be greeted by a massive yellow smiley
face sign.
The Cederberg oasis is run by a su-
per friendly and positive chap called
Gerrit. He will welcome you like you
would expect a long lost family mem-
ber to be received.
The lodge offers a wide range of ac-
commodation choices. From camping
with your own kit, to staying in one of
their fully equipped tents or rooms.
There is a fully stocked bar and an ex-
cellent restaurant. My favourite thing
on their menu is the spare ribs. They
are the best I have ever eaten. Make
sure to get your order in as soon as
you arrive, they often sell out. Yes,
that’s how good they are.
There is also a full ala carte menu
with steaks, chicken schnitzels and all
sorts of things available. They also do
a great fry up breakfast.
Expect the outside terrace to be fes-
tive through the evening. There is nor-
mally a pile of fellow petrol heads on
hand to share dirt and dust stories. I
have often arrived to find motorcycles
lined up like dominoes right across
the parking area.
I recommend a two night stay at
the Oasis with your Saturday left
open for outrides. Don’t miss visit-
ing the Stadsaal caves and if you feel
up to riding some more, as I am sure
most will be, take a burn across to
Wuppertal where there is one of the
first Veldskoen factories. These are
funky leather shoes that, although
are sometimes considered old fash-
ioned (i.e. think about your grandpa’s
favourite walking shoes), many peo-
ple love. Be brave and make an eclec-
tic choice by buying yourself a bright
red pair. These will be well recognised
TRAVERSE 49
by South Africans anywhere on the
planet.
Gerrit is an expert on the local
mountains and is a master map draw-
er for the hiking and climbing enthu-
siast. He will take great pleasure in
sitting down and making sure to show
you all the best sites to see in and
around the area. I am not going to go
into too much more detail here, but
will rather stick to my story of getting
there and back. I’ll leave the local tips
to the local himself.
Assuming that you survive the week-
end and don’t end up passed out in the
hammock next to the swimming pool
for a week, it will soon be time for you
to head back to the city. You could of
course take an extra couple of days
and head down the mountain from
the opposite side and visit the town
of Clanwilliam enroute to the West