7 Best Sights in Clanwilliam, The Western Cape and Winelands

Clanwilliam is close to the northern edge of the Cederberg, a mountain range known for its San rock paintings, its emblematic rock formations, and, once upon a time, its cedars. Most of the ancient cedars have been cut down, but a few specimens still survive in the more remote regions. The Cederberg is a hiking paradise—a wild, largely unspoiled area where you can disappear from civilization for days at a time. About 172,900 acres of this mountain range constitute what has been declared the Cederberg Wilderness Area. Try to visit in spring when the area is carpeted in orange, yellow, and white flowers. You can get hiking permits from Cape Nature or the local tourism offices in Clanwilliam or Citrusdal. Be sure to tell somebody if you are planning to hike in the area, and never go alone.

A scenic dirt road that heads south out of town, past the tourism bureau and museum, winds for about 30 km (18 miles) into the Cederberg to Algeria, a Cape Nature campsite with self-catering cottages and tent sites set in an idyllic valley. Algeria is the starting point for several excellent hikes into the Cederberg. The short, one-hour hike to a waterfall is great, but it's worth going into the mountains for a day or two. Permits for all hikes can be booked through CapeNature or from one of the local farms, many of which have simple, self-catering cottages on their land.

The Cederberg mountain range might be the last place you'd expect to find a vineyard, but that's what makes Cederberg Private Cellar so unusual. When old man Nieuwoudt, known to everyone as "Oom Pollie," planted the first vines in 1973, all his sheep-farming neighbors thought he had gone mad. Today, however, winemaker David Nieuwoudt and his small team are laughing all the way to the awards ceremonies. At an altitude of around 3,300 feet, this is the highest vineyard in the Western Cape, and consequently is almost completely disease-free.  All the wines are excellent; in fact, you'll struggle to see the labels for all the wine accolades pasted on the bottles. Set aside at least an hour to sip through the wines in the garden, with views of the surrounding mountains.

Sheep farming in the Cederberg is a precarious business. Not only are the winters harsh, but valuable sheep may be killed by the leopards that live in the mountains. Farmers have resorted to using gin traps to keep their flocks safe, but with devastating consequences for any animals caught in them. Two researchers, Quinton and Nicole Martins, in conjunction with the farmers in the area, were keen to find a solution to this problem. They established the Cape Leopard Trust. The trust aims to track the movement of the predators to see exactly how many cats remain in the Cederberg and to pinpoint which farmers are most at risk. The trust is also working to introduce Anatolian shepherds—dogs that are bred to bond with sheep and act as their protectors against leopards. Several farmers have already had great success with these dogs. Their flocks are safe, and the leopards aren't at risk of dying an agonizing death in a trap. Cederberg Conservancy has subsequently been formed as a successful PPP initiative between landowners and conservation bodies in the area to improve leopard management. The Cape Leopard Trust does a lot of outreach and educational work with local schools and offers outdoor holiday programs for kids—and adults.

Also known as the Ou Tronk Museum, this small collection is based in the former town jail (ou tronk means "old jail"). The display is old-fashioned and not particularly well curated, but still gives a sense of remarkable native son Dr. Christiaan Louis Leipoldt and early settler life in the mountains. The wagons, carts, and rudimentary household equipment speak of much harder times, when pioneers headed into the high country wanting to farm or escape colonial control in the cities.

East of Clanwilliam, the R364 becomes a spectacularly scenic road called Pakhuis Pass (Warehouse Pass, so named for the rock formations that look like crates piled up in a packing shed). A steep, narrow road to the right leads to the mission town of Wupperthal, with its characteristic thatch houses and sleepy air. This used to be a thriving Moravian mission station, and remnants of the old industries remain. A baker still turns out soft, yeasty loaves that are snapped up as fast as they come out of the oven, and you can see shoes being made in the local shoe factory. The main industry here today though is the cultivation of rooibos tea. You can drive this road in an ordinary rental car, but be very careful in wet weather. A community tourism project here offers guided hikes and donkey cart rides between these frozen-in-time villages.

At its best in August—when the Clanwilliam Flower Show takes place at the old Dutch Reformed church—the Ramskop Wildflower Garden is a wonderful opportunity to see many of the region's flowers all growing in one place. The best time to go is between 11 am and 3 pm, when the sun is at its apex and the flowers are open. You pay to enter the flower garden at the entrance of the Clanwilliam Dam, on the road out of town past the garden. They won't charge you if the weather isn't great and the flowers aren't at their best—that's small-town hospitality for you. There is a simple coffee shop in the garden.

Located deep in the Cederberg, this complex of caves is wonderful at sunset, when the rays light up the russet landscape. It's highly likely that the San once called these caves home, and as you wander through the different caverns, you could imagine it making a pretty spectacular place to live. Nearby is a San rock art site, where you'll find centuries-old paintings of elephants and people etched onto the rocks. Although it's a long and bumpy drive to get here from the N7, it's still one of the most accessible rock art sites in the Cederberg because it requires only a gentle stroll from the car park. Permits to visit the caves and rock art can be purchased at Algeria Forest Station or Dwarsrivier Farm, home of Cederberg Private Cellar. When you pay for your permit you'll be given the combination to a lock on the entry gate.