Latest Mountain Passes added

This pass is located on the A5 route between Lekhalong and Ramabanta. It's 6.7 km long and displays and altitude variance of 343m, with a summit height of 2008m ASL. The average gradient is 1:20 with the steepest sections measuring in at 1:8. Most of this pass when traveling from north to south is downhill and descends through several villages, including Lekhalong, Nkesi and Ramabanta. The pass takes its name from the village of Nkesi.

Comply with the speed limits and stay on the lookout for livestock, children and dogs.The usual cautionaries apply of livestock on the road, mountain mists, snow and ice, but this pass is not as prone to snow due to its relatively lower altitude.

As the gradient eases off near the bottom of the pass, there is a nice camping site on the right, on the banks of the river, with good shade. Ramabanta is quite a busy little town where most provisions can be acquired

The pass ends at the crossing of the Makhaleng River.

At some stage in the past lions must have roamed this valley, hence the name Leeupoort (Lions Ravine)

This minor gravel pass is located on a scenic back road 18 km south of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo (Klein Karoo). It’s part of a pleasant shortcut that connects the R328 with the N12, bypassing Oudtshoorn completely.

It's 4 km long and rises to a maximum altitude of 470m with an altitude gain of 67m. The gradients reach 1:7 just before and immediately after the summit, but for the rest it’s an easy drive.

You can experience Klein Karoo solitude here as the road winds in and out of various farms, where ostriches and varied farming takes place including Lucerne and some vegetables.

This pleasant gravel pass is located along the R335 route between Somerset East (Kwa Nojola) and Addo.  It's 6.2 km long and has a modest altitude variance of 233m with the steepest gradients panning out at 1:11.

It has 12 bends, two of which exceed 80 degrees and are quite sharp. The scenery is Karoo to the core, with dun coloured hills and dusty farms sporting the ubiquitous windmills synonomous with the region. Hunting is prolific in this part of the Eastern Cape. The sport generates employment and income and has overtaken sheep farming at quite a rate.

Game farming is much kinder to the environment, requiring less resources than conventional sheep farming. the Karoo is well suited to game farming.

This brand new (2025) road was built by a Chinese construction company and forms part of the new Makhola-Lerotholi Highway between Qacha's Nek and the Sehlabathebe National Park, labelled the B45. With its silky smooth surface and sweeping bends, it will be an immediate favourite amongst the motorcycle groups.

Prior to this the road to Lesotho's prime national park was something of an ordeal to drive, but now with the new road, tourism to the park should flourish.

The pass itself is 7.1 km long and starts at the Ramatselitso border control post (accessed from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape) and ends at a large quarry at an altitude of 2410m, having gained 155m in altitude. That is, by Lesotho standards, a very small pass, but what adds to the allure that it mimics the South African/Lesotho border in very close proximity - at times being right on it, but there are no fences there, so you would be none the wiser.

The usual cautionaries apply of livestock on the road, mountain mists, snow and ice.

The Majiesrivierhoogte Pass takes its name from the dominant river at its northern end as well as the well known farm of the same name.

The pass is the shortest and least difficult of the trio of passes that run back to back along that valley of the southern Cederberg - the other two being Grootrivierhoogte and Blinkberg passes.

It's of moderate length at 5.4 km  with a few easy bends as it summits at 765m ASL at the turnoff to the Truitjieskraal road. Be aware of a cattle grid just after the summit, which requires a reduction in speed to 30 kph. The pass connects the Matjiesrivier farm and nature reserve with Cederberg Oasis (a popular biking destination) and the Nuwerust farm at the crossing of the Brandkraalrivier.

The condition of the road is generally quite good, but like all gravel roads, can quickly deteriorate after heavy rain. During the winter and spring season be very careful of crossing the low level bridge at the Brandkraalrivier where vehicles have been swept off the bridge when the river comes down in spate and can easily be deeper than 1.5m.