Route 62 is the original route which was the main link between Port Elizabeth, the Garden Route and Cape Town before the N2 highway was built.

It not only offers a 70km shorter option between Cape Town and Oudsthoorn with less trucks and motor traffic, but also runs through the most beautiful mountain passes, interspersed by typical Klein Karoo vegetation, vineyards and fruit orchards. It passes through beautifully preserved villages where it seems as though time has stood still. These villages include Barrydale, Ladismith and Calitzdorp.