The Botterkloof Camino was established as a celebration of the success of the Tankwa Camino. It is a six-day gravel road hike that will take you over three scenic passes on the R364 between the farm Soetwater and Clanwilliam.

The region is well known for its colourful, spectacular flower extravaganza during the flower season, its sandstone (arenite) mountains and its history.  It is also the final resting place of one of South Africa's leading figures in literature, Dr C. Louis Leipoldt.  Here, you will also find "The Englishman's Grave", the last resting place of Lt. Graham Vinicombe Winchester Clowes, a casualty of the Boer War.

The solitude and wild grandeur of the Cederberg mountains offer an unparalleled opportunity for recreation.

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Total Distance: 120 km

Some of the points of interest en route include:

Pakhuis Pass: The Pakhuis Pass literally means "warehouse pass’, but no one really knows the true origin of its name. There are three main suggestions - the first is that the piles of rocks that are a feature of the mountain slopes resemble the piles of goods stacked in a warehouse. A second explanation holds that the stacked rocks resemble the dry-packed stone walls of many Karoo buildings, and 'kliphuis' or 'pakhuis' is the common local term used to describe such buildings. Finally, there is an interpretation that states that Pakhuis is a corruption of Khoekhoe, meaning daisies rocky place.  By hiking the Botterkloof Camino and sleeping over in the overnight camps, you can enjoy an escape from the turmoil of the city, the silence, the bright stars at night and the fauna and flora. You will be rejuvenated.
 

Pakhuis: On the ‘Agterpakhuis’ side is one of the oldest farms in the region, dating from 1744, and again the name is controversial. Some hold that it refers to the stacks of rocks and boulders in the area.

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“The Englishman’s Grave”: The lonely tomb sits beneath the protective shade of a guarding tree. Lt. Graham Vinicombe Winchester Clowes was killed in a skirmish with Boer commandos on 30 January 1901 and buried here. He and his men had arrived in South Africa in just enough time to join in die Battle of Magersfontein. Clowes survived the horrors of Magersfontein but was then killed a year later in the small-scale actions in which the Boer commandos were particularly skilled. Devastated by the death, his mother travelled from Hertfordshire to have the gravestone constructed and placed. For many years after Clowes' death, his mother would make the five weeks journey by sea to the Cape to make the pilgrimage to her son’s grave on the anniversary of his death.

Traveller's Rest is situated in ruggedly beautiful landscapes and fascinating rock formations in an area with a long and rich history. The name, Traveller’s Rest, emanated from passing travellers who used to camp out here by the river to water their horses and oxen, as well as to rest, before tackling the very steep Pakhuis Pass to the west, or the dry Karoo to the north-east. This was long before the self-catering cottages and restaurants were built. Discover a place where you can truly enjoy the wide-open spaces, the fascinating and surprisingly varied plant and animal life, the rich legacy of the San, the inspiring night skies, and so much more.

Leipoldt's Grave: C. Louis Leipoldt was a South African poet who wrote in Afrikaans and was one of the leading figures in the poetry of the Second Afrikaans Movement.  Apart from poetry, Leipoldt wrote novels, plays, stories, children’s books, and cookbooks and is regarded as one of the greatest Afrikaner poets. D.J. Opperman described Leipoldt as “our most versatile artist”. Leipoldt’s career was varied. For a period, he was a school doctor in London before becoming the Medical Inspector of Schools in the Transvaal and Cape Province. Leipoldt’s grave is situated at the base of a cave-like opening. The gate seems old-fashioned, like something one would find on a farm. There are faint drawings on the sandstone that were made by Bushmen many years before Leipoldt’s death.

Kleinkliphuis: Set in the northern Cederberg Mountains, 11 km from Clanwilliam. The beauty of this wildlife reserve with fynbos and small wild animals must be explored to be appreciated.  Die Kliphuis is one of the Camino’s overnight sites before the hikers leave for Clanwilliam, their final destination.

Clanwilliam is one of the oldest towns in the country. Clanwilliam’s beginning goes back to 1660 when a team of Dutch explorers who were sent out by Jan van Riebeeck first reached the Olifants River. When they entered the valley, they saw a large number of elephants on the river bank. In 1732 the first farm in the Olifants River valley was awarded to Pieter van Zyl. The town was originally known as Jan Disselsvlei, after Jan Dissel, a local pioneer and a botanist who lived in the Rhenosterbosch at Piquetbergen. Caledon’s successor, Sir John Cradock, renamed the area on 1 January 1814 after his father-in-law, the Earl of Clanwilliam.