Untamed and craggy, the Cederberg Wilderness Area is about 220km north of Cape Town – a perfect short break that feels a million miles from city life. Here mountains dominate the horizons and you can let your imagination run riot among the jagged sandstone formations. We visited to explore and to stay in CapeNature’s cottages at Algeria.
We first visited Cape Nature‘s cottages at Algeria about a year after they opened in 2015. It was the end of July, a pretty time of year with green fynbos and lots of flowers lining the roadside along the gravel road from Clanwilliam.
We hadn’t been to Algeria for years. Now there was a fancy new reception building and new cottages, but the campsite remained much as we remembered it, with its grassy sites, its footbridge over the river and its low water bridge for cars to drive over.
The cottage
The cottages are pretty and well-designed, with everything you could possibly need – fabulous mountain views, a river rushing past in front of the deck, a large and well-equipped granite-topped kitchen, main bedroom with double bed and second bedroom with twin beds, both with a view out towards the river and mountains.
In the living area, the couches double as extra beds so at a push the cottage could sleep six (though you’d need to be family or very close friends, since there’s only one bathroom). Both the main bedroom and the living area open on to a large patio with a built-in braai.
The living area is decorated in a fresh modern style. It has a small freestanding fireplace with a glass door to prevent smoke and mess on the floor, and a large photo on the wall echoing the name of the cottage – for instance, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebok, Wolfberg Arch, Maltese Cross, Ceder or Waterfall.
The sun came out briefly around five in the afternoon, turning the fynbos electric green and giving us a chance for a few outdoor photos. We had an early dinner on the patio, listening to the burbling of the Rondegat River and the chatter of rock thrushes as the sun set between the mountains and the clouds far away to the west. It was winter. And it was cold. But we weren’t going to waste that view.
Rainy day chilling
Aware of this winter wet-season lottery, Cape Nature was running a 40%-off winter special from May to the end of August – on all its accommodation and camping around the Cape. It’s a clever strategy; it gets bums in beds and, if we’re anything to judge by, it inspires people to plan a return trip sometime soon. Keep your eye on Cape Nature‘s social media channels to see when this winter special will run again.
We didn’t even care that it was raining, scuppering any plans for a walk to the waterfall. We’d had a busy week and the cottage was so inviting and comfy we simply tucked in for the day with a good book. We made a fire in the little fireplace and soon the place was toasty warm. We had hot chocolate. We had red wine. Walking and exploring could wait until tomorrow.
The next day was clear and we jammed in two days’ worth of exploring into one – read about it here:
15 things to do in the Cederberg.
When we returned in October 2024, the weather was very different. In fact, it was over 30 degrees Celsius. Suddenly we had a new appreciation for the fact that there were air conditioners in the living area and both bedrooms, not to mention a swimming pool for the exclusive use of cottage guests. There was also a hammock for you to hang out in on the deck.
Everything else was just as nice as we remembered it, the view from the main bedroom and the patio being highlights for me. When we weren’t out exploring, we spent time on the patio just listening to the sound of the river burbling past, the twittering of birds. A glass of wine or two didn‘t go amiss at sunset either.
For inspiration, have a look at these posts about other CapeNature destinations:
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