# Blue Crane Route Municipality, Cacadu District – Population

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/blue-crane-route/

Local municipality · Cacadu District 

# Blue Crane Route

Blue Crane Route is a local municipality of South Africa in Cacadu District, Eastern Cape Province. It had an estimated **34,659 people** in 2020 on 11,068 km² (about 3.1 per km²). 23 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 94 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 34,659people (2020)
- 11,068km²
- 94mapped services
- 563 mtypical elevation

## How many people live in Blue Crane Route?

Blue Crane Route had an estimated **34,659 people** in 2020 — 7.1% of Cacadu District, 165th of 190 local municipalities. There are 1,005 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Cacadu District figure of 1,010). Spread over 11,068 km², that is about **3.1 people per km²**, 169th of 190 local municipalities.

28.1% of people are children under 15 and 8.2% are 65 or older; the median age is about 31 years (it is 31 across Cacadu District). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 57 children and older people.

0–4 ****3,271**

5–9 ****3,378**

10–14 ****3,081**

15–19 ****2,668**

20–24 ****2,191**

25–29 ****2,389**

30–34 ****2,681**

35–39 ****2,767**

40–44 ****2,323**

45–49 ****2,076**

50–54 ****1,884**

55–59 ****1,677**

60–64 ****1,438**

65–69 ****1,175**

70–74 ****891**

75–79 ****447**

80+ ****322**

Source: [Statistics South Africa 2016 Community Survey Population via OCHA HDX, population 2020 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-zaf).

## Where is Blue Crane Route?

Blue Crane Route lies in [Cacadu District](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/), [Eastern Cape Province](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/), [South Africa](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/). It borders 5 other local municipalities: [Dr Beyers Naude](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/dr-beyers-naude/), [Inxuba Yethemba](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/chris-hani/inxuba-yethemba/), [Makana](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/makana/), [Raymond Mhlaba](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/amathole/raymond-mhlaba/) and [Sundays River Valley](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/sundays-river-valley/). By area it is the 26th largest of 213 local municipalities in South Africa. It covers 19.0% of [Cacadu District](https://wherepedia.org/south-africa/eastern-cape/cacadu/). The centre of Blue Crane Route is about 824 km in a straight line from Pretoria, the capital. The centre point is at 32.7742° S, 25.4880° E. Local names: EC102 .

Source: [South African Municipal Demarcation Board via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-zaf).

## Things to see in and around Blue Crane Route

OpenStreetMap lists 15 named sights in Blue Crane Route: 8 nature reserves; 3 museums; 1 monument; 1 memorial; 1 waterfall; 1 national park.

- Blacksmith Museum · museum
- Somerset East Museum · museum
- Walter Battis Art Gallery · museum
- Glen Avon Waterfall · waterfall
- Addo Elephant National Park (Kuzuko Section) · national park
- Addo Elephant National Park (Darlington Section) · nature reserve
- Addo Elephant Park (Darlindton Section) · nature reserve
- Addo Elephant Park (Kuzuko Section) · nature reserve
- Asante Sana Private Reserve · nature reserve
- Bosberg Nature Reserve · nature reserve
- Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve · nature reserve
- Oudekraal Game Farm · nature reserve
- Samara Karoo Private Reserve · nature reserve
- Fallen Heroes · memorial
- Slagternek Monument · monument

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Blue Crane Route

- Time zoneUTC+2, no daylight saving · Africa/Johannesburg
- CurrencyRand (ZAR)
- Country calling code+27
- LanguagesZulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, English, Tswana
- Plug typesType C, D · 230 V
- Driving sideLeft
- Postcode format4 digits (####)

### Nearest airports

- Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)136 km
- King Phalo Airport (ELS) · East London220 km

### Nearest railway station

KwaNojoli (Blue Crane Route), about 11 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Dec (about 14.3 hours, sunrise around 05:04) and shortest in Jun (about 10.0 hours, sunrise around 07:17, sunset around 17:18).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Villages and localities in Blue Crane Route

Open gazetteers list **23 villages, towns and localities** in Blue Crane Route. The largest with a recorded population: Somerset East (22,553), Cookhouse (6,837) and Pearston (5,410). Settlements here lie between about 289 m and 1,016 m above sea level (median 563 m).

- Bracefield
- Cookhouse
- Glen Cliff
- Golden Valley
- Hoekskraal
- Hopewell
- Klipfontein
- KwaNojoli
- Middleton
- Middlewater
- Mt. Prospect
- Nelsig
- Onder-Smoordrif
- Pearston
- Petersburg
- Populierplaas
- Renosterfontein
- Sheldon
- Somerset East
- Spitskop
- Uitkeer
- Vaalblok
- Webster

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of Blue Crane Route

Named natural and historic features inside Blue Crane Route, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

10 rivers and streams; 1 reservoir or tank; 1 waterfall.

- Blydedam
- Drooge
- Glen Avon Falls
- Leeu
- Little Fish
- Matjies
- Melk
- Skoenmakersrivier
- Soutkloof
- Stoltzkloof
- Swaarshock
- Voëlrivier

### Hills and mountains

81 mountains; 60 hills; 14 mountain passes; 7 valleys; 1 peak.

- Groot-Suurkop · 1,976 m
- Reebokkop · 1,926 m
- Boesmanshoek · 1,906 m
- Bailey’s Kop · 1,822 m
- Aasvoëlberg · 1,775 m
- Doringbosberg · 1,763 m
- Skurwekop · 1,751 m
- Bruintjieshoogte · 1,729 m
- Wesselskop · 1,719 m
- Masusa · 1,702 m
- Weltevrede · 1,675 m
- Groot-Spitskop · 1,652 m
- Rietpoort · 1,617 m
- Bloukop · 1,614 m
- Groot-Slangkop · 1,613 m
- Bakenskop · 1,612 m
- Oshoek · 1,609 m
- Rooiberg · 1,607 m
- Aasvoëlkop · 1,599 m
- Spioenkop · 1,597 m
- Groenkop · 1,591 m
- Klein-Spitskop · 1,540 m
- Eselkop · 1,524 m
- Tandjiesberg · 1,467 m

…and 139 more.

### Getting around

13 railway stations; 6 airfields.

- Arolsen
- Blinkhoff
- Cookhouse
- Eastpoort
- Golden Valley
- Grasfontein
- Groenheuwels
- Klipfontein
- Kokskraal
- Kommadagga
- Long Hope
- Middleton
- Pearston
- Petersburg
- Sheldon
- Somerset East
- Somerset East
- Thorngrove
- Witmos

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Blue Crane Route and the best time to visit

Using the climate of Cacadu District, the warmest month is Jan (average 22 °C) and the coolest is Jul (9 °C), after allowing for this place being about 285 m higher than the climate reference point (about 6.5 °C per 1,000 m). About 459 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Feb (58 mm) and the driest Jun (17 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **August to May**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 22 52 

Feb 22 58 

Mar 20 58 

Apr 16 40 

May 13 22 

Jun 9 17 

Jul 9 22 

Aug 11 31 

Sep 13 25 

Oct 16 44 

Nov 18 43 

Dec 20 46 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Blue Crane Route

Need Nearest mapped Distance 

Hospital Hospitaal Andries Vosloo · Blue Crane Route 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.72014&mlon=25.58009#map=17/-32.72014/25.58009) 

Bank ABSA · Blue Crane Route 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.71949&mlon=25.58472#map=17/-32.71949/25.58472) 

Petrol pump Caltex · Blue Crane Route 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.72732&mlon=25.59096#map=17/-32.72732/25.59096) 

Hotel Somerset Lodge · Blue Crane Route 10 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.72023&mlon=25.57826#map=17/-32.72023/25.57826) 

School We love kids Kleuterskool / Pre-School · Blue Crane Route 10 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.72788&mlon=25.58481#map=17/-32.72788/25.58481) 

Police station SAPS Somerset East · Blue Crane Route 11 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-32.71887&mlon=25.59095#map=17/-32.71887/25.59095) 

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Blue Crane Route

Places mapped inside Blue Crane Route in open map data, by type.

- Hospitals4
- Banks7
- Petrol pumps7
- Hotels23
- Schools38
- Pharmacies1
- Restaurants11
- Police stations3

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Other local municipalities in Cacadu District

- Dr Beyers Naude
- Kou-Kamma
- Kouga
- Makana
- Ndlambe
- Sundays River Valley

## Quick answers

- Where is Blue Crane Route?In Cacadu District, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- What is the population of Blue Crane Route?34,659 (2020 estimate)
- What is the median age in Blue Crane Route?About 31 years (2020 estimate)
- What is the population density of Blue Crane Route?About 3.1 people per km²
- What borders Blue Crane Route?Dr Beyers Naude, Inxuba Yethemba, Makana, Raymond Mhlaba and Sundays River Valley
- What is there to see in Blue Crane Route?Addo Elephant National Park (Darlington Section), Addo Elephant National Park (Kuzuko Section), Addo Elephant Park (Darlindton Section), Addo Elephant Park (Kuzuko Section)
- What time zone is Blue Crane Route in?UTC+2
- What currency is used in Blue Crane Route?Rand (ZAR)
- What language is spoken in Blue Crane Route?Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Blue Crane Route?23 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Blue Crane Route?Settlements lie between 289 m and 1,016 m
- How many reservoirs and tanks are in Blue Crane Route?1 named in GeoNames
- What is the highest point in Blue Crane Route?Groot-Suurkop (1,976 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Blue Crane Route?August to May
- Where is the nearest hospital to Blue Crane Route?Hospitaal Andries Vosloo, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest bank to Blue Crane Route?ABSA, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest petrol pump to Blue Crane Route?Caltex, about 11 km from the centre
- How many hospitals are in Blue Crane Route?4 mapped
- How many banks are in Blue Crane Route?7 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Blue Crane Route?7 mapped
- What is the P-code of Blue Crane Route?ZA2102 (OCHA common operational dataset)