Arnoud Quanjer Wildlife Photography

Ceres is a town with 46,251 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. According to the classification of towns in hierarchy, Ceres is classified as the second most important town in the Breede River region next to Worcester. The region is fragmented internally by various mountain ranges with the result that no central service point exists in the spatial sense of the word. The net result is that Ceres becomes the most prominent town in the Witzenberg Municipality. All the main routes from the north of the region join in Ceres en-route to the Cape Metropole which adds to the importance of the town.

The climate in Ceres is characterised by a major temperature variance between the summer maximums and the winter minimums. January and February are regarded as the hottest months of the year with an average maximum of 29,9°C measured during February whilst the average minimum of 2,4°C is measured during July. Ceres falls within a Mediterranean climatic zone. An average annual rainfall of 1088mm which occurs mainly during the winter months reaching a peak during July of approximately 200mm, snowfalls on the high mountain peaks is a common occurrence during winter and remain for up to 2 weeks at times. 

Ceres is well-known for fruit juices exported worldwide bearing the town's name. It is also famous locally for winter snow and cherries: Cape Town residents flock to the town during winter to ski or simply play in the powder — something of a rarity for the otherwise mild climate they are used to — whilst in summer, people come to pick cherries from "Klondyke" farm.

The Matroosberg Mountain range records the highest snowfall and is covered with snow for lengthy periods during winter. A ski club has erected a hut on the Matroosberg Mountain and practice skiing during winter. The climate in Ceres and environs supplemented with the scenic beauty of nature offers outstanding living conditions as well as outdoor recreation for tourists.