I love mountain passes and actively seek them out. The one in the video does not have a name to the best of my knowledge. It is very short and possibly cannot even be considered a pass, but I believe it is the steepest I have driven. It outdoes the Botterkloof pass in Namaqualand.
Where is it? It crosses the Gouritz River about 50 km east of Herbertsdale. If you want to find it on Google Maps search for Willie se uitkykpunt.
Apologies for some bad images, but I was using a hand held camera balanced on the steering wheel and my wife was not with me so I had to do it all myself.
Category: Passes
I was in Namaqualand and took the opportunity to drive the Botterkloof pass which is a really steep spectacular pass.
On the way there, I was being pressurised by a guy in a big SUV so I let him get ahead and he raced away. I dawdled so I would not be in his dust, but when he got to the pass, he lost his nerve and crept down the pass much to my disgust. I drive Subarus for their amazing road holding and one of the pleasures is sweeping down dirt road passes at a good speed.
Apologies for cursing so much about his chicken hearted driving.
Sir Lowry’s Pass
This pass crosses the Hottentot Holland Mountains. It separates Cape Town from the Boland.
Houwhoek Pass
The Houwhoek Pass is a small, fairly insignificant pass just outside Cape Town. In the following video we are approaching from Bot River and heading toward Cape Town
Sunset near Komani
Or Queenstown as it was known previously
The pictures were taken from the top of the Nonesis Nek Pass on the Road between Komani and Cacadu (Lady Frere)
Gannaga Pass
I love passes, mountain passes that is. Just recently we traveled up the Gannaga Pass which is on the eastern edge of the Tankwa Reserve.
It is a spectacular pass carved the Master Artist of Passes, Bains. The man had an eye for sweeping, spectacular lines and his passes show his skill. His dry walling is spectacular too. Join us on a trip up and down the Gannaga Pass.
The Guardian of the Pass. Looking like an escapee from a SciFi movie, this rock formation faces up the pass.
The pass sign board. You gotta have this picture to show you were there!
Botter Bos halfway up the pass which you can see sweeping down the right of the picture.
Life clinging to the rocks
Framing
Those Bains dry walls still standing.
Gannaga Lodge at the top with a nice storm cloud.
All the modcons
Looking back at the Lodge.
Looking down
Amanda at the top.
If you haven’t travelled the Swartberg Pass you have missed an amazing South African experience. The Lonely Planet books rate this pass as the best in South Africa and I am inclined to agree with them – and believe me I have seen some amazing passes in my life. The pass is 25 km long and we took 2 hours 30 minutes to get to Prince Alfred from the foot of the pass. Why, well come with us, and do see why and what you have missed in not following it.
The Swartberg pass is a Bains pass and, as with all Bains passes has an almost artistic flow to it. It also has a a prison on it, reminding us that the passes in early South Africa were constructed with convict labour.
The pass starts off slowly and the local (Oudtshoorn) backpacker lodges provide bikes and transport to the top and you can ride down the pass on a bike. Not something I would recommend to the faint heartd or those who do not like being shaken.
Pretty flowers, calm slopes lure you into the pass.
Why is Amanda holding the flowers? The wind is already blowing strongly here.
The ruins of a toll gate.
Typical of a Bains Pass, dry walling is the norm, not the exception. Where he got his dry wallers from, I do not know, but the dry walls still stand.
The road as Tolkein wrote, “Goes ever on.”
And then we met the time waster. A golden banded sunbird. We stalked it for nearly half an hour before getting these pictures.
And then the top. Note the effects of the wind. The tripods were being blown over.
Looking down the other side of the pass.
Flowers. The wind is gone again.
A clever depth of field picture.
This what those curves look like properly focused.
And then it just keeps on dropping.
Looking back up the way we had come.
How did we get some of those pictures. Simple we climbed.
Cape Fold Mountains. You can see why they are called that.
The jail.
How does one relax on Swartberg Pass? Tai Chi of course.