Little Karoo | South Africa | Expert Africa

Often known as the Klein Karoo, this is a generally dry area: the surrounding mountains take much of the air’s moisture, leaving little for the low-lying Little Karoo.

Northeast of the verdant coastal strip that we know as South Africa’s Garden Route, over the forested slopes of the Outeniqua Mountains, lies the Little Karoo. It’s one of the more diverse regions in the Western Cape, with gigantic cliffs, desert-like landscapes, crystal clear streams and fertile vineyards. Bounded by the Langeberg Mountains to the southwest, and separated from the much more extensive Great Karoo by the Swartberg Mountains to the north.

The mountains which bound the Little Karoo do limit road access here, as well as creating some quite dramatic passes.

Perhaps the popular route here leads from the vineyards around Robertson via to R60 onto the R62. This cuts through the Langeberg Mountains to reach Montagu. This same road then runs east through the Little Karoo, passing through Barrydale, Ladysmith, Calitzdorp until it reaches Oudtshoorn – which in many ways feels like the main town of this small region. From there roads head north across the Swartberg Mountains to the great Karoo, and south to George and the Garden Route.

This R62 route is often used as a more scenic and interesting route from Cape Town to the Garden Route, avoiding the busy N2 highway.