ROUTE 62 -WESTERN CAPE - SOUTH AFRICA
Route 62 is modeled after the iconic US Route 66, made famous by the late, great Nat King Cole in the song of the mid 20th century. Travelers headed for the Garden Route will find that Route 62 offers a better alternative to the dull N2 motorway between Cape Town and George, being more scenic and slightly shorter. This well-maintained blacktop highway meanders from Worcester, by way of the Breede River valley, through Robertson, Ashton and Montagu, then the Klein Karoo landmark towns and then on to George and the Garden Route.
TOWNS ON ROUTE 62
ASHTON
Ashton is situated on the R62, between Robertson and Swellendam, at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains. Ashton is an important wine producing and fruit processing centre and home to five wineries and two large canneries
BONNIEVALE
Appropriately named after the Roman goddess of plenty, Ceres lies in the most important deciduous fruit-producing district in South Africa. The town is a popular holiday resort, with warm, windless summers and frequent winter snowfalls
CALITZDORP
Driving east on Route 62, from Ladismith via the striking Huisrivier mountain pass, travelers suddenly encounter the little town of Calitzdorp, once renowned as the Port Wine Capital of South Africa, but now more commonly known to be the Heart of The Klein Karoo.
CERES
Appropriately named after the Roman goddess of plenty, Ceres lies in the most important deciduous fruit-producing district in South Africa. The town is a popular holiday resort, with warm, windless summers and frequent winter snowfalls.
DE RUST
The quaint little Victorian town of De Rust, on Route 62, is conveniently positioned at the southern entrance to Meiringspoort - a magnificent gorge through the Swartberg Mountain Range - and just a few kilometres from Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the country.
LADISMITH
Ladismith: The little town of Ladismith lies in the shadow of the Towerkop Mountain peak on Route 62, 300 km from Cape Town in the Karoo.
MCGREGOR
The mystically imbued town of McGregor lies just 10 minutes from the town of Robertson on Route 62, less than two hours’ drive from Cape Town.
MONTAGU
Montagu: Known as the ‘mountain mecca’ of the Cape, Montagu lies surrounded by the Langeberg mountain range nestled between the Keisie and Kingna Rivers in the western corner of Kannaland, and is famous for her orchards, vineyards, local herbs, rock formations and healing hot mineral springs.
OUDTSHOORN
Oudtshoorn: Know as "The Feather Capital of the World" because of the flourishing ostrich industry. Oudtshoorn's attraction include three show farms: Highgate, Safari and Cango Ostrich Farm. A must to visit is the Cango Caves.
ROBERTSON
Robertson: Robertson is well known for its beauty, renowned for its wines of connoisseur quality, radiant roses and thoroughbred horses. Columns of red or yellow cannas and flaming bougainvillea line the roads outside the wine estates, gardens overflow and vineyards are banked with roses.
TULBAGH
Just 80 minutes’ drive north of Cape Town, at the northern edge of one of the most beautiful fertile valleys in the country, lies the historical town of Tulbagh. The village nestles in amongst the Winterhoek, Witzenberg and Obiqua Mountains, which surround it on three sides.
WELLINGTON
Nearby is the smaller and very attractive town of Wellington. Visit the Wellington Museum in Church Street and the Dutch Reformed Church. Beyond Wellington is the Bain's Kloof Pass which is a historical monument. Built by Andrew Bain in 1853, the pass links Wellington to Ceres.
WOLSELEY
Lying in the picturesque Het Land van Waveren valley, surrounded by the majestic Waaihoek, Witsen and Waterval Mountains, sometimes covered in snow in winter, the quaint little Wolseley village is a stone’s throw from Tulbagh and Ceres and only 90 minutes’ from Cape Town.
WORCESTER
Worcester is a town with a particularly impressive cultural heritage. In 1819 Worcester was proclaim a sub-drostdy of Tulbagh. Two farms were bought for the purpose of laying out a town. In 1822 Worcester was proclaimed a full drostdy. The town was named after the Marquis of Worcester.
