Various mountain and coastal roads converge at the town of Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo and it offers a convenient stop before travelling south to the Garden Route. It is famed for its huge Ostrich farms and the nearby Cango Caves with it’s dripstone formations and some of the largest stalagmites in the world. Highlights in the area include the Swartberg Pass, an unpaved hairpin road dissecting the spectacular folded mountains of the Swartberg and offering beautiful elevated views over the Klein and Great Karoo and a chance to see various semi-desert succulents.
From Outshoorn one can travel south to the Garden Route via the N12 to George via the extraordinary Outeniqua Pass or via the Robinson Pass on the R328 (perhaps stopping at the 80 year old Eight Bells Mountain Inn) to Mossel Bay.
