Cape Route 62 – The Recommended Beaten Track
Most savvy, self-respecting travellers recoil with horror from travel itineraries containing phrases such as ‘must-see-tourist destination’.
Like rebel explorers, they tend to veer off the well-worn beaten track, striking out on their own in search of an authentic local experience.
However, sometimes it does pay to take the touristy, scenic road, since that is exactly the path that will lead you to the most hidden local treasures.
One such well worthwhile tourist track is the fabled Cape Route 62. Meandering for 850km through South Africa’s mountainous Western and Eastern Cape provinces, R62 is a historic link between Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route and Port Elizabeth, offering travellers remarkable beauty and excellent facilities. R62 also holds the distinction of forming part of the longest wine route in the Western Cape, and possibly the world.
Connoisseurs are in for another treat, because R62 also plays home to a Brandy Route – only the second of these routes to be launched in South Africa by the SA Brandy Foundation. The R62 Brandy Route aims to introduce the broader public and travellers to the region’s deep history of brandy distillation, offering a taste of the many superb brandies that can be found there.
Although it offers the shorter, and far more scenic alternative to the N2 highway, the drive takes somewhat longer since it boasts and winds through numerous mountain passes (which is why it is also commonly known as the Mountain Route). Hugging the jagged rock edges of the mountains to one side, with plunging cliffs falling away from the road on the other side, and peppered with harrowing hairpin turns, the mountain passes demand even the most skilled drivers to slow down.
But traversing the twists and turns of those nerve-wracking passes is not the only reason why the drive could potentially take considerably longer. Providing easy access to some of South Africa’s most historic and charming small towns, R62 constantly seduces even the most hurried travellers to take temptingly irresistible detours of lingering exploration and discovery.
Weary travellers seeking a restful respite from the road can soak in some of the region’s hot-springs. The more restless and energetic of travellers won’t be disappointed either. R62 offers ample opportunity to stimulate the adrenalin glands with various hiking trails, safaris, mountain climbing, 4x4 routes, canoeing, horse riding, ostrich riding, fishing and caving.
As the Route’s own website promises: “The ever changing colours of the majestic mountains, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards, as well as the multitude of attractions, will offer [the traveller] an unforgettable adventure - whether this is in the physical sense or simply a kaleidoscope of scenic tranquility.”
- Cape Town Travel | Time: 12:34 pm (UTC+8) No Comments »



