The Highline staff met up for a 3-day team building and educational trip to Simbavati Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge.
After meeting up at Cape Town Airport and travelling by 19-seater with our lovely Paarl Rock Tours driver, we were greeted with an exceedingly warm welcome by the entire team at Cederberg Ridge on arrival. Leisha gave us a tour of the property including all the room types while some of the staff very kindly took our luggage to our rooms. Most of us then took some time to relax and freshen up after the journey, while a couple of us decided that 2hrs was plenty of time to get in a bit of mountain biking before dinner.
Mountain Biking
The lodge has their own mountain bikes with thick tyres that are built for rough terrain. Just let them know if you want to use one and they’ll give you a helmet and make sure to match you with a bike that is prepped and size-appropriate. There are many trails you can take from the lodge, but as we were short on time we took the Vineyard Trail which was one of the shortest. It goes down to a vineyard and then loops around it. For inexperienced mountain bikers like us, it was an exhilarating experience – going over narrow paths close to the downward sloping edge of the hillside, over loose rocks and deep sand, it takes you through beautiful, quiet wilderness and on to the vineyard, and was a great workout to boot. We also saw a very suspiciously large paw print in the sand…the elusive Cape leopard perhaps?
Fire-pit Sundowners & 3-Course Dinners
We all met up for sundowners around the fire pit, a warm and cozy setting for a (semi)-serious chat about the business before dinner. Then on to a sumptuous 3-course feast indoors made by the imaginative chefs at Cederberg Ridge. Even though it’s an intimate-sized lodge, the menu had multiple options for all courses plus new special dishes for every single meal – something to suit everyone, with any dietary requirements also catered for. Classic dishes merged with local flavours, and all were paired perfectly with complementary tastes and textures. Highlights include the homemade rooibos ice cream, the lamb, and the potato croquettes to name just a few. The house wines were also delightful.
The next morning we were greeted with coffee and a breakfast of fresh fruit, yoghurt, homemade granola, local cheeses and croissants followed by whichever hot breakfast menu option took our fancy. After a morning company meeting & brainstorming session plus a few sneaky trips to the spa for massages, we had lunch and then piled into a van with our enthusiastic guide for the afternoon, David. Apparently the chefs at Cederberg Ridge must think we have 4 stomachs, cause they sent even more delicious food with us to take away and eat on the journey.
San Rock Art Walk
We all thoroughly enjoyed the San rock art walk despite the occasional wind and rain, organised by the lodge and led by a highly trained local guide, David. David’s passion for San rock art, the Cederberg and conservation really shone through. We couldn’t help but be delighted by his charming San folk tales and local flora and fauna knowledge. The walk itself was manageable for all of us and didn’t require a high level of fitness, but wouldn’t be suited for people with serious mobility issues. We visited 6 rock art sites, but there are a total of 9 in the area. Some of the rock art dates back to 5000-6000yrs and it depicted scenes of shamans going into trances and mixed human/animal beings among other things. One of the cutest paintings was of a baby quagga, a sad reminder of what can happen if we don’t actively conserve our animals and heritage. The art exists thankfully and is now under protection, but quaggas have been extinct since the late 1800s.
When we got back to the lodge, we freshened up or took a soak in style – the baths in many of the rooms are behind glass with views of fynbos and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Then we had a very fun & unusual wine tasting, where we tried different sweet, salty, sour & umami flavours with various wines to find out which wines paired well with which flavours. And of course, more incredible food!
After dinner, we headed back to our rooms and were surprised to find candles lit, a bubble bath run, and the electric blankets turned on – such a treat! I can imagine that this would be an even more special surprise for a couple on a romantic retreat, but it was still a very welcome gesture on a windy, wintery night.
We left the next morning and made the drive back down to Cape Town, stopping en route at the charming Winkelshoek Padstal, located at the Piketberg petrol station, for some lovely biltong, dried fruit and unusual gifts by local crafters.
Simbavati Cederberg Ridge Wilderness Lodge
After our thoroughly enjoyable stay, we could not recommend the Cederberg Ridge Lodge highly enough. The lodge itself is beautifully-designed, spacious & the epitome of quiet, classic luxury. Every detail has been carefully thought out, from the bathroom lighting to the homemade baked treats in every room, and the seemingly endless views of the Fynbos-covered mountains from the restaurant, library, living room, bedrooms & bathrooms. The staff were genuinely warm & welcoming, and always on hand to help with any requests. The activities on offer changed daily as did the specials on the food menu, so you could easily stay 3, 4 or even 5 days in this beautiful part of the world and not get bored.
