If you haven’t already been, the Cederberg is an incredible mountain oasis with a ton of activities from gravel and mountain biking to wine tasting, hiking, and there is even a Brewery that uses the fresh mountain water in the area to brew their beer.
This feature is made possible by Isuzu, I was lucky enough to take their D-Max 250 X-Rider 4×2 double cab out for the weekend.
Whenever I can I try to get out to the Cederberg for a weekend of cycling and relaxing. The roads can get quite rough in and out so when I had the opportunity to test the Isuzu X-Rider there was only one place I was going to go.
The Isuzu D-Max 250 X-Rider 4×2 is a turbocharged 2.5lt diesel engine that produces a claimed 100kw and 320Nm of torque, plenty for what I needed to tackle getting in and out of the Cederberg.
Where to stay?
There are plenty of great places to stay in the Cederberg like Jamaka, Mount Ceder, and the Sanddrif Resort but hands-down my favourite is the Cederberg Oasis. It’s a no-frills no-fuss kind of place with a wide range of sleeping options and amazing food that is well priced, Jacques really knows what he is doing in the kitchen. The Oasis is also great for backpacking missions because you don’t need to carry food or sleeping gear.
The routes
The Cederberg Circuit is quite a popular route that takes in a loop of the whole Cederberg area. It’s around 250km and you go through or past the towns of Op Die Berg, Citrusdal and Clanwilliam. If you are looking to base yourself in the Cederberg, though, there are plenty of great routes that you can ride. There are even some dedicated MTB routes in the heart of the Cederberg that have some incredible views. A permit can be bought for R50 at the Dwarsrivier Shop at the Cederberg Wines tasting room. There are maps available as well but I have included some route options via the two links at the end of this article. You can download the GPX and upload it to your GPS device.
For the gravel and MTB loop, a stop at Nieuw Brewery in Kromrivier is a must, their beers are also available at the shop at Jamaka. On the MTB route, a visit to the Wolfberg Cracks is also something not to be missed. It truly is a natural wonder and walking through the cracks is pretty special.
Download GPX files: Gravel Loop Route – MTB Loop Route
The environment
Winter can get very cold and very wet so it’s best to go before winter hits in July. Summer can hit temperatures of 40 degrees plus so Spring and Autumn are the best times to go.
If hiking is something that interests you, there are some challenging but very rewarding routes all over the Cederberg. The short walk to the Wolfberg Arch is a popular one that can be done in a few hours.
For more strenuous routes, the hike up to the top of Sneeuberg is tough but the views from the top are breath-taking (excuse the pun). Another great hike is the Tafelberg summit, which can also include an overnight stay in the cave just below the summit. Tafelberg round trip is around 16km (8km up, and 8km down). There isn’t much water up at the cave so you will need to carry all the water you might need for the two days and for making supper in the cave.
With roughly a 3h30 drive from Cape Town, the Cederberg is the perfect weekend getaway to get out of the city and into nature.
A look at the Isuzu X-Rider
The D-Max is a full reworking of the legendary KB series of bakkies. The durability and reliability remain but the new badge brings with it new tech and upgraded engine specifications.
Isuzu’s new D-Teq engines feature high-pressure, common-rail fuel-injected systems with advanced turbochargers with intercooling. This has increased the power and reliability of the new engine range, which also has a 3.0 diesel and a 3.6lt v6 petrol derivative.
With a ground clearance of 225 mm there was no road or track in the Cederberg that I couldn’t get through comfortably. The X-Rider also has a 600 mm wade depth so tackling those river crossings will be a breeze.
I had the 4×2 version but even on the steep technical section towards Kromrivier the engine had plenty of torque in a low rev range to prevent the rear wheels from losing traction. If you are tackling more hardcore off-route tracks then the 4×4 version has low and high range which will get you through even the toughest of 4×4 tracks.
On the open road if you drive with a light foot the X-Rider purrs along well without getting very thirsty.
Explore more with the D-Max 250 X-Rider. Click here to find out more
OK, there are some options that may allow for that, problem is its not allowed. The hiking trails don't really lend themselves to riding unless you happy to do lots of walking. I have some ideas though, DM me if you interested.