Route 62 info to towns, places of interest, accommodation, dining and more

Discover Route 62 – the road less travelled

Why not enjoy the unexpected pleasures of the breede River Valley and Klein Karoo along Route 62! It is the tourist route, which meanders between Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route and Port Elizabeth, offering the shorter, scenic alternative to the N2 highway.

Route 62 prompts associations with the legendary by-way, Route 66 in the US, connecting the urban and rural communities between Chicago and Los Angeles. In 1926 the inter regional link, Route 66, between Chicago and Los Angeles was established as one of America’s main east-west arteries, providing small towns access to a major national thoroughfare. In the same manner, Route 62 in South Africa links Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

This scenic route passes through farming towns such as Calitzdorp, Ladismith, historic Amalienstein, Zoar, and the fruit growing and wine producing towns of Barrydale, Montagu, Ashton, Bonnievale, Robertson, McGregor, Worcester, Ceres, Wolseley and Tulbagh.

Ironically, the public lobby for rapid mobility and improved highways that gained Route 66 its enormous popularity in earlier decades also signaled its demise beginning in the mid 1950’s. Route 66 was replaced by a national highway, which caused a severe decrease in traffic. This greatly affected the smaller towns’ economy along the route whose survival depended on the vast majority of travelers. In South Africa, with the completion of the N2 highway in 1958, Route 62 suffered the same fate. Although the villages on this route have been in hibernation for 40 years, they have been beautifully preserved for they are situated in very wealthy farming communities.

You will soon discover that Route 62 offers the visitor an adventure, either in the physical sense, or visually, as a kaleidoscope of scenic experiences. All who have travelled here agree that few places in the world are as stunningly beautiful and as steeped in history as the scenic Route 62.

The route takes the following course:

Cape Town
Cape Town offers ...

town info | what to do | where to stay | where to eat | services

Paarl
Paarl offers ...

town info | what to do | where to stay | where to eat | services

Wellington
Wellington offers ...

town info | what to do | where to stay | where to eat | services

Tulbagh
Tulbagh offers ...

town info | what to do | where to stay | where to eat | services

Ceres
Ceres offers ...

town info | what to do | where to stay | where to eat | services

Rawsonville
Rawsonville offers ...