Two nights here works best as one day out and one day in. The drive out is easy because Route 62 is the attraction as much as anything on it.
Distances below are approximate road distances from the farm gate and are there for planning, not navigation.
Within about an hour
Seweweekspoort, about an hour. A gravel pass carved through the Swartberg along a river, with the rock faces folded and turned almost vertical on either side of you. It is one of the great short drives in South Africa and it is free. Ordinary cars manage it in dry weather. Allow half a day with stops, and check conditions after rain.
Warmwaterberg, about 25 km west. Natural hot springs beside the R62 between here and Barrydale. Rustic rather than polished, and a good rainy-day answer.
Ladismith, about 30 km. Fuel, groceries, coffee and the practical stuff. Towerkop above the town is worth a photograph from the approach.
Barrydale, about 50 km west. A small R62 town with places to eat, a distillery and the roadside landmark that everyone photographs on the way past. A comfortable lunch run.
Half a day to a day
Calitzdorp, about 80 km east. The centre of South African port-style wine, with several cellars within a few kilometres of the town. Tasting here is unpretentious and the wines are genuinely distinctive.
Anysberg Nature Reserve, north-west. A large, quiet Cape Nature reserve of Karoo mountain and plain, with gravel access, walking and excellent night skies. For people who want less rather than more.
Oudtshoorn, roughly 130 km east. Ostriches, the Cango Caves and the Swartberg Pass beyond it. Doable in a day from here, but it is a full day and you will not be back for sunset.
Without leaving the farm
Worth saying, because most guests end up doing more of this than they planned:
- Walk to the river. It is within walking distance of the caravan.
- Sit at the fence and watch the camels and the goats decide what they think of you.
- Walk out into the veld at first light with binoculars.
- Do nothing at all in a chair facing west, which is what the chairs are pointed at.
Planning the day out
Leave after breakfast, be back by late afternoon, and light the hot tub before you start cooking. The gravel road in is not something you want to drive tired and late, and the best hours here are the ones at either end of the day.