CapeNature - Home

The Cederberg Heritage Route (CHR) is a Voluntary Association Not-For-Gain that has  the principal objective of promoting sustainable eco-tourism in the Cederberg region, incorporating fields of interest such as hiking, flora and fauna, geology, botany, rock art, history, culture, heritage and archaeology. An important component of its activities is the establishment of multi-day hiking trails in the Cederberg that incorporate guided rock art walks and the use of the traditional donkey carts of the area. See the Donkey Cart Adventures section below.

The trails wind through the Cederberg Wilderness, which was recently proclaimed one of eight World Heritage Sites within the Cape Floristic Region, and through the adjacent mountainous areas and villages of the extensive property of the Moravian Church. En route you will see the rare and endangered Clanwilliam cedar, pristine fynbos vegetation including reeds, proteas and ericas, as well as endemics such as tolbos, perdekop and spiderbush.  If you are lucky you may come across klipspringer, grey rhebuck and perhaps the footprint of the elusive Cape mountain leopard.

For more information on the Cederberg Heritage Route and the hiking trails visit www.cedheroute.co.za

A large part of the Cederberg region is a designated Wilderness Area and thus remains one of the most undisturbed parts of South Africa. The rugged terrain, few and rather poor roads and limited overnight accommodation have preserved most of this beautiful region for campers willing to carry heavy backpacks and rough it in the wild. However, the hiking trails of the Cederberg Heritage Route now make this beautiful area more accessible for the less hardy hiker.

Trail Details
The Cederberg Heritage Route currently offers four community-based trails in the Cederberg mountains, ranging from three to five nights in length. They all start and finish in Clanwilliam, about 2½ hours drive north from Cape Town. The trails are fully inclusive of all accommodation, meals, transport of people & luggage and entrance & park fees. Hikers stay at comfortable guesthouses, some in the picturesque Moravian mission villages of Heuningvlei, Brugkraal and Wupperthal on the eastern side of the Cederberg Wilderness area and some in or near Clanwilliam on the western side. Local community members escort you on the trails. Each day your overnight luggage is taken on to that night's guesthouse, so you only have to carry a day pack.

Experience the rich biodiversity and cultural assets of the Cederberg from a traditional donkey cart.

Route
The cart route begins at the top of the Pakhuis Pass where you can leave your car before embarking on the two-and-a-half hour ride to Heuningvlei. Here, if you wish, you may spend one or more nights before making the return trip to the Pass. Up to six persons can be accommodated at the guest cottage of Mrs Solomon whilst larger parties can stay in the small dormitories in the Community Guest Lodge. Optional activities include a two-hour return hike to cedar plantations, a visit to local rock art sites, or a visit to an organic rooibos tea farm. Or you may wish to explore the area on your own.

Destination
The farm Heuningvlei originally belonged to the nine Ockhuis brothers who inherited it from their father - a Dutch settler who married a local woman, Vytjie Swart. Three of the brothers went bankrupt and sold their shares to the other six. The remaining six soon sold their ownership rights to the Rhenish Missionary Society,

Today Heuningvlei is one of fourteen outposts of the Moravian Mission Church at Wupperthal, the successor to the Rhenish Missionary Society. Twentyfive families are currently living here, mainly involved in subsistence farming, planting sugar beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes. The community is also renowned for using traditional methods to produce dried fruit and for organically cultivating Rooibos tea.

The farm infrastructure dates back to the 1830’s. The old farrier was later converted to a school and eventually became the teacher’s residence. Today it is the Abrahams’ home and part of a unique architectural heritage.