Ceres, situated on the Dwars River in a very fertile valley, is named after the old Roman goddess of agriculture. The little town is surrounded by hills up to 2,000m/6,560ft in height. The scenery in this area is so picturesque that it has been called the Switzerland of South Africa. The town's prosperity depends mainly on its plantations of fruit, and after the harvest the crop is processed in one of the largest canning plants in the whole country. Ceres is also a popular holiday resort, and there are a number of holiday complexes in the area offering a wide range of leisure activities.
The Ceres Bergfynbos Reserve (area 30ha/75ac) on the western outskirts of Ceres was established to protect the indigenous flora. There are paths leading to beautiful viewpoints and to caves with prehistoric paintings.
In the Swartberg range is the privately run Kagga Kamma game reserve, in which visitors can observe bushbucks and springboks and see bizarre rock formations. The owner of the reserve has given 40 Bushmen an area of land on which they can live on their own.
Address: Kagga Kamma Private Game Reserve, Ceres, Western Cape , South Africa
Tips: Visitors can enter the village only with the agreement of the Bushmen.
A rewarding trip is over Mitchell's Pass, on a road originally built in 1846 by Andrew Bain and improved in more recent times, which runs through the Rex River Mountains (2,249m/7,379ft) to Wolseley (pop. 6,700), 18km/11mi from Ceres.
One of Ceres's industries in the past was the manufacture of horse-drawn carriages. The Transport Riders' Museum has a collection of material on the history of the town, including a few old carriages.
Address: Transport Riders' Museum, Box 615, Ceres, Western Cape 6835, South Africa
Hours:
8:30am-1pm, 2pm-5pm; Sat:8:30am-12pm, 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun
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