Joubertina, Tsitsikamma

Set in amongst other villages with similarly lyrical names, like Musgund, Louterwater and Kareedouw, on Route 62, Joubertina is a little town in the Eastern Cape that, until the establishment of the famous and very long wine route, suffered little notoriety and languished as something of a one-horse town in much the same vein as its neighbours.

Now referred to as the 'not yet discovered' Joubertina, and 'the Big Apple of the R62' (this is an allusion to the number of apple crops on surrounding farms, rather than the size of the village), the town sees a lot of traffic as a result of the wine route that winds between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, the Langkloof and Port Elizabeth, proving a far prettier alternative to the often more dangerous, in terms of traffic, N2 highway.

Joubertina (pronounced Djou-ber-tina) lies nestled in amongst the Kouga, Baviaanskloof and Tsitsikamma mountain ranges, with accommodation provided mostly on nearby farms. Whilst the surrounds are gorgeous, the little town, according to the blogs of local residents, is sadly lacking when it comes to aesthetic appeal.

It barely qualifies as pretty, devoid of tree-lined sidewalks, quaint shops, broad stoeps and broekie lace. But it has a character all its own, and by all accounts, it is by staying here that you discover the true nature of the town. For instance you can buy milk at the hardware store that also sells second hand furniture, or pick up a packet of home-made rusks from your hairdresser, who also sells coffins and bully beef - you get the picture.

It is a town in which you will find very few 'out of towners', a lot of sixth generation residents, and its very own railway station (in fact, the railway line runs along Route 62 for much of the way from Avontuur until it joins the N2 just outside Humansdorp).