Over the Outeniquas 220km

Other historic buildings include the Gothic-style Dutch Reformed Church (1879), Pinehurst and the Prince Vincent and Company building of 1914. Also of interest is Arbeidsgenot, the house of the well-known Afrikaans lawyer, writer, poet and politician, CJ Langenhoven. A longtime campaigner for the Afrikaans language, Langenhoven wrote the words of Die Stem (the sole national anthem of South Africa until 1994) and was also the author of some 40 books.

In March/April each year, Oudtshoorn is host to the popular Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, which attracts upwards of 100 000 people for a week-long celebration of Afrikaans artistic expression.

OUTENIQUA PASS

This pass across the Outeniqua Mountains was built between 1943 and 1951 to replace the winding Montagu Pass, built between 1844 and 1847, and to provide a more direct and faster route between George and Oudtshoorn. Italian prisoners of war were used as labourers during its construction. After following the valley carved by the Klip River between Waboomskraalberg to the west and Camferskloofberg, the road descends in a series of sweeping bends along the eastern slopes of Geelhoutboomberg. A viewpoint on the left-hand side of the road provides expansive vistas over the Cradock Pass (built in 1812) and the Montagu Pass (built in 1844).

GEORGE

Laid out on the coastal plain below the Outeniqua Mountains, George is a picturesque town with streets lined by majestic oak trees planted soon after it was founded in 1811. The town was named in honour of the then reigning monarch, George III. Situated in the heart of the Garden Route, George is popular with outdoor enthusiasts who are attracted to the numerous hiking trails and walks in the nearby forests and mountains. Places of interest along the 1,5-km-long historical walking tour include the George Museum, housed in the Drostdy building. The main theme of the museum is the region’s timber industry, but it also has an important collection of vintage gramophones and musical instruments.

Also to be seen along the walk is the King Edward VII Library (the best example of Edwardian architecture in the town), the old slave tree, St Mark’s Anglican Cathedral (1850) and the historic Dutch Reformed Church (1842) 6. The George Timber Route meanders from the George Museum past several tree species, furniture manufacturers and the Dutch Reformed Church (1842), with its magnificent yellowwood ceiling and handcarved stinkwood pulpit. An interesting collection of railway equipment, coaches and locomotives, as well as a replica of an old station, can be seen at the Outeniqua Railway Museum.