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We compare the Cederberg to the rest of the Western Cape during winter, sharing the top reasons to visit this wilderness in the cooler months of the year.















IT'S WARMER



Daytime temperatures are typically 5°C warmer than Cape Town with  a sunny Cederberg winter’s day averaging at around 21°C-23°C. 
Cederberg's winter is much shorter than elsewhere in the Cape, typically spanning from mid/late May and ending in early August.







IT'S DRIER



Cederberg rains do fall in the winter but its classified as a semi-arid area, with only 180mm of rain per year.  The region gets only one third of the amount of rain Cape does Town, at most.











IT'S GORGEOUSLY GREEN



Winter in the Cederberg is beautiful and green. It's described as a rejuvenating time of the year, where the landscapes seems to flourish. Colours change from browns to vibrant greens, the flowers bloom, and crisp air adds to the refreshing sense that winter brings.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge owner, Kate Bergh says, "The jagged sandstone rock formations of the Cederberg, with their burnt orange colour, are even more striking at this time of the year surrounded by the vibrant veld. It is quite simply, a beautiful place to visit."



ACTIVE DAYS



During a Cederberg winter your days are not ruled by the hot African sun and its limitations on your schedule.  The milder, temperate climate means time can be spent comfortably exploring the great outdoors.



Savour a lie in followed by a leisurely breakfast and then head out for a long walk. Alternatively, you can enjoy an excursion in the morning and a bike ride in the afternoon sun. 











KEEPING COSY



Early mornings are cold, but Simbavati Cederberg Ridge is a lodge built to withstand both the summer heat and the winter morning cold. Underfloor heating and log-burning fireplaces make the suites very cosy. The main lodge also has a fireplace in the library, dining room and sitting room, for when it is a little chilly.











FLOWERS & FYNBOS 



Cederberg celebrates an early spring, compared to the rest of the Cape. Depending on the rains, the spring flowers bloom from late July to September, along with the early flowering fynbos. 



There is a magic in experiencing the spring flower spectacle while the rest of the country is still in winter-mode.











An escape to Simbavati Cederberg Ridge and the rugged splendour of Cederberg's wilderness is always a good idea, but is especially appealing in wintertime.



Explore more about Simbavati Cederberg Ridge and contact us to book your stay.







Find further reasons why the Cederberg winter is idyllic, here.

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Cederberg

Cederberg Ridge

Experiences

The Joys of the Cederberg inWinter

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Childhood memories lead to the greatest inspiration 







"South African cuisine is all about heart and home,” says Simbavati Group Executive Chef, Garth Davids, whose passion is creating good honest food in a farm to table style.



He shared a favourite personal recipe with us, representing his journey from humble beginnings as a young boy growing up in the Cape Town suburb of Mitchell’s Plain, to the Chef he is today.











What did Chef Garth’s childhood taste like? 



Chicken liver, a staple dish in his mother’s household, was usually served with a “smoortjie” – a sauce prepared with sauteed onion and tomato or sometimes mayonnaise. Toffee apples were also a much-loved treat in his neighbourhood and were usually enjoyed with his friends on the walk home from a cricket match. Finally, he fondly recalls the basket of fruit, always available on the kitchen counter and the scent of the fruit that greeted him when he returned home. 



Chef Garth chose to combine these ingredients to bring these childhood memories to life through this recipe.







RECIPE 



Chicken liver and brandy Parfait, burnt apple served on toasted brioche, truffle onion puree, mixed berry coulis and toffee apple 







Preparation:



Ingredients For the chicken liver parfait:



250g chicken livers (deveined and cleaned)



15ml olive oil



80g finely chopped onion



80g chopped apples



5g rosemary



5g garlic



50ml brandy



200g soft butter



Method:




Add olive oil to pan along with the onions, garlic and rosemary



Sauté until onions are translucent, then add in the chopped apples and cook for 10 mins



 Add the brandy and allow alcohol to evaporate



 Remove mixture from heat and set aside.



In a separate pan heat up oil until pan is nice and hot slightly smoking, then add your chicken livers and cook until medium rare not all the way through



Remove from heat and add to apple and onion mixture



Place mixture into a blender on medium speed and slowly add the soft butter. bit by bit, until all the butter is incorporated



Once the butter is incorporated, remove from blender and strain through a sieve



Line a container with cling wrap and pour strained mixture into container and allow to set in fridge for about 4 to 8 hours




Ingredients for the onion puree:



2 white onions sliced



¼ teaspoon truffle oil



5g garlic



5g thyme finely chopped



50ml fresh cream



30ml olive oil



Method:




Place all ingredients into a pot and cook very slowly until onions are soft and caramelized



Once mixture is ready, blend until smooth and add in the truffle oil



Place into a squeegee bottle.




Ingredients for the baby toffee apples



1 can baby apples (Liberty or Goldcrest brand)



200g white sugar



50g glucose



50 ml water



Method:




Add sugar, glucose and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, once mixture is boiling turn the heat low and cook very slowly



 Do not stir sugar with a spoon, Rather gently swivel the pan around or side to side to keep mixture from burning



Heat the sugar to hard crack stage (156 degrees Celsius)



Once sugar reaches temperature, remove from heat, take skewer sticks and pierce them into the apples



 Dip each apple, one by one, until each apple is fully coated



 Leave apples to harden




Ingredients for mixed berry coulis:



2 cups frozen mixed berries



1/2 cup sugar



1/2 cup water



5g cornstarch



Method:




Place berries, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved



 Add cornstarch and cook for 10 mins until mixture thickens and cornstarch is completely cooked out



Place mixture in a blender and blend until smooth



 Pass mixture through a sieve to remove berry seeds,  then place in a squeegee bottle 




Ingredients for the burnt apple:



1 whole apple peeled and sliced into wedges



Method:




Place sliced apples into a tray and blow torch until apples are charred. 



If you do not have a blow torch you can hold them over an open gas flame to give them a charred colour. 








To Assemble:



Slice store bought brioche bread and toast until golden brown.



Place in the center of the plate, quenelle the chicken liver pate’ and place on top of brioche.



Pipe four small dots of onion puree on and around the brioche, place the burnt apple and toffee apple on either side of the parfait.  Place small dots of berry coulis around the brioche and lastly garnish with fennel shoots.















Let us do the cooking



If you’d prefer Chef Garth to cook for you, performing some of his culinary mastery, stay with us at Simbavati Cederberg Ridge where the food offering is as memorable as the setting. 



Explore Simbavati Cederberg Ridge.  


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Cederberg

Cederberg Ridge

Experiences

A Recipe to Remember

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Disconnect to Reconnect



Growing up in a family that loves nature and wildlife, I have a long history of travelling for leg-numbing hours in the back of the land-rover. We kids had special beds and an assortment of books and games to keep us entertained. And let’s admit, quiet too. All as we headed for some new and suitably adventurous destination to go camping.



Our arrival at the camp would be a mix of excitement and groans. No scampering to a pool. We had to get set up first before it got dark, or before we could go out for an activity. But there were evenings around the campfire with stories until late into the night. Then we would head to bed - only to lie awake listening. And sometimes being terrified of the noises around us. But that's invariably part of the excitement and good for new stories for the next day! These are still some of our fondest memories growing up.



These days, of course, there is the option of coming to a safari lodge, where everything is organised ready for you. Families on safari have much less to think about, let alone do. We take care of your welcoming tent, your meals and your game drives, giving you much more time to relax.



And that's what one should get out of family trips away - an opportunity to make memories, have fun. And, most importantly, reconnect as a family. All the while, having a safe environment for kids to relax and be kids. And for adults to have a little pampering.















Families on Safari - the crucial question of age



So what age should your kids be for a safari? The ideal age to safely appreciate game drives on safari is from around 8 years or older. That's why we chose to set the limit at Amani and Camp George to eight years old. However, we are a little more flexible at River Lodge and have happily hosted kids of all ages. The same goes for Homestead where there’s no minimum age either. One does need to consider exactly where you go, though. Many safari lodges have a minimum age limit, mainly for safety reasons. If you have young kids on a game vehicle, the guide will not go as close to some predator sightings for obvious reasons. Plus remember that in the Kruger, malaria is a consideration, especially in our summer months.



For game drives, children need to be over 6 to take part in shared game drives at River Lodge. Sometimes it is possible to pre-organise a private game drive vehicle (at an extra cost per day). This gives more more flexibility to a family safari as you can go for shorter drives, which really helps for little ones with a smaller attention span.















How do the kids stay amused at Simbavati?



Our family-friendly lodges try to be flexible and tailors activities according to the kids - their ages, interests and weather. The options are varied, both indoors and outdoors, ranging from crafts, nature hunts, track mouldings, elephant dung cricket, card and paper making. All the way to seasonal delights of frogging and mud wallowing - yes dirt equals fun!



For older kids, there are nature walks, baking with the chefs, macro photography, learning local languages to a junior tracker or ranger course. Which of course comes with a badge or certificate.



At River Lodge in the Timbavati, there's even a Cubs Club. This is equipped with TV, DVD’s, games, archery practice area, books, maps and a discovery nook with bugs, bones, dung & identification tools. So everyone gets something! But each lodge has a refreshing swimming pool and some can even do spa treatments. Camp George and Amani have fenced in gardens which means that kids have space to play, without anxious parents. 






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Amani

Camp George

Homestead

People

River Lodge

Tips on Families on Safari