Wilderness, South Africa

{{Use South African English|date = May 2023}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Wilderness

| native_name = Wildernis

| image_skyline = Wilderness WC.jpg

| image_caption = The town of Wilderness from the Kaaiman's River Pass incline

| pushpin_map = South Africa Western Cape#South Africa

| coordinates = {{coord|33|59|S|22|35|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = South Africa

| subdivision_type1 = Province

| subdivision_name1 = Western Cape

| subdivision_type2 = District

| subdivision_name2 = Garden Route

| subdivision_type3 = Municipality

| subdivision_name3 = George

| subdivision_type4 = Main Place

| established_title = Established

| leader_title = Councillor

| area_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/177008 |title = Main Place Wilderness |work=Census 2011}}

| area_total_km2 = 36.97

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 6164

| population_as_of = 2011

| population_density_km2 = auto

| demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011)

| demographics1_footnotes =

| demographics1_title1 = Black African

| demographics1_info1 = 12.0%

| demographics1_title2 = Coloured

| demographics1_info2 = 47.2%

| demographics1_title3 = Indian/Asian

| demographics1_info3 = 0.6%

| demographics1_title4 = White

| demographics1_info4 = 38.5%

| demographics1_title5 = Other

| demographics1_info5 = 1.8%

| demographics_type2 = First languages (2011)

| demographics2_footnotes =

| demographics2_title1 = Afrikaans

| demographics2_info1 = 68.5%

| demographics2_title2 = English

| demographics2_info2 = 23.7%

| demographics2_title3 = Xhosa

| demographics2_info3 = 4.9%

| demographics2_title4 =

| demographics2_info4 =

| demographics2_title5 = Other

| demographics2_info5 = 2.9%

| timezone1 = SAST

| utc_offset1 = +2

| postal_code_type = Postal code (street)

| postal_code = 6560

| postal2_code_type = PO box

| postal2_code = 6560

| area_code_type = Area code

}}

Wilderness is a seaside town on the Garden Route of the southern Cape in South Africa. It is situated a short distance to the east from the city of George, on the N2 down the Kaaiman's River Pass.

The area around Wilderness has yielded significant palaeoclimatological data on the prehistoric climate of South Africa. Sediment core data from the nearby coastal lake Eilandvlei indicate higher aridity relative to the present day during the intervals spanning ~8,900-7,900 years BP and ~6,400-3,000 years BP, whereas the interval from 7,900 to 6,400 years BP was relatively moist and similar to the present day.

Wilderness is well-known for being the death place of former South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha.{{cite journal |last1=Wündsch |first1=Michael |last2=Habertzettl |first2=Torsten |last3=Cawthra |first3=Hayley C. |last4=Kirsten |first4=Kelly L. |last5=Quick |first5=Lynne J. |last6=Zabel |first6=Matthias |last7=Frenzel |first7=Peter |last8=Hahn |first8=Annette |last9=Baade |first9=Jussi |last10=Daut |first10=Gerhard |last11=Kasper |first11=Thomas |last12=Meadows |first12=Michael E. |last13=Mäusbacher |first13=Roland |date=April 2018 |title=Holocene environmental change along the southern Cape coast of South Africa – Insights from the Eilandvlei sediment record spanning the last 8.9 kyr |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921818117304800 |journal=Global and Planetary Change |volume=163 |pages=51–66 |doi=10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.02.002 |access-date=7 November 2022}}