The Cederberg hiking trails of the Cederberg Heritage Route belong to the new generation of slackpacking trails which make this beautiful area more accessible to walkers. You stay overnight in the charming community guest cottages or homestays in the Moravian Mission villages of Heuningvlei, Brugkraal, Kleinvlei, Eselbank, Langkloof and Wupperthal on the eastern side of the Cederberg Wilderness area and guesthouses in or near Clanwilliam on the western side. Thus walkers can enjoy some of the classic walks of the northern and central Cederberg such as Heuningvlei, Krakadouw Peak, Boontjieskloof and Gabriel’s Pass in comfort and safety .

A short history of the Cederberg Heritage Route

The Cederberg Heritage Route (CHR) was established at our first Annual General Meeting on 17th October 2007 as a Voluntary Association Not For Gain with a written Constitution and in accordance with the relevant South African legislation. Founding member organisations were the Moravian Church at Wupperthal, the Wupperthal Tourism Association, Cape Nature, the Clanwilliam Tourism Association, Cedarberg African Travel and the Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project. In addition, membership of the organisation is open to individuals, being persons who have a keen interest in the Cederberg area and who subscribe to the objectives of the organization.

The principal objectives of the organisation are:
# to promote sustainable eco-tourism in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape of South Africa, incorporating fields of interest such as flora and fauna, geology, botany, rock art, history, culture, heritage and archaeology;
# to promote multi-day hiking trails (commonly known as slackpacking trails) in the Cederberg region, with overnight accommodation, catering and porterage of hikers luggage provided by the local communities;
# to promote and facilitate the training of suitable local escorts to guide the hikers from one night stop to the next;
# to involve and benefit the local communities.

The first project, implemented in 2008, was the establishment of three community-based, multi-day hiking trails. A fourth trail was added in 2009 and two more in 2012.
The five shorter trails can range from two to five nights duration, depending on optional extra days that may be chosen. The Cederberg 100 Trail is an eight night-seven day trail of about 100km in length, starting at the top of the Pakhuis Pass near Clanwilliam and ending at Driehoek Farm in the central Cederberg. There are options for guided rock art walks on most of the trails.