Four days into the most remote corner of the Cederberg.
Wupperthal sits deep in the Cederberg, past the point where the road turns to gravel and then to not much at all. The Wupperthal66 is a four-day hiking route developed together with the Wupperthal community, and it runs through outposts that most maps barely bother to mark. You’ll follow jeep tracks and climb onto a rocky plateau to a stone arch the locals call Ereboog. Your bag moves to camp before you do. You carry a daypack, you walk, and the crew handles the rest.
This is not a stroll – hikers need a good level of fitness and steady footing on loose rock. What you get in return is a piece of South Africa almost nobody outside Wupperthal has walked.
Highlights
- Cederberg rock formations and mountain scenery, day after day
- Ereboog, a natural stone arch known only to the locals who named it
- Remote outposts, reachable only on foot or by 4×4
- Wupperthal’s Moravian mission history and its living communities
- Rooibos ginger beer, made locally and served nowhere else
- Carry only a daypack. Camp, meals and luggage are handled for you
- A brass band and the historic church waiting at the finish
Five days, four nights. Day one is arrival and welcome; days two through five are on the trail.
Arrival & Welcome
Arrive at Drakie Camp. The first night’s camp sits among rock formations named for a dragon-shaped boulder that watches over it, bordered by rooibos tea plantations. There’s a briefing on the trail and safety ahead, then a hearty dinner and a glass of wine around the fire.
Speelkloof to Esel Camp
Breakfast, then pack your own lunch from what’s provided. Pass many local communities, hiking along a two-track path that follows a river running 365 days a year. Tonight’s camp is close to the waterfall and the community of Eselbank.
Ereboog to Martiensrus Camp
Morning starts with the Eselbank Waterfall, then sandy tracks through proteas and fynbos to Ereboog, the honorary arch. Meet a family farming the valley the way their ancestors did and follow a stream for a few km till you reach Martiensrus camp, where locally made Rooibos ginger beer is waiting.
The high point
The hardest day on the trail. The distance is short but there are short, steep inclines that demand real effort, followed by an easy final 5 km. The old 4×4 track runs with Cederberg gorges on one side and the Tankwa Karoo plains on the other. From the highest point you can trace the entire route you’ve walked over the last two days, with Wupperthal and its outposts laid out below. Camp is at Vaalheuning, Wupperthal’s most remote outpost, reachable only by 4×4.
Final descent & departure
Downhill all the way, in three stretches: flat, then loose rock, then flat again, on a 4×4 track with views the whole way. You arrive in Wupperthal along its historic main street, still being repaired after a fire some years back, and finish at the historic church, where a brass band has met hikers at the end of this trail before. Breakfast is included, along with a farewell finger lunch before you go.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
Included
- 4 nights of wild camping (bring your own gear, or rent ours)
- Local guides and a full support crew
- Luggage and camping gear transported to every camp
- All meals, from the arrival dinner to a farewell lunch on departure day
- Coffee, tea and a glass of wine with dinner each evening
- Drinking and shower water
- Hot showers, toilets and a camping chair at every site
Not included
- Travel to and from Wupperthal
- Tent, mattress, sleeping bag and pillow (tents and mattresses available to rent, see above)
- Hiking cutlery and crockery
- Daypack, walking sticks, water bottles, lunch box, first-aid and blister kit, and personal medication
- Voluntary R380 pp community fee
- Drinks beyond what’s listed above (Honesty bar available)
- Travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation cover. This is required, and proof must be provided before departure
An indemnity form must be completed by every hiker before the trail. We’ll also want to see proof of emergency medical evacuation insurance, through your medical aid or travel policy, ahead of departure.
Upcoming departures.
Standard rate includes bringing your own camping equipment. Want to camp in style instead? Add a dome tent and mattress, set up and packed down by the crew, for R2,000 per person sharing.
A voluntary community fee of R380 per person is collected separately on the hike. It goes directly to the Wupperthal community, supporting the Riel dance group and the local brass band, both of which keep older traditions alive for the area’s youth. It’s optional, and any amount is welcome.
Use a currency converter for an approximate figure in your local currency, noting that the final cost is determined by the exchange rate at the time of confirmation and payment.