'll be back before the midday heat.
Information checked in November 2026; confirm before you travel.