The small town on Route 62 with hot mineral springs and scenic mountains voted the best in the Cape
Montagu, a small town on Route 62 in the Western Cape known for its hot mineral springs and scenic mountains, has been voted the best in the Cape.
Montagu was founded on the Uitvlugt farm in 1851 and was named after John Montagu, the former secretary of the Cape Colony.
It is situated 180 km east of Cape Town in the Little Karoo region, at the confluence of the Keisie and Kingna rivers.
Due to its location, it is called the ‘Gateway to the Little Karoo’, with its primary road entrance passing through Cogmanskloof, featuring a rock-hewn pass and tunnel.
Atop the tunnel, constructed by civil engineer Thomas Bain in the 1870s, stands a British fort erected in 1899 during the Anglo-Boer War.
Like much of the region, the town has a semi-arid climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
This climate is suitable for orchards, vineyards, and herb farms, which helped develop the area into an agricultural centre.
The surrounding Keisie and Koo valleys produce high-quality stone fruits, including apricots, peaches, plums, pears, and apples.
Montagu is widely known for its dried fruit and nut processing industries, such as the popular Montagu Snacks.
Apart from its natural beauty and agricultural prowess, the town is also popular with tourists for its architecture and historic buildings.
Montagu’s Long Street and Bath Street preserve many 19th-century Cape Dutch, Victorian, Georgian, and Karoo-style buildings.
Notable structures include the Montagu Country Hotel, the Neo-Gothic Dutch Reformed Church, and St Mildred’s Anglican Church.
The Joubert House museum features a restored 1850s residence with an indigenous medicinal herb garden documenting Khoekhoe, San, and early settler herbal remedies.
The mountains make Montagu one of South Africa’s premier sport climbing destinations, with crags such as Legoland, Bad Kloof, and The Steeple.
For the less adventurous, Montagu and the surrounding area have many notable hiking trails, which include the Bloupunt and Cogmanskloof hiking routes.
The town is also famous for its natural thermal springs that bubble up on the town’s edge at Montagu Springs and the Avalon Springs resort.
The Best of the Cape Awards
The Best of the Cape Awards is an annual initiative hosted by Western Cape radio station Kfm 94.5. This year, it was sponsored by Yoco.
It recognises local businesses, destinations, events, and personalities across the Western Cape as voted directly by the public.
Members of the public, business owners, and customers nominate their top choices for these awards.
The Kfm 94.5 team evaluates nominations and selects five top finalists for each category based on volume and voter motivations.
A public voting window opens online via a dedicated platform where listeners cast votes for their top picks among the finalists.
The winners were crowned across all 30 categories during a multi-day radio showcase and ceremony.
In this year’s competition, Montagu was named the top town ahead of Robertson, Darling, Greyton, and Yzerfontein.
This is the third time that Montagu has won the Kfm 94.5 Best Dorpie in the Cape award. It also won this award in 2021 and in 2025.
This is not surprising. Montagu has a unique small-town feel with many unique restaurants and other tourism attractions.
It is clean and safe, which has drawn remote workers, retirees, families, and creative professionals seeking a high quality of life away from the city.
Its residents include artists, writers, winemakers, organic farmers, and retirees, supporting local artisan markets, galleries, and festivals.
It offers a relaxed environment where neighbours know one another and active community organisations care for public spaces and heritage preservation.
Its proximity to Cape Town gives residents access to international airports, specialised medical care, and urban amenities.
What is also attractive to many people is its dependable municipal infrastructure, which is uncommon in South Africa.
The town also has fibre internet coverage that supports remote work, local medical practices, and reputable public and private primary and high schools.
Montagu photos
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