Nestling in a rich, dense valley, in the middle of the Outeniqua Mountains, woodlands, rivers as well as flourishing farmlands, George is situated simply 420 kilometres from Cape Town and 320 kilometres from Port Elizabeth, which makes it a great stopover by which to discover your Garden Route.

George is the 6th oldest town in South Africa and considered to be the administrative capital of the Southern Cape. It has restored its previous image of a commercial town into a leading tourist paradise – easy to do when you’ve got two of the top 10 golf courses in South Africa, cinemas, a broad area of woodland, rivers as well as the Indian Ocean in your doorstep.

This town started around the late 18th century as being an outpost for the supply of timber and this gave rise to a little town of woodcutters. It was after the 2nd British occupation during the early 19th century which the town was formally declared and named following the ruling British monarch, King George III.

This historical past can be discovered within the town thru tours around the historical buildings as well as the George Museum, that records the town’s background, and also the Outeniqua Transport Museum.

George is definitely an easy-going town, having a laid back approach which allows a person to simply experience the wonder and beauty of the environment. Walking around George offer a wide variety of fantastic sights over George as well as the coastline and reveal the local fynbos of the area. Included in this are the 3 tracks of the Groene Weide forest walks, which begin at Saasveld College along the northern area of one of the golf courses as well as George Peak and Cradock’s Peak hiking trails, hard treks yet worthwhile for the spectacular views.

The mild climate of George makes it perfect for outdoor fun activities all year long and these include scuba diving, sailing, angling, hang-gliding, biking, kayaking, climbing, boating, windsurfing as well as surfboarding.

George also boasts an incredibly advanced infrastructure having banking institutions, conference facilities, companies, big shopping stores, transportation as well as sporting amenities, yet still keeping its village and country ambience of harmony and serenity. The town is also the main accommodation centre having a huge selection of facilities available to meet everyone’s need.

George features a lot of historical attractions to be discovered. One example is The Slave Tree, an old English Oak planted by Landdrost van Kervel. Referred to as Slave Tree due to the huge chain and lock embarked into its trunk, this has already been proclaimed a national monument. Another is the King Edward VII Library building which has been said to be the perfect example of Edwardian architectural mastery found in George.

The area all around George is well-suited to self-drive trips, particularly the panoramic Seven Passes route – 7 mountain passes which include the stunning Montagu Pass.

Be sure you stop by at Herold Wines, simply past the top of the pass. It is the very first winery around the Garden Route to cultivate, make and bottle certified wine around the site.