Langkloof
Encyclopedia
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, lying between Herold, a small village north of George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
, and Humansdorp
Humansdorp
Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 35,000 . It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Cacadu District. The town is the centre of the district's light industry and farming...
. The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver
Isaq Schrijver
Isaq Schrijver was a Dutch ensign and South African explorer. Although born and raised in Leiden, both his parents were born near Aachen, Germany...
in 1689, and more thoroughly explored by a later expedition under ensign August Frederik Beutler
August Frederik Beutler
August Frederik Beutler was an ensign in the employ of the Dutch East India Company who headed an epic 1752 reconnaissance expedition lasting 8 months from 29 February to November, eastward from Cape Town as far as the present-day site of Butterworth...
in 1752.
The valley has been farmed since 1760 and is an important fruit-growing region, specifically apples.
Geography
On its north side the Langkloof is bounded by the Kammanassie and Kouga Mountains, and on its south by the LangkloofLangkloof Mountains
The Langkloof Mountains are a short mountain range within the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape of South Africa. They form a link between the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains to the north of Plettenberg Bay in the Garden Route region. They stretch from Prince Alfred's Pass in the west to just...
-, Tsitsikamma-
Tsitsikamma Mountains
The Tsitsikamma mountains are a mountain range located in the Garden Route region of the southern South African coast in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. Stretching just over 80 km from the Keurbooms River in the west just north of Plettenberg Bay, to Kareedouw Pass in the east near the...
and Kareedouwberge. A low range of hills running parallel to the Langkloof and lying inside it, divides the kloof into northern and southern sections. The southern section is called the Klein Langkloof and is the main apple-growing part. The valley is crossed by numerous streams that arise in the Tsitsikamma Mountains
Tsitsikamma Mountains
The Tsitsikamma mountains are a mountain range located in the Garden Route region of the southern South African coast in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. Stretching just over 80 km from the Keurbooms River in the west just north of Plettenberg Bay, to Kareedouw Pass in the east near the...
and join the Kammanassie and Kouga Rivers.
Transport
The R62 roadR62 (South Africa)
The R62 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Ashton with Humansdorp. The R62 runs through the Little Karoo and the Langkloof, passing through Montagu, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, and Joubertina....
runs the length of the valley, connecting the N2 road near Humansdorp
Humansdorp
Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 35,000 . It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Cacadu District. The town is the centre of the district's light industry and farming...
with the N9 road near Uniondale
Uniondale, Western Cape
Uniondale is a small town in the Little Karoo in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The town was formed in 1856 by the joining of two towns, Hopedale and Lyons. Its primary claim to fame is the ghost story of the Uniondale hitcher...
. The Avontuur narrow-gauge railway follows the same route Port Elizabeth to Avontuur.