Wolfberg Cracks Wolfberg Arch Cederberg hiking

Wow, what a pleasure to get a report from one of our blog readers on their recent visit to the Cederberg too.  Thank you to Ingrid and Gareth for sharing with us their version of this awesome experience, and the great photographs to go with it too. 

Im most certainly going to push for an overnight at the Arch on our next visit in the flower season.  You have inspired us with your images too.  Hopefully next time we go, there will be less clouds for us to do some night photopraphy of the stars too.

Herewith their version of this hiking trail...

Hi there once again.
Well, I don't know where to begin!
We arrived at Cederberg Oasis on Friday afternoon after a stop at Sanddrif to collect our permits for the Wolfberg and Stadsaal.

Stadsaal is amazing and a great into into weathered rock formations but the best was yet to come!

The hike to the Cracks and Arch went well though our backpacks presented a bit of a problem getting through narrow spaces but we made it. What an adventure! At the top of the cracks we debated whether to camp there in the soft sand and hike to the arch in the morning but eventually headed off to the arch arriving at around 3 pm when all the day hikers had long gone.

Our evening at the Arch was amazing - there had been quite a lot of rain and the night was cool. Both the sunset and sunrise was unlike anything ever experienced, the plateau below the arch was grey in the early light and both Gareth and I agreed it had a sort of Martian vibe - almost sci fi and alien.

I think of all the places on earth that have had an impact on me, this must be one of the top 3.  

At sunrise Gareth scampered below to take pics and I wrapped myself in my sleeping bag and watched the dawn. The memories will never fade. I almost backed out of number 3 crack and I would have missed out on so much! Thanks for all your help and advice !!
Thank you so so much
Ingrid Hardman


Well done to Ingrid and Gareth for surviving a night out in the cold on the alient planet called Earth :)
~Ed.

Go to the Wolfberg Arch

Looking for a place to go?  Try the Wolfberg Arch and Wolfberg Cracks.  Its perfect timing is the end of April or September.  Book ahead of the long-weekend to ensure you can get there.

Click Here to read the full article

Wolfberg Cracks - Part 2: Finding the Crack

Panorama of Sanddrif Valley.

(Click on images for enlargement

all images by Alex Aitkenhead)

To get to this part of the hike, we drove for 4 hours from Cape Town, and spent the night at Oasis Bed and Breakfast.  Then we drove another 22km to get our permits at Sanddrif Wine Farm, and our final 2km to get to the parking area and the start of this route.

I had been waiting for 2 years to do this route.  There was always something that stopped me from doing it. Alex and I were both very excited to finally get here and start the trek up this gauntlet.

This part of the route is fairly simple:  Follow the path to the top.

It was not long before our car became a small speck in the car park below.

After walking for 45 minutes, you will reach this massive square rock.  This marks the halfway spot in your up route in terms of time.

The tricky part of the route starts here.  I have marked the rocks in the picture below to help you should you wish to follow this route yourself.
1,2,3 are bolders that have rolled down and blocked the path up.  This is where you need to find your way around the right of boulder 3 and get to the back of it and aim in the direction of point 4 behind it.
(Note: if you pass the left of boulder no.1,  you can also climb up the easy route to the top (follow the sign).  This is not recommended, as you will be missing out on the most special part of this route). 
4. Here you are faced with a 2.5m (90 degree) climb onto the ledge leading to point 5.  But first get yourself to point 4.

Once you have reached point 4. A short scramble to the top will take you onto a easy ledge.

Follow the ledge to the end, turn left at the end.  Be careful as there is one section where the ledge is not wider than an A4 size paper.  It gets better immediately after this point.

A short scramble will take you to a massive arch in front of you.  Once you reach the arch, scramble between the rocks marked 1 & 2 into a beautiful rock-filled amphitheater.

In the picture below, the amphitheater is show to be about 20m in width.  Scramble over the rocks, directly across and opposite the arch.  Do not take the more obvious (but not easy) route to your right (more or less where the people are standing in the picture).  Rather walk across in the direction of where this photo was taken from.  Im sorry to not have taken a picture of this, but for now this is the best that I can do here.

You will be walking towards a massive rock cave, seen in the image below.

Above pic sourced from lastfrog.co.za

Enter this cave on its left side.  Its a tight squeeze for 6m of darkness.  But you are able to see the light on the other end, the moment you enter the cave.  Be careful, and best to switch on your petzl lamp on this tiny part of the route.

The next section of this route took us into the most beautiful rock formation hidden deep into this mountain.

Wolfberg Cracks - Part 3: Adventures inside the Crack

The fun began here.  Entering this passage was the start of a 200m adventure into the mountain.

This is a dark narrow passage of about 6m long.

The other side of the passage brings you to a sandy spot where the party can re-group before the next adventure.  Make sure you bring your Fisheye lense- if you have one!  (We forgot ours at home, so its another reason for us to just have to come back here again) - jeay!

venture around as much as possible and enjoy the moment for what it has to offer. stop somewhere here and have lunch, and give yourself time to really look around.

to get to the next level, keep to the right of the crack...

crawl under this large rock to the next section of the passage...

The arches and rock formations are like some of my friends would say: "to die for darlin'!"

The chief happy snapper taking a break ...  (he was fired from all and any navigational duties, but he is still allowed to take snaps) ~ LOL

Soon the crack is split into 2.  This is where you must take the left passage at this section as seen in the pic below.

Alex, the love of my life,  doing what he loves doing :)

The passage is very long and becomes narrower as you walk into it.

Once you reach what seems to be a dead end, don't despair.  But its a tricky 2m scramble to the top of this rock.  This is a link to an image of an easy way to get up.

Once you have reached the top of this rock, after 5m you will notice your last obstacle before you exit this crack.  Its a trapped rock.  You need to lie on your back, and go head first into the hole.  Its the only way you will be able to get your body out on the other side.  See the graphic of the image below on how to do this.

This lady is about to get through this trapped rock.  Its very easy and thousands before you have done it already.  So don't be afraid.  Leave your city fears behind you and Just Do It!

Within 2 minutes of walking you reach the top of this crack.

In the image below I looked back into the crack.  All you can see from here is the thin and narrow split in the mountain ...

Find a spot to enjoy the view and have a quick coffee break before you head off to your next adventure.

From here you have 2 choices:
1. Go back down.  (We came from the crack behind me to my right. The way down is the bushy patch on my left.) 1h30min to get back down.
2. Follow the clearly marked path to the Wolfberg Arch.  Please see Wolfberg Cracks: Part 4.  3 hours needed for this section to get back here.