February 2022

Camp in the famous Cederberg Mountains

Last month we had a wonderful camping experience along the cold Atlantic Ocean. It’s time for another camping trip, but this time we’re going deep into the mountains – the majestic Cederberg Mountains!

We like to explore different campgrounds and don’t usually go to the same one. We had not been to Kromrivier Cederberg Park before and in the end, it turned out to be an excellent choice.

Lovely view of Kromrivier Cederberg Park in the valley

Different types of accommodation:

Kromrivier Cederberg Park is 250km (155 miles) north of Cape Town and a working eco-friendly farm. Their accommodation varies from luxury chalets to cottages and luxury camp sites. Our choice was of course to camp.

We pitched our tent under the shade of large oak trees

Each camp site has its own private ablution facilities (shower and toilet), a sink for washing of dishes, power points and (very important) a “braai pit” – that’s barbecue for our non-South African friends.

“Braai pit” (left) and ablution facility (right)

There are 18 very big camp sites. We pitched our tent at the back of the ablution facility where there was nice shade. From the side of the road, our camp site looked almost deserted if it wasn’t for the fact that our car was parked there. You can certainly bring your whole family and a bunch of friends to come camping!

Partial view of the camp sites

Lovely views and a river:

As we sat by the fire, we had a lovely view of part of the farm and the impressive mountains. The Krom River flows past the camp site and we spent many hours there cooling off during the heat of the day.

View over green fields of the farm, with the mountains literally on our doorstep
The Krom River is a welcome sight on a hot day
Bridge over the river
Permanent tents on the other side of the river
Cool water just below our camp site
We enjoyed the cold river water
On the riverbank – maybe a wild blackberry bush

With so many oak trees on the camp site, it was inevitable to find acorns everywhere. They were in the trees, on the grass and every now and then a small acorn fell on our tent/head!

Pretty acorns in the tree

Sunset is always a beautiful time of day and especially here in the mountains. The almost blue mountains turn to a bright orange at sunset. It was wonderful to see how nature produces its own work of art.

Late afternoon colours – everything is still bright and different colours are displayed
At sunset the colours change. Now everything is in different shades of orange (the mountain pass is in the distance leading to Kromrivier Cederberg Park)

Farm animals:

If you are camping on a farm, of course there must be animals. During one of our strolls on the farm we saw some of the animals.

An odd picture … a cow and little piglet standing together
And this one made sure we heard him long before sunrise every morning
This little one played hide and seek while we were trying to get a photo
The pigs were quite entertaining

While on one of our excursions, there was a small building that caught our attention. It is probably very old, but looked renovated. Berto’s guess was that it could be an old water mill.

Possibly an old water mill

The weather:

We had very HOT weather while camping at Kromrivier Cederberg Park. Temperatures were in the mid 30 degrees Celsius, and we were never too far from a shady tree or water. We also experienced thunderstorms twice. It started with just one big white cloud on the horizon and an hour later it would be almost dark with thunder roaring over the mountains – quite a spectacle.

Single white cloud changs into a proper thunderstorm

A daily visitor:

There’s even a “camp mascot” (well, that’s what we called him anyway). Early in the morning a horse grazed through all the camp sites. He was clearly not bothered by the presence of campers and strolled leisurely up and down every day. By the way, there are quite a few horses on the farm and visitors can arrange with Reception to go on horseback riding excursions (they provide helmets).

The camp mascot

Food:

While camping, preparing food is always a highlight – especially if it can be made on the fire. As always, we are going to share with you some pictures of what we enjoyed. But let’s start with something you definitely can’t be without in the summer here at Kromrivier Cederberg Park. Ice! Luckily, we were able to buy big bags of ice (daily) from the shop on the farm.

Our cooler box filled with ice – enough to make sure our drinks were always cold
There’s always a fire during a camp weekend

We made something on this camping trip that we haven’t eaten in years … jaffles! It was so good, we actually made it twice (each time with a different filling). We borrowed my mom’s old jaffle pan (it’s probably over 40 years old), but it still works!

Cheese and biltong on the bread and then the jaffle pan are placed on hot coals
Bringing back memories of my favourite food as a child
Potato bake on the hot coals are an absolute winner
Chicken with a tangy sauce
Berto made his famous curried pasta salad (unfortunately without green pepper, but it was still delicious)
Who can say no to rib? Lamb- and pork rib
Rib and cold salads – ideal food for a hot summer afternoon
And one more time – jaffles! This time filled with curry mince

Restaurant on the farm:

The extra bonus at Kromrivier is their wonderful restaurant! Here you can eat like royalty. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast the morning we left (just what we needed after packing up our tent and all other camping gear)!

Outside sitting area of the restaurant with a great view over the mountains
Inside the restaurant
Cape Leopard at Reception (of course not a real one). Kromrivier plays a key role in biodiversity and conservation
Delicious breakfast (served with farm bread)
Don’t miss out on their famous rooibos iced-tea

Farm Stall:

I can guarantee you that you will not walk away from Kromrivier empty handed. Their farm stall offers a variety of goodies, such as olive oil, jams, sweets and unique gifts to name but a few. You can also buy wood, fire lighters, ice and even toiletries. It’s actually a very well equipped shop for anyone who wants to spend a few nights here.

Farm stall at Kromrivier

Microbrewery & Kromrivier Wines:

Yes, we saved the best for last! Kromrivier is home to the first microbrewery in the Cederberg mountains, called Nieuwbrew. There are 6 different beers for sale at the farm stall. We didn’t buy any beer, but next time we definitely won’t miss this quality craft beer.

But what we did taste were their excellent Kromrivier Vineyards Wines! As it was Valentine’s Day while we were camping at Kromrivier Cederberg Park, it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy one of their bottles of wine with a cheese platter. It was delicious. The wine, the cheese board, the view … just so perfect!

Kromrivier Rose wine and a cheese platter

We did well with the wine shopping. We bought a bottle of each of the wines to bring back home and enjoy by our fire. This way we will remember how much fun we had at Kromrivier Cederberg Park!

Kromrivier Vineyards Wine

We enjoyed a lovely camping weekend at Kromrivier Cederberg Park. If you ever want to camp in the mountains in style, this is the place for you.

Hike in the mountains:

But, as some of our regular blogger friends will know, we didn’t just camp. In fact, we went camping to do something else that we really enjoy … hiking!

In the next couple of posts, we will share our hikes with you. It was HOT, but the scenery was stunning! See you soon in the mountains – geared with a hat, sunscreen and lots of water!

To read about our first hike (in scorching heat), click here.