A sojourn in the Cederberg

The first view of the Cederberg is of soaring peaks and jagged outlines of jumbled boulders leaning haphazardly against a grey backdrop of threatening rainclouds. Small pockets of last week's snow dotted the higher reaches, a sign that we had climbed considerably on the rather corrugated gravel road through the pass. Waterfalls cascaded down dark gulleys where leopards might sip at cool pools.
A devastating fire left the landscape practically barren, although to be fair, the cedars that give this wilderness its name have long since been decimated by man's predation, and the natural vegetation could well be low lying and sparse due to the extremes of temperature.

Swathes of purple spread across the slopes where late winter flowers (or very early spring!) made for an eyecatching patchwork among the red rocks. Bursting out of this lunar landscape are millions of exquisite, tiny babianas - without exaggeration, literally every square metre of the Cederberg has at least one of these gems of the Cape Floristic Region, so that every footstep must be taken with care.
The pass abruptly ends in a wide floodplain with farms along the perennial river - our destination. The popularity of hiking in the Cederberg ensures a steady flow of customers for the comfortable accommodation provided all over the wilderness area, and our cottage was next to a strongly flowing river, its source directly above in the Tafelberg peak, with a thundering series of waterfalls and cascades providing a pleasing background accompaniment to otherwise silent surroundings.
Twelve of us were sharing this house and it took less than an hour to rearrange it to everyone's satisfaction, have tea and set off up the track leading to the waterfall. We were there to hike moderately, relax, eat well and enjoy gluhwein before a roaring blaze in the evenings!