Wolfberg Arch — Local services in Cederberg Local Municipality

March 2024

The Wolfberg Arch is a natural marvel that absolutely boggles the mind. How can an arch of rock of this size and magnitude exist here in South Africa? It is situated on a plateau up in the mountains of the Cederberg, surrounded by stretches of pale sands, shrubs and grasses that sway in the breeze and shallow and towering rocks that match the splendour of the arch. It is a hiker’s delight and the trails, depending on whether you come from Driehoek or Sanddrif, have loads to offer and see.

The hike from Driehoek offers a visit to a Cedar plantation and plenty of views of the underlying valley. The hike from Sanddrif, however, offers another marvel; the Wolfberg Cracks and for that reason is the preferred trail to the arch. The cracks are just as amazing as you make your way through the wide cracks, or the narrow cracks. Yes, you have a choice and can do the one on the way up and the other on the way down. If you are overnighting at the arch, it is recommended not to take your overnight pack through the narrow cracks, as there are tight fitting parts you need to get through. You feel like Lara Croft or Indiana Jones as you make your way through the narrow cracks!

Information if you only want to do the cracks from Sanddrif: 7.5 km. 600 elevation gain. Up Wolfberg. Through narrow cracks, go around corner and back through wide cracks and down the mountain again. Amazing cracks that seem to have been a solid block of stone, which collapsed and left cracks and even an arch behind. The way the light captures the red stone in tones of gold and blue is amazing. There seem to be options on how you navigate through the narrow cracks. You can climb, squat, crawl and simply walk through various parts of the cracks. We followed a few arrows drawn on the rocks. It isn't as scary as we thought (we bailed going through the narrow cracks the first time), though this time we had far smaller and lighter backpacks.

Pros: The arch is unique, vast and remote. It is a unique landmark. There are few landmarks in the Western Cape that match its splendour. The area is beautiful, different and almost otherworldly. You start your journey in a green valley and as you reach new heights, the terrain transforms. It becomes more arid and feels enchanting. Sunset and sunrise at the arch is a sight to behold. The Wolfberg cracks are just as stunning as the arch. There are few markers, though the trail is easy to follow (other than the entrance to the narrow cracks) if you have an understanding of the trail from viewing online and physical maps. The trails are of course available on standard GPS apps. The trail itself is a good distance and offers a well enough challenge for the seasoned hiker and person of average fitness.

Cons: Cape Nature’s asking price to wild camp at the arch is a bit steep compared to other trails that offer a hut. There is no water source at the arch, which is something you need to take into account if you overnight, especially during the summer months. If you do the hike from the Driehoek area, expect to find long sections with overgrown paths close to the Driehoek farm. There are toilet paper and other gross things left by hikers, which is a shame. I would imagine weekends to be extremely busy. We were there on a Monday night with two other small groups/couples. With even such a small group, taking unspoilt photos where others walk into your frame or just stand there,...

The day my Photographic assignment let me to go photograph this awesome Mountain experience, me and Nico my partner who have done it before climb for 3 hours up and experienced the most awesome views with a heavy camera bag and little food (to our dismay) while Veronica Jooste the Photographic library Officer waited at the house (wishing she could climb with us.

My approach was with extreme care although the paths was awesome to walk and we could not really miss our target as its so big and awesome and appeared so unexpectedly that i could not believed what i saw and the splendor infront of me. Needless to say i could not wait to start taking the pics and take a rest for another 3 hours walk downhill this time.

Camera equipment i used was a Canon 7D and a 16 to 35 F2.8 L series lens and what a awesome lens to put to task, light was perfect although i still wanna go do a time laps and stay overnight it was a day well spend and always recommend this place to all the hikers and outdoor people as its a real family experience (with trained legs)

This took place in 2008 and looking forward to the...

We did the Arch walk coming up from the Wolfberg cracks. We left at 6am. The walk to the Arch is relatively flat and easy with some spectacular vistas and foilage to photograph. However the path is lost at times and little signage to mark the way. It's advisable to have a GPS map to check where you are going. We went off course in a few areas, especially by the rocky outcrops.

Really advise to take a lot of water and food with, wear a hat and sunblock. Also to take with a wind breaker as the wind was fierce and cold most of the walk ro the Arch which is very open and unprotected.

Since we had some in our group with bad knees and old injuries, we went down a different way, onto the jeep track. A circular route. Much longer but not as heavy going on the knees. However, if you can manage, going back the same way would be much shorter.

We finished at 2pm. Started at 6am. Included lot's of stops to photograph scenery and stop for...