March 2025

The title of this post should actually read: ‘Our magical overnight stay’. We have shown you this route several times on our blog before, but the views are always different, and our accommodation halfway was out of this world. So, let’s drive from Langebaan to East London again – the very last time we will do this route from west to east.

Leaving Langebaan at dawn

A few kilometers after we left Langebaan, we drove into thick mist – something that is not uncommon here on the West Coast. Luckily, it was only for 30 minutes and after that we were able to appreciate the rest of the beautiful morning sky.

Driving into thick mist and then views of the beautiful sky

Rooiberg Winery:

After driving for 200km/124 miles, it was time to find a place where we could enjoy breakfast. Rooiberg Winery is at the start of the Robertson Wine Valley (10 minutes outside Robertson) and we had heard wonderful things about their restaurant Red Chair Bistro & Deli. I had also previously written about their very big red chair – the largest of its kind in Africa.

The biggest red chair in Africa is at Rooiberg Winery

Entrance of the Red Chair Bistro & Deli

We immediately noticed the beautiful décor in the restaurant with ample seating, both inside and outside. Because of a cool morning breeze, we chose a table inside the restaurant.

Beautiful décor in the restaurant

Seating is available inside and outside

Berto ordered coffee and I was very happy to see my favourite morning drink, Rooibos Cappuccino, on the menu.

Rooibos Cappuccino and flowers on our breakfast table

Whenever there is a Farm Style Breakfast on the menu, you can be assured that this will be Berto’s choice. The Poached Eggs & Mushroom on ciabatta toast looked equally good and I ordered that. Both hit the spot and I can recommend a visit to Rooiberg Winery’s Red Chair & Deli Restaurant – you won’t be disappointed.

Delicious breakfast plates

With about 250km/166 miles to our accommodation, we continued our ride. The scenery along the well-known Route 62 is one of the most beautiful in our country, and we always enjoy driving along here.

Different nature scenes on Route 62

The beautiful Huis River Pass between Ladismith and Calitzdorp is 13.4km/8.3 miles long and offers stunning views. The 39 bends, corners, and curves make it a pass where the driver must concentrate, while the passenger(s) can enjoy the ride.

Huis River Pass

Ebenharts Restaurant, Calitzdorp:

Upon our arrival in Calitzdorp, we decided to have coffee while Berto attended an online meeting. Ebenharts Restaurant is located in the main street and here they not only make good food but also sell handmade pipes. Their garden is pretty and it’s a good place to stop and stretch your legs if you’re on a long journey.

Pretty garden at Ebenharts Restaurant

Inside the restaurant and handmade pipes

Klein Karoo Game Lodge:

After Berto finished his online meeting, we drove the last half hour to our accommodation. Let me start by saying that Klein Karoo Game Lodge exceeded all our expectations!

Road leading to Klein Karoo Game Lodge

The natural beauty, wild animals, hospitality of the staff, our chalet, and fine cuisine at Klein Karoo Game Lodge completely overwhelmed us. And let’s not forget about that magical sunset. Even before we could check in at reception, we drove past wild animals.

Eland and Oryx (Gemsbok)

Swimming pool at reception

The owners of Klein Karoo Game Lodge welcomed us like old friends and offered us cold beers (it was quite hot) and we chatted for a while before driving to our chalet to offload our luggage.

Our chalet

Bedroom and en-suite bathroom

Love the kitchen

View of the waterhole from our chalet

Eland and giraffe at the waterhole

At our chalet, we got dressed in swimsuits and returned to reception. Here, Shaun, the manager of Klein Karoo Game Lodge, offered us more cold beers and we were able to cool off in their pool.

Time to cool off

Shaun informed us that they feed the wild animals at 16:00 and that we were welcome to go there. We drove the short distance to the waterhole and for about an hour we had the wonderful opportunity to watch the animals up close.

We saw oryx and a giraffe on the way to the waterhole

An ostrich among the antelope

It was quite funny to see how an eland used its antlers to pull apart the hay bales. After a while it looked as if he had a wig on his head!

An eland creating a wig

Posing eland

Brave ostriches find their way between the eland to the hay bales

Close ups of the wild animals

On our way back to the reception area, we noticed a herd of springboks. We were happy to see such a big herd of these beautiful antelope in the field as well.

Herd of springboks

We booked dinner at the lodge and were just in time to see one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. What a wonderful privilege it was to witness this amazing scene unfolding before our eyes.

On our way back to the lodge

The sun behind the clouds

Serene picture

The setting sun

The restaurant has a wonderful view over the field and we could see the last colours of the setting sun from our table.

Clouds in different colours as seen from our restaurant table

Restaurant and our table at Klein Karoo Game Lodge

If you love fine dining, then this restaurant ticks all the boxes. Our appetizers of a Seafood Starter and Ostrich Carpaccio were beautifully presented and very tasty. The chef came to our table to tell us more about the main course. My Ostrich Fillet and Berto’s Beef Sirloin were top-notch. We ended the evening with Cheesecake and Crème Brûlée. What a lavish dining experience!

Appetizers

Main courses

Dessert

We slept wonderfully and were refreshed to drive the last 647km/402 miles to East London the next morning.

Leaving Klein Karoo Game Lodge early the next morning

Scenery through the Langkloof on Route 62

Diner On R62, Joubertina:

We drove past Joubertina mid-morning and decided to have breakfast at Diner On R62. The omelette was big enough to share between us, and after a cup of coffee and tea, we were ready to continue our journey.

Diner On R62 at Joubertina

Omelette for breakfast

Nanaga Farm Stall:

Our final stop was at an old favourite just outside Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) – the Nanaga Farm Stall. After the filling omelette from earlier, we weren’t really hungry. It was however still 235km/146 miles to East London, and we bought coffee, tea, and snacks for the last part of our road trip.

Nanaga Farm Stall

Something to drink and snacks for the road

With the views of the beautiful green hills and many rivers that we had to cross, our long road trip quickly became a thing of the past.

Green hills and rivers on the last stretch of our road trip

Let no one say that a road trip is not fun – even if it is a road that you have already driven many times before!