Cederberg Wilderness MTB - single track like nowhere else

[Headshot]

I had last camped and cycled in the Cederberg wilderness more than 12 years ago. I was happy to discover that things had also got even better at Sanddrif Camp Site. It was  more of an oasis than I remembered and the facilities had improved. Even better, the place has been geared to cater for mountain biking and not just the dirt road slogging I recall from a self-help tour I rode there in the 1990’s.

 

Booking at Sanddrif is as easy as googling their website, sending an email and making an EFT payment. Camping is R160 per day for 4 people. Maps including one with MTB and hiking trails came with the confirmation email. The farm belongs to the Nieuwoudt clan and has a winery and also hosts the Cederberg Observatory.

 

 

This was a family event so there wasn’t as much time as we needed to try all the available trail options and I think we only sampled a small portion of what was on offer. Our first experiment took us on a short loop towards the Wolfberg Cracks (worth a hike and scramble around if you are inclined but be sure to buy a permit) and then looped back via some quite astounding single track to the camp site.

If you aren’t familiar with the Cederberg riding, prepare to be educated.

 

The terrain is rocky, but then again it’s also sandy, either firm or very soft or sandy and rocky or just plain rocky. The piece of track we rode first was called the Wolfberg Trail and is all of 7 km long. It had all of these combinations including rocky step downs, boulder strewn descents and sudden sandy corners. It is narrow and the bush at the trailside is scratchy. One of my riding buddies who has been off his bike for a few years described it as “a bit scary”. My wife Anne, who was carrying Ben aged 21 months on her back got off and walked in several places.

 

 

Don’t be put off however, because this little bit of single track is a technical riders dream come true. If you have a big bike ( ie something with smaller wheels and bigger suspension) take it and have fun. If you only have a wagon wheeler, take it anyway but beware of high seat settings and long stems on the technical features this trail offers.

 

 

The track undulates a bit and has the feel of a hiking trail gone MTB, which I love. The sand isn’t too thick and the rocky technical features and boulder fields more than make up for the sloggy bits and portages through narrow rock gaps and such like. What’s more you can easily do more than one lap and hone your Strava times! The single track joins the jeep track to camp just after a welcome stream crossing for a cool drink or wound wash…

 

That evening we were lucky enough to have a moon free clear night so the observatory was in operation. A great talk and views of nebula and Saturn were part of the package we got for the price of a discretionary donation. Try that in Cape Town…

 

After a superb night’s sleep on an air mattress, another perfect day greeted us. We had bigger longer plans for our bikes. Ben agreed to be carried on our backs and off we headed away from the campsite in the direction of Lot’s Wife and the Maltese Cross. The weather was perfect – at 1000 m or so, the Cederberg area we were in never gets as hot as Ceres or Citrusdal and the bigger streams flow year round. A cool breeze kept the temperature in the mid-twenties for most of our ride. In October, the streams are still icy cold.

 

All the trails are colour coded and small signs with coloured arrows indicate turning points or trail starts. It can get a bit confusing and that’s why I think we missed a bit of riding. We decided to try the Lot’s Wife trail and were soon on more rocky/sandy/tech terrain surrounded by the weathered rock fingers that the Cederberg is famous for.

 

 

 

I was carrying Ben and found the 13kg of extra weight a bit of a traction advantage on the uphill’s but had to be extra careful on the downs and technical climbs some of which we walked our bikes through. The first piece of single track looped back to a jeep track with gentle climbing towards Sneeuberg peak in the distance, before hitting more fun single track and eventually the dirt road to the Maltese Cross parking lot.

 

The trail was again much like rebadged hiking trail but technically less difficult than the section at Wolfberg. The wide blue sky and stunning rock formations make this ride one of the most beautiful jaunts you can imagine.

 

After a wrong turn leading to about 10 km of extra riding, we made it to the Maltese Cross Trail parking area and a stream where we swam and gave the very patient Ben a leg stretch.

 

 

The river was icy cold and the solitude complete. The ride back was familiar because of our wrong turn earlier and mostly all downhill. The track ended at the Cederberg Observatory and from there it was a quick pedal back to camp via some more technical single track that cuts out a km or so of dirt road.

 

Tech notes: Bikes: His – Giant Reign 150mm 26” ; Hers-  Morewood Zula 26” Ben – African Baby Carrier back pack (we have carried Ben on all sorts of rides in this pack and would not recommend using anything else because it is compact, stable and does not tip like the bigger frame packs. He always wears a helmet and often falls asleep on our backs, no matter how bumpy the track. Don’t do this if you are not technically proficient at riding and prepare to suffer on the uphills. A bike with a short stem, longer travel, fork travel adjustment and a dropper seat post all make riding with a child that much safer and easier – and a lot more fun without one!)

Pics taken with GoPro Hero 3 Black.

[

[Naas Vermaak]

NIce Post - Thanks!

[Dan Dob]

Love these trails-proper technical sections and IMO one of few 'iconic' trails in the Cape. In future, just download the cederberg map from our website www.irideafrica.com before you go out. Be warned, they have added a short new section which I haven't added in yet but I think ours will give you a better idea of what's on offer.

[Raydek]

Awesome write up, thanks for sharing... A spot to put on the cards.

[Skylark]

Sounds like a rad spot, very cheap camping, is there entrance fee or fee per day on top of that?

[marko35s]

Love camping in the Cedarberg and those streams are heaven sent on a hot day.

[Hairy]

Nice Pics

[Headshot]

Sounds like a rad spot, very cheap camping, is there entrance fee or fee per day on top of that?

 

Nope, that's all in! Bargain.

[Goosebay]

Driehoek is also a very good camping spot, most of the spots are next to a river, very good swimming.  A little mtb trail also runs from the campsite, and there is a trail from driehoek to dwarsrivier

[Goosebay]

Anyway - cool report, makes you want to go back there! Thanks