Karoo Road Trip on Route 63

Story and Photographs by Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit

Every year we travel on Route 63, a spit more than 700 km between the Grassy Karoo and the Bossie Karoo, from Somerset East to Calvinia.

We generally leave at dawn on a Sunday, arriving at our destination in the late afternoon. It’s a quiet journey, especially once you leave Graaff-Reinet.

You can drive and drive and drive for ages and it feels like you own the tar, which is in rather good condition. There’s no one else around to argue with you on that.

And when a truck does come barrelling over the horizon, the driver parps loudly and you wave madly, and you just know he was thinking the same thing: I’m the King of this Road.

As you drive through the small Karoo towns looking for a piece of biltong, a tsatske to take home or a loo stop, they could look a little bleak to the untrained eye. The poverty, the occasional litter, the faded glory of grand old buildings left to their own devices.

So that’s why we are here to show you the sweet spots of Route 63, right into the quiet heart of the Karoo. Let’s say we have seven days for the route, instead of our usual whistle-stop thing.

Walter Battiss Lived Here

Somerset East has a lot going for it. We begin our first day in town at the Walter Battiss Art Museum. We’ve arranged the visit via the curator, Ros Turner, and for two full hours we are going to marvel at the genius of the King of Fook Island.

Lunch is at the Multiplant Nursery Garden Café. As the name has it, we are surrounded by green and flowering things that grow, and the grub is tops.

The early hours of the afternoon are devoted to Toes-Up, after we check in at Glen Avon Guest Farm just outside town. This old farm has great heritage value, and a tour with young Greg Brown is just the thing for the late afternoon.

Fishing with Alan Hobson

Following that, we’ll whip into Somerset East for a quick sundowner (invariably a single malt whisky) with Alan and Annabelle Hobson of the Angler & Antelope Guest House, so we can hatch some angling plans for the next morning.

The fishing is superb. Even though it’s Sunday, massive Karoo trout are biting on the flashback mayfly nymph lure.

After the catch, we release the big fish and it flashes away through the clear waters. We have a picnic on a bridge overlooking the Little Fish: boiled eggs, ham and smoked trout.

Pearston in the Rain

We then head west through the Plains of Camdeboo, after stopping off briefly in Pearston village to admire the Art Deco town hall and watch the kids play in the sudden downpour.

Within the hour, we have met our hosts for the night and moved into a dinkum feather palace. Wheatlands is full of stories, the top currency in the Karoo, about wool, mutton and ostrich industry legends of long ago. And cricket, always cricket.

Wheatlands was also one of the very first mohair farms in the Eastern Cape, and still retains a proud tradition of producing a fine strong angora fleece.

The Gem of the Karoo

Good morning. Our third day on the R63 takes us right into the Gem of the Karoo: Graaff-Reinet. It’s a short hop from Wheatlands, but that’s great because we have a full programme. Being a dedicated tourist is all about comfortable shoes, an acceptable level of fitness, a hearty appetite, an ongoing sense of curiosity and the ability to catnap when the opportunity arises.

We spend a day with food whizz Gordon Wright – few chefs know their way around a kitchen, a vegetable garden, the open Karoo veld and an artisanal butchery quite like this guy.

Camdeboo Heights

We meet David McNaughton at the family bookshop on the main road and, after we pick out a couple of Karoo-themed books, he takes us for a late afternoon jaunt into the Camdeboo National Park. From the heights, you will be treated to two majestic views: the Camdeboo Plains to the south-east and the oval-shaped Graaff-Reinet to the north.

This morning, we’ll go for a stroll around the historic old town district before breakfast and heading out, with Victoria West as our overnight stop.

Farm Life around Murraysburg

Passing through Murraysburg, well known for its adventure-themed farmstays, we are temporarily delayed by a massive flock of angora goats leisurely crossing the road. You are now in the land of the meerkat on the mound, the black eagle patrolling the mountain ridges for unsighted dassies, the occasional blue crane and the very shy riverine rabbit.

We’re overnighting in Victoria West at the Moonlight Manor Guest House. Sven Anderson and Schalk Nel have come from Pretoria and set up a rather classy establishment on a hill overlooking the centre of town.

Moonlight Manor, Victoria West

Because we left late and tarried along the way, there’s not much time to do anything here but go for a long stroll around Victoria West, where rush hour is all about a couple of bakkies with some blaring on-board livestock.

Hi there. Can you believe it’s been four days already, with many of the juicy bits still to come?

Today begins with our traditional early morning Karoo Town Walk, and it’s really the finest time to wander about admiring the Victorian-era architecture and watch the settlement come alive.

Victoria West, Loxton, then Carnarvon

After breakfast, we pack and make one last stop in Victoria West, at the Karoo Deli. Our mission is to load up with food and drink for tonight, when we’ll be staying over in a self-cater corbelled house near Carnarvon.

This stretch of the R63 is all about windpump landscapes, and our brunch-time stop is at Loxton Lekker. You know Loxton. You’ve seen Loxton in movies, documentaries and any number of travel magazines. It’s is a very popular Karoo destination, on a par with Nieu Bethesda.

Just more than 30km from Carnarvon is Stuurmansfontein, arguably one of the most beautifully restored corbelled houses in the Northern Cape. We’ll feast on our spoils from the Karoo Deli, toast the stars above us and marvel at how tough and innovative the early settlers once were. No deli feasts for these guys.

The Williston Boogie

The next town on our route is Williston, and our base for the day is the Williston Mall.

This is one of the eccentric success stories of the Upper Karoo. It’s a mad, charming, arty and quirky courtyard where you can drink killer milkshakes, nose through second-hand books, pick up a painting, a willy-warmer, an antique cake tin and maybe a postcard from the region.

Co-owner Pieter Naude runs the Doppies Bar at the Williston Mall, and it’s within rolling distance from Slopie se Kooi, where you’ve been booked in for the night.

Pieter and his wife Elmarie founded the Williston Winter Festival, a celebration of the local Nama Riel dance and life in general. Once you’ve chatted to them, I’m going to have to drag you away to our last port of call: Calvinia.

Calvinia’s Hantam Huise

You’re now on the edge of Namaqualand, which is not only about springtime flowers – it’s a year-round destination. Calvinia’s Hantam Huise have arranged for us to stay over in Die Boeke Huis, where famous writers from all over South Africa have come to finish their various manuscripts and research projects. It’s Old School, quite venerable and very inspiring.

Route 63 has:

• The most affordable overnight town stops in South Africa;
• Heritage and History all the way;
• Quirky pubs and delis;
• Adventure opportunities for the outdoor types;
• A wide range of Karoo farmstays at low prices;
• Wide open spaces for bikers and landscape lovers;
• A good, quiet road with minimal traffic;
• A sense of being in an undiscovered region;
• Some of the friendliest local residents you could ever hope to meet on your travels.

Check out our Fantastic E-Book Deal HERE.

Related posts:

21 Pubs of the Karoo Karoo Road Trip from Cape Town to Kimberley Rust Never Sleeps in Calvinia The Great Karoo Treasure Hunt The Upper Karoo – Gateway to the Stars Karoo Heartland Road Trip Part III Karoo Keepsakes II on Safari: Into the West Karoo Keepsakes II: Rock ‘n Roll Across the Northern Cape!