About the Route
This route takes you from the Karoo town of Oudtshoorn back to the Eastern Cape Town of Willowmore. It is a mixture of tar and gravel, but offers you varied and extremely beautiful landscapes. As you leave Oudtshoorn you will take the tar road towards the Swartberg Pass. However, just before the Congo Caves, you will turn right onto a small tar road that turns into a lovely gravel road. From here, all the way to De Rust, this will stay a gravel road with the Swartberg Mountain Range on your left for most of the time. There is a lovely little waterfall (Rust-en-Vrede Waterfall) along this road. We didn't stop there due to time constrains, but other people have let us know it is worth it. Once you get on the tar road again just before De Rust, it is only a short ride before you get to Meiringspoort. This is a beautiful tarred poort that reminded us a lot of Sevenweeksepoort en the bottom of Swartberg Pass (both gravel). It is stunning to ride through here and there is the Meiringspoort waterfall halfway through. From the parking lot it is a short walk up to go to the viewing point. Once you leave Meiringspoort behind you, the route will take you back on a main gravel road on you right. This gravel road is in excellent condition and takes you all the way to Willowmore passing beautiful mountains and landscapes.