Cherry Picking At Klondyke Farm

Cherry picking season at Klondyke Cherry Farm in Ceres is now in full swing. We took our troop for a terrific day trip over the weekend and came back with 5kg of gorgeous, ripe and juicy cherries!

Is there anything more fun than eating and enjoying farm fresh produce you’ve picked yourself?

When Is Picking Season?

The picking season is brief running from the end of November until the 31st December so hurry and enjoy a gorgeous day out in a magnificent and famed region of the Cape. It’s a bit of a drive from Cape Town so leave home early to beat the heat, the crowds and to take advantage of an entrance fee discount if arriving before 10am.

Where Is Klondyke?

Klondyke Farm is situated 30km outside of Ceres. Take the N1 and pick the R44 exit to Wellington or carry on and go through the Huguenot Tunnel, bypassing Worcester and onto the R43. You’ll then take the R46 from either approach and drive through the town of Ceres and onto the Bo-Swaarmoed Road until reaching the farm. Allow about 2 hours to get there.

Cost And Opening Times

Klondyke Cherry Farm is open daily from 0830 to 1615 excluding Christmas Day.  Entrance fees are R30 per adult and R15 per child aged 9 to 5. Get a R10 per person discount if arriving before 10am. Cash only.

You’ll receive containers that equate to about 1kg of cherries. A kilo of cherries is R60. Card facilities are available for cherry payment.

Facilities

Bring a picnic and chill under the lovely cool branches of the many pine trees after your cherry picking frenzy. There are tables with benches and also braai facilities. Alternatively simply park off somewhere on a blanket like we did. Ice cream is available to purchase and a few other tuck shop type items. There is no restaurant. If that’s more your thing then head out of the farm back to town where there are plenty of options. We prefer the relaxed outdoor picnic option for our kids and they drained more energy running around the open field with its beautiful views. Exhausted sunkissed kids tend to nod off in the car going home and there’s less whinging!

Klondyke farm also offers accommodation in the form of a camp site as well as a few cottages. It is pet friendly too for well behaved pooches.

Keep In Mind

You’ll probably need a quick toilet visit on arrival and then lather on the sunscreen and pop on some hats before heading off into the picturesque orchards. Maybe take along a bottle of water or two for your walk. Don’t be tempted to go crazy picking at the first trees which don’t necessarily have the ripest cherries. We got very excited seeing the first few trees jewelled with fruit but it’s worth taking time to wander into the orchards a bit and source hidden branches simply heaving with delicious ripe fruit. Ladders are scattered around to help you reach higher up and add to the adventure and authenticity for the kids. 

Enjoy Your Pickings!

After a tonne of fun and plenty of fresh country air you’ll have containers popping with sumptuous cherries to bring home and feast on. Cherry cocktails, cherry pie, cherry jam, cherry coolie and lots and lots of healthy snacking. Thank goodness for Pinterest to trawl for inspiration! We’ve pitted a load of ours and frozen them in ziploc bags. 

What Else Can I Do In Ceres?

The Ceres area offers all sorts of interesting things to see and do.

Go wine tasting at Waverley Hills or Koelfontein. Try a cider tasting at Loxtonia Cider. Enjoy Zipsliding at Ceres Zipline Adventures. Take a horse drawn carriage through the orchards. There’s a transport museum and at specific times of year the Ceres Rail Company does a steam rail trip between Cape Town and Ceres.

Ceres is also definitely the area to head to for us snow starved South Africans in winter when the temperatures really do drop. Visit Klondyke or Matroosberg. Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve offers fantastic snow fun and it’s best to follow all the latest updates on their Facebook page.

There are loads of accommodation options both in and around the town.

For more information contact Ceres Tourism.

One Stop Wanderlust showcases family travel and family-friendly outings in South Africa. Grab a coffee and stay on the blog to find more exciting wanderlust worthy ideas and tips.