March 2025

After our whirlwind visit to Cape Town at the beginning of March, we flew back to our home in East London. We had barely landed and unpacked our suitcase when Berto received a call from his executives at work. After three years in East London, the company Berto works for negotiated a new contract in Cape Town and they wanted to appoint him as the contract manager for this project in the Western Cape Province. This in itself was good news, but the best news was: We could move back to Cape Town!

Instead of flying, we decided to drive the 1100km/683 miles back to Cape Town. We had to attend the wedding of one of our friend’s sons, visit my mum in Langebaan and we had to look for a house to rent in Cape Town. In the meantime, Berto had to work – in both Cape Town and Johannesburg – and everything had to happen within two to three weeks. We were in for a rough ride!

Spoiler alert: We planned the almost impossible in a very short time, but a month later we were settled in our new house in a new province and city. (Well, we actually don’t live in the city, but on a farm – you can read more about that, when you click here.)

For now, we will show you the beautiful route we took back to Cape Town. And also, a lovely place where we stayed halfway – I’m always amazed at how many beautiful places there are in South Africa!

Leaving East London and its villages on rolling green hills behind

Sun breaking through the clouds and lights up the field in the distance

I’m always delighted to see how green the field is when we approach our favourite farm stall, Nanaga. Every time we drive past here, I wish we could stop and admire the green landscape for an hour or two. But unfortunately, we still had at least 600km/372 miles to drive to reach our overnight town.

The green farm fields on the way to Nanaga farm stall

At Nanaga, we filled our ‘bakkie’ with diesel and bought take-away coffee to enjoy while we continued on the road.

Take away coffee on a road trip is the best

We decided to drive through the beautiful Garden Route for a change instead of our usual route through the Langkloof (Route 62). This meant we stayed on the main highway, the N2. There are so many lovely places on this route, but one usually has to turn off to these coastal towns and we unfortunately didn’t had time for that on this trip.

The bay at Gqeberha (previously known as Port Elizabeth)

The Garden Route is a 300km/186 mile stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. It is a well-known tourist destination with lush forests, stunning beaches, mountains and charming coastal towns.

Mountains and kilometers of green forests along the Garden Route

High bridges are a common sight with the Indian Ocean always in view

There are toll roads on the N2 that can sometimes be very busy – especially in the peak summer season. We were lucky that we didn’t encounter much traffic and moved quickly through the toll gates.

Waiting in line at a toll gate on the N2 highway

The town of Knysna is famous for its mysterious forests, beautiful lagoon (which is actually an estuary) and rich wildlife. In June 2017 wildfires destroyed 5000ha of forest plantation, 800 buildings and claiming the lives of seven people. This was probably one of the worst fires on record in this region.

Getting closer to Knysna

Knysna Lagoon

The Heads at the Knysna Lagoon

The beaches in Tsitsikamma are some of the most beautiful in this area. This is a major attraction for tourists.

Just one of the many beaches at Tsitsikamma

Our destination for the day was the town of George, which are known as the heart of the Garden Route. This is also the capital of the Southern Cape region.

Burroughs Place, George:

After a long day on the road, we reached our guesthouse late in the afternoon. Burroughs Place was truly a great place to end our day. The large green lawn and view of the mountains were stunning. Desiree, the guesthouse manager, also made us feel very welcome and showed us around the property. She also promised that a delicious breakfast would be waiting for us before we continued our journey the next day.

Our accommodation for the night in George, Burroughs Place

Luxurious bedroom

There is a long ‘stoep’ (veranda) from where one can enjoy the green garden

Garden at Burroughs Place

We decided to enjoy dinner at one of South Africa’s premier restaurants, The Hussar Grill. Even though it was a weekday, the restaurant was packed. Their food is of outstanding quality, and we had a wonderful meal.

We shared a fresh salad as a starter

Our main meal of steak and veggies were delicious

I can never resist crème brûlée

After our delightful meal at The Hussar Grill, we returned to our guesthouse where we enjoyed a good night’s rest. And as promised by Desiree, breakfast at Burroughs Place was indeed a wonderful way to start our day.

Stylish breakfast area at Burroughs Place

Beautifully decorated

View from our breakfast table

Juice and coffee

Fresh fruit salad and yoghurt

Our breakfast was amazing

We initially drove in thick fog after leaving George, which forced us to drive at a snail’s pace. Fortunately, it improved after about half an hour, and we enjoyed the cool cloudy weather with the occasional thunderstorm.

Scenic views after the fog lifted

A cloudy day

Driving into a thunderstorm near the mountains

Rain in the mountains after we left the town of Worcester

Outside Worcester we stopped at a petrol garage (or gas station as known by others) to fill up our ‘bakkie’. Here we found a deli and ordered fresh salads and coffee, which we enjoyed while we drove the last 200km/125 miles to Langebaan.

Coffee and salad for the last stretch of our road trip

Between the mountains on route to the Hugenote Tunnel

Entrance of the 3.9km/2.4-mile Hugenote Tunnel

The Du Toitskloof Mountains on the other side of the tunnel

The last stretch of the road, between Malmesbury and Langebaan, took us past numerous farms where the fields will soon be ploughed before winter arrives. It may look barren now, but in a few months, it will be lush and green.

Summer farm fields next to the road

Just after lunchtime, we finally arrived in Langebaan. Every time we drive this long road from East London to Langebaan (or vice versa), we realise that although it is faster to fly, the scenery is just so much prettier when you drive.

Kite surfers on the Langebaan Lagoon – we’re finally home

The Garden Route remains one of the most beautiful parts of our country and we hope you enjoyed this road trip with us.