The author, Olive Schreiner, referred to Hanover as 'the prettiest little village I have ever seen'. Just 73km along the N1 beyond Colesberg, it offers authentic Karoo hospitality. Schreiner's account of Karoo life in ‘The Story of an African Farm' is a wonderful companion on this journey! As you travel through Richmond to Three Sisters, named for its landmark, flat-topped hills you pass the ubiquitous windmills and sheep farms responsible for Karoo lamb - meat much-loved by South Africans.
Beaufort West, home of the late pioneering heart surgeon Prof Chris Barnard, is the first major town you encounter in the Western Cape . Here the Karoo National Park , a sample of the Great Karoo, is a must-see – visit or stay over. Children's love of dinosaurs will be enhanced by the fossil trail; the park has one of the largest-known concentrations of black eagle and it is also trying to rebreed the extinct quagga (related to the zebra) through artificial selection.
A fabulous 45km detour at Prince Albert Road is to the village of Prince Albert, famed for its cuisine (The Blue Train serves Prince Albert Royal Cheese) and the awesome Swartberg Pass.
27km west of Laingsburg is the former Victorian spa and health resort, Matjiesfontein, now a national monument in its entirety. Touws River is the gateway town to Route 62 , ‘The Longest Wine Route in the World'. Some 140km from Cape Town, the N1 passes through the rugged beauty of the fertile Hex River Valley and the town of De Doorns before reaching Worcester, another access town for Route 62 , the less-hurried alternative route to the N2 Garden Route . Take a short detour north of Worcester along the R46 to gracious, historical Tulbagh, renowned for its wine cellars at the northern end of Route 62.
Passing through the Du Toitskloof Pass and the Huguenot Tunnel, the N1 traverses the valleys of the winelands surrounding Wellington, Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch - each a memorable side-trip - before entering Cape Town and all her beauty.
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Suggested stop or stretch towns on the N1: Hanover, Three Sisters, Beaufort West, Prince Albert 45km off N1, Laingsburg, Matjiesfontein, Worcester, Tulbagh 75km off N1, Paarl, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Cape Town
More Routes:
JOHANNESBURG - BLOEMFONTEIN - COLESBERG ON N1
COLESBERG - BEAUFORT WEST - CAPE TOWN ON N1
BLOEMFONTEIN - EAST LONDON ON N6
BLOEMFONTEIN – LESOTHO ON N8
JOHANNESBURG - KIMBERLEY - BEAUFORT WEST ON N12
CAPE TOWN - PORT ELIZABETH ON N2 : THE GARDEN ROUTE
PORT ELIZABETH – CRADOCK – COLESBERG ON N10 : THE KAROO
PORT ELIZABETH - EAST LONDON - WILD COAST - DURBAN ON N2
CAPE TOWN – SPRINGBOK ON N7: THE WEST COAST
JOHANNESBURG – DRAKENSBERG - DURBAN ON N3
JOHANNESBURG – SWAZILAND – NORTH COAST ON N17/N2
JOHANNESBURG – KRUGER NATIONAL PARK – MOZAMBIQUE ON N4
JOHANNESBURG – MESSINA - ZIMBABWE ON N1
JOHANNESBURG/PRETORIA – MAGALIESBURG - BOTSWANA ON N4
JOHANNESBURG – UPINGTON – SPRINGBOK ON N14 |
