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This specialist guided day trip takes you from Cape Town to the majestic Cederberg mountains – a wilderness conservancy around three hours’ drive from the city.
Here we will walk an easy 5km trail to view a series of later stone-age San rock art (cave painting) sites. These archaeological sites make up one of the best open-air galleries of ancient rock art accessible from Cape Town.
The San people were the original hunter-gatherer nomads who inhabited southern Africa for tens of thousands of years.
On the trail you will see several rock art sites with their intriguing paintings, some of which date back more than 7000 years before present. Seeing the paintings in situ – in their original wilderness setting – is a truly unique experience.
On the trail you will learn about the San people and their prolific painting – and what they painted, how they painted and why they painted.
The Cederberg is believed to have one of the richest concentrations of ancient rock art in the world. This mountainous landscape is also part of a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed for its astoundingly rich floral biodiversity.
This is an art, archaeology, cultural history
and wilderness experience rolled into one.
We leave Cape Town around 6am in the summer and 7am in the winter and drive for 3 hours through rich farmland, open landscape and mountain passes to reach the head of the rock art trail in the Cederberg. The 5km walk is about 3 hours as we stop at several rock painting sites en route. After the walk we'll have lunch (optional extra) at the local farm store and then drive back to the city. You'll be back at your accommodation in Cape Town by sunset.
What to bring on the rock art exploration day tour?
Included
Excluded
To book or make enquiries
Simply send an email to:
Rates vary depending on number of days, number of people and type of accommodation.
Simply send an email if you want to know more.
The private, guided, multi-day trips are custom designed 2, 3 or 4-day trips.
They take you deeper into the Cederberg mountains to explore more rock art sites and experience more of the majestic Cederberg.
Several of these rock art sites are seldom seen because they are on private land and closed to the public. I have access to some of these sites, which are of outstanding archaeological value because of their magnficent art. Their setting in the landscape is also extraordinarily beautiful.
To reach some of these sites requires a short hike, a bit of rock scrambling and some bushwhacking.
Accommodation is in fully equipped farmhouses and food is catered to your preferences.
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Some guests of Cape Town Outside
Scott,
Australia
Wow!! The San Rock Art tour was *the* best part of our six week holiday in South Africa. Our tour guide, Callan, was knowledgeable, patient, considerate and generous with his knowledge about the history of the art, the area, and the people of the land. Over three days, we visited 15 rock art galleries, the South African San Cultural Museum, two amazing guest houses, and enjoyed a barbeque, brilliant night skies, and some lovely drives through the landscape. All of it was stunning and a trip very much worth taking.
Emmanuelle and family,
France
We are back home in France but we will never forget our stay with you which was magical both in the landscapes, in the paintings, in the campsite, the hike, the BBQ and the restaurant on Valentine’s Day. I could write hours on these two unforgettable days .... The trip is suitable for all ages ... children, as well as the grandmother and the parents ....
A BIG THANK YOU ...
Zoe,
California
A wonderful two-day adventure. The rock art was extensive and beautiful, and the terrain, rock formations, caves and overhangs were equally stunning. Callan was great and was an expert guide, and enjoyable to travel with, generous in sharing his extensive knowledge about the art, plants, history and geology. (And also the stars -- I learned how to distinguish between the Southern Cross and a somewhat look-alike.) Everything was provided, and Callan had thought of every detail, from providing a walking stick, to TP for the camp, spices and napkins for our tasty roasted chicken and vegetable dinner (he was also a great cook), flashlights for the tents, and more. It was great having the two days. Highly recommend the experience.
Julie,
Montpellier, France
Waouh! Such a great day! Definitely the highlight of my trip in Cape Town. Discovering these rock paintings was wonderful and it felt like a real adventure. Callan seems to know everything about rock paintings. He's passionate and shares his passion and all his knowledge. He's also a very nice and interesting guy and good company.
Helena,
Brno, Czech Republic
I chose the day trip to see San Rock Painting, because I wanted to have some out of Cape Town experience away from the main attractions, to see some of the countryside and spend the day in nature, plus of course I wanted to see these thousands-of-years-old paintings. Callan was great guide, knew so much about the history and the place. He showed me also books, pointed out interesting things in the nature. The walk was very nice, open wild landscape with all these orange rocks and wild flowers. Callan was very nice to be with, very friendly, we had great conversations. On the way we stopped at the farms for fruits, refreshment and lunch. I also appreciated to see these places. I had a wonderful day. I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for a more authentic experience!
Yolanda,
Southampton, United Kingdom
This was a really special day! Beautiful drive with stunning views, stopping wherever for photos, sampling citrus farms and finally taking the walking trail through the wilderness full of flowers to see a real selection of beautiful San rock art — and we even spotted a group of eland! Callan was really great, we learned so much about the area, plants, rock art and history of South Africa, and he provided lunch, drinks and traditional snacks. We had a great day and would fully recommend this experience!
Ilka,
Germany,
The rock paintings in the Cederberg are not on the tourist's bucket list when they come to Cape Town. If you are looking for a truly unique experience, you should see the paintings! This tour is absolutely amazing and Callan is the perfect guide. After a three hours’ drive we arrived in the Cederberg area and walked to the rocks and caves. It did not take long when we saw the first paintings and there was much more than I’d expected! Callan knows so much about their history, it was more than interesting learning from him. Callan is very polite, drives safely and is a very good company. I definitively recommend booking this tour even for women traveling alone. I was by myself and never felt uncomfortable. Again, thank you Callan for this unforgettable day!
Tina,
Copenhagen, Denmark
I had a wonderful trip to the San Rock painting with Callan. He is a really nice guy and good company. He is very enthusiastic and he has a great knowledge about the paintings. I've been to Cape Town several times and this is definitely one of my best experiences :-)
Katarzyna Wichmann,
Hamburg, Germany
I think traveling with Callan in the Cederberg mountains to see the San rock art was one of the best trips I have ever taken. It was due to a beautiful location, fascinating art and the fact that Callan is an amazing guide. On the first day we walked the 5-km rock art trail. It has a series of art sites in rock shelters along a river. It was a nice and easy walk – and the art was breathtaking. On the second day Callan took us off the beaten path to show us paintings on private land that are not easily found and rarely seen. We took a trail up a gentle slope to some cliffside ridges housing the beautiful rock art. This was not a very long walk but included some bushwacking and rock scrambling which was great fun :) From this day I remember the most stunning paintings of elephants, a rhino, plus the imprints of hands that somehow made me feel connected with the people that painted lthem so long ago. On both days, after the hikes, we had beer and snacks at the local farm restaurant and the night we spent in the small town of Clanwilliam, in a comfortable lodge. The whole trip was extremely well organized by Callan and he is a guide everybody is dreaming of. He knows everything about the region, nature, fauna and flora, the history and people – and the art. Additionally he was very accommodating, altering our plans if asked to do it. After spending two wonderful days in his company, I am recommending Callan and his trips without any reservation, if I ever go back to South Africa (and I would really love to!), I will certainly try to book another adventure with him.
Steve & Rosemary,
Worcester, MA, USA
We were both interested in getting out of Cape Town to explore rock art sites in the Cederberg area and were extremely fortunate find and book a 2-night/3-day with Callan as our guide. We enjoyed climbing and bushwhacking en route to well-known rock art sites and going off the usual trails to see undocumented artwork. Callan is a well-travelled photojournalist and writer who is very knowledgeable about San rock art and a multitude of other topics. He is passionate about exploring and is part of an initiative to document the San rock are in this area and beyond. We particularly appreciate how he uses technology to enhance images so the fading details of the rock art can be seen. We enjoyed every minute of our trip, especially our conversations, and learned so much. In addition to exploring the terrain and rock art sites, we chose to spend one afternoon wine tasting (and purchasing) at the Cederberg vineyards. A fine way to escape the heat. We couldn’t imagine a better introduction to the Cederberg area or San rock art, or better company. The trip was truly the highlight of our time in South Africa.
David Schwartz,
New York
Just finished a spectacular 3-day rock art tour in the Cederberg with Callan out of Cape Town, after doing a similar trip in the Drakensberg Mountains. The rock art itself was amazing, but my appreciation was enhanced by his knowledge of its history, the San culture and its “discovery” by later colonials. He’s involved with archaeology groups in the region and overall has a strong interest in the subject. Callan was also good company: easy-going, humorous, and most importantly, helpful. The rock art on one day required some rough scrambling and he was happy to literally offer a helping hand.
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In the images below - Slide the vertical bar to reveal Before and After
These ancient images of San rock art that have faded with time can be brought back to life with this digital technology called dStretch.
dStretch and was originally developed by the US-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory and used by NASA to enhance Mars Rover images.
It is now proving very useful to enhance rock art or cave paintings. Researchers use it to enhance digital images of very faded paint and bring to life again these ancient painted images some of which are now almost invisible to the naked eye.
