Langkloof

Read more about the article Water over the multi arches of the Churchill Dam
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Water over the multi arches of the Churchill Dam

After the big rains in October (2023) both the Kouga and Churchill Dams overflowed. Following a visit to Storms River Village I decided to detour via Kareedouw to the Churchill Dam, somewhere I've never actually been to. I wasn't disappointed that I did. What a sight, especially with the water flowing over the multiple arches. The Churchill Dam is located on the Krom River at the bottom end of the Langkloof between Kareedouw and Humansdorp. The dam has a capacity…

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22/12/2023
Firefly the Travel Guy

Langkloof Proteas

The Tsitsikamma and the Langkloof is linked by a short pass over the mountain between Oudebosch and Kareedouw on the eastern side. The pass only has 7 bends, all of them are minor. It does offer sweeping views of the Tsitsikamma mountains to the left (west) with the green valley on the right dotted with dams. The vegetation changes very suddenly as one crosses over the top and you enter the Langkloof.  After a day in the Tsitsikamma I decided…

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22/07/2020
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Looking down the Langkloof from the Potjiesberg Pass

If you drive through the Langkloof from East to West you enter the valley just past Humansdorp and pass towns like Kareedouw, Jobertina, Krakeel, Louterwater, Misgund, Haarlem and Avontuur.  The valley is about 160 km long and the R62 (the road running through the Langkloof) then meets up with the N9 near the town of Uniondale.  Between this intersection and Uniondale travelers will find the Potjiesberg Pass.  The name of the Potjiesberg, directly translated, means little pot and refers to…

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09/05/2016
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Off the off the beaten track in the Langkloof

Most tourists and holiday makers traveling from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape (or vice versa) do so along the world famous Garden Route.  It means that they miss out on the very scenic Route 62 through the Langkloof which runs parallel to the Garden Route on the other side of the mountain.  You could say traveling through the Langkloof is travelling off the beaten track.  On my last trip up the Langkloof I detoured off onto a dirt…

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03/05/2016
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Langkloof protea

The Langkloof may be a "less desirable" tourism destination than the adjacent Garden Route, but it doesn't mean that its less beautiful.  It may not have the breathtaking coastline or inspiring indigenous forests of the Garden Route, but it doesn't have to stand back one step when it comes to scenic beauty.  Framed by mountains in the north and south, the predominant vegetation is Fynbos, interspersed by farmland and summer fruit orchards.  A little detour on my last trip up…

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17/06/2015
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The beauty of the Langkloof

The Langkloof may not be a developed and marketed tourism route, but it is very scenic and has tons of tourism potential.  Its biggest disadvantage though is that it runs parallel to the world renown and very popular Garden Route.  I really enjoy driving through the Langkloof which stretches over a distance of about 200 km between Kareedouw in the east and Herold, just north of George.  But who wouldn't?  It is flanked by mountains on the north and south and the…

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09/05/2015
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Kareedouw Dutch Reformed Church

Kareedouw is the first town you encounter when you travel into the Langkloof on Route 62 from the Port Elizabeth side.  The name is thought to come from the KhoiSan word !karegadaob which means "A road past many Karee Trees".Kareedouw was established in 1905 as a Dutch Reformed Church congregation and I am assuming that is also the year that the church was built.  If not then in the few years just after.  I say assuming because I just can't seem to…

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02/01/2015
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The view from the Anglo Boer War fort at Uniondale

Uniondale between the Klein Karoo and the Langkloof is famous for it's ghost, but I'm sure most people know very little else about the town.  Visitors will also find a lot of history in the area.  Amongst that is the fact that the town was protected by 6 British Forts during the Anglo Boer War.  One of these have been restored and can be visited on a hill overlooking the town.  I've always looked up at it passing through but on my…

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07/10/2014
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Rust in Peace

Next to The Ark in Joubertina in the Langkloof stands the rusty remains of a tractor. A very old tractor.  In actual fact a 1928 Wallis tractor.  The first tractor to be brought to the Langkloof and the first of many tractors to follow.  Seeing a sight like this as a monument could be a bit on the weird side anywhere else, but in the Langkloof where farming plays such an important part in everyday life this is a significant part of their…

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05/04/2013