Eastern Cape Mountain Passes

This lovely gravel poort winds it's way along the valley carved out by the Luzi River. It's located 9 km south-west of Mount Fletcher as the crow flies. The road can get very slippery when wet and is often badly rutted. At 14,8 km it's a fairly long poort and it's peppered with sharp bends as well as several unbriged river crossings via concreted drifts. There are a total of 21 stream crossings and the 84 bends, corners and curves which requires attentive driving. The road remains on the southern side of the Luzi River throughout.

With a few exceptions, all the stream crossings (which are tributaries of the Luzi River), are via concreted drifts. As these streams have a fast run off down the mountain slopes, and they can become lethal when in flood. Exercise extreme caution under such conditions and never take a chance if you think the depth is too deep and the current too swift. You will be treated to some stunning scenery of sandstone outcrops and colourful tribal villages. Don't be in a hurry on this drive. Luzi Poort is the final of three passes between Rhodes and Mount Fletcher and is often overlooked by the bigger Pitseng Pass and of course Naude's Nek Pass, which is the dominnt pass in the area. We recommend a high clearance vehicle, although a 4WD vehicle is not required, except in muddy conditions.

This interesting pass is the gateway to Mpande and Shark's Point - two popular destinations along this section of the Wild Coast. It's a fairly minor pass at 3.1km but it has lots on offer, including sections of indigenous forest, a few villages, a very steep climb and fabulous views towards the coast once you have crested the summit.

The pass climbs 121m from the river crossing to the summit over just 1.3 km producing very steep gradients of 1:5. In wet weather this section will be almost impossible to ascend for non 4WD vehicles. There are also ruts and axle twisters so momentum cannot be used either. But in fair weather it's quite doable in any vehicle.

Mpande is one of the finest beaches along the Wild Coast and a must visit destination. Most of the holiday cottages are located on the northern side of the river. The northern access road is well signposted about 5 km to the NE of the start of the Luzube Pass.

MacKay's Nek Pass on the tarred R410 route between Queenstown (Komani) in the west and Lady Frere (Cacadu) in the east, is an average length, but dramatic pass that can surprise unwary drivers with its steep gradients and very sharp bends. It's 7 km long, but crammed into the first 2.5 km are two full horseshoe bends and one ninety degree right hand curve. The gradients are steep on the western side of the pass, reaching 1:9 and when added to an already high altitude of over 1200m ASL, many vehicles will experience a sensation of feeling underpowered.

This difficult to get to and remote gravel pass is well worth the effort of seeking it out. It's a long pass at 14 km and offers high views of deeply incised and heavily wooded valleys, several Transkei villages and the crossing of the powerful Mbashe (Bashee) River. Perhaps more importantly it is also the access road to the birthplace of Nelson Mandela at Mveso Village on the eastern rim of the Mbashe River canyon. He was buried near Qunu - a short distance from Mveso.

The pass has a typical inverted profile with a low point in the middle and contains 101 bends, corners and curves to keep drivers very busy. Ten of those are sharper than 90 degrees. With gradients that get as steep as 1:6 this will be a tricky drive in wet weather if not in a 4WD vehicle.

As is the general rule in this part of the Eastern Cape, most of the area is unfenced, so finding livestock on the road is the norm. Add in slow vehicles, taxis, rutted, potholed and corrugated roads and you have a recipe for having to stay wide awake on this pass. 

This very steep pass takes one from the coastal plateau down to the beach at Mbotyi. The pass is immersed inside the dense forest canopy for most of its length which is almost a pity as the views would be tantalizingly beautiful if visible. The pass has some very sharp corners and steep gradients as one gets to the halfway point. There is one particularly nasty hairpin bend which needs to be treated with respect.

Any pass that has an average gradient lower than 1:16 is steep and this pass at 1:13 will have your passengers reaching for their imaginary brake pedal and especially so on the very steep sections in the middle of the pass where the gradients get steeper than 1:5. This pass would be very difficult to drive if it wasn't paved. Although we have mapped it as a gravel pass, the steepest parts have been concreted, which provides essential traction to normal vehicles in wet conditions. The road is a cul de sac so it will always be driven from NE-SE first (descending). Due to available light we had to film the pass in the opposite direction, in the ascending mode.

This scenic 4,5 km gravel poort has a classic ascent/descent profile, but as poorts go, this one also doesn't have much of an altitude gain at just 88m. The average gradient pans out at a very gentle 1:51, but there are a couple of sections with slightly steeper gradients. The pass meanders along the course of a tributary of the Grootrivier, which itself has a massive drainage area sourcing in the Great Karoo. The poort lies 30 km WNW of Steytlerville in the Eastern Cape. The attraction of this poort is its complete feeling of isolation in the heartlands of the Karoo.

The Grootrivier has spawned several exceptional gravel passes, besides cutting itself out a canyon of great length, depth and beauty from the highlands of the Karoo all the way to the confluence of the Gamtoos River at Patensie, this is the same Grootrivier that you will traverse on the Antoniesberg Pass further south and it also plays host to the fabulous Grootrivier Poort, which is the final pass at the eastern end of the Baviaanskloof. 

This is a typical pass through a low point or neck. It climbs quickly from 493m in the east to reach the 545m high summit point after 0,8 km, then follows a longer descent into the west losing 122m of altitude. The road runs along the east-west axis and be very rough due to lack of maintenance and rainfall. This is also the last pass you will traverse before reaching the Baviaans Lodge and the southern start of the Baviaans-Kouga 4x4 Trail.

The term 'meide' is Afrikaans and refers to a female servant. In this context in the previous century, the term would not have been in the slightest way derogatory, but in modern South Africa the word is seldom used and is considered offensive.

This is one of many poorts in the mountainous region between Steytlerville and Willowmore in the Eastern Cape. It runs along the NW/SE axis and is unusual in that it is much wider than most poorts in South Africa at between 1,2 and 1,4 km. Topographically it looks much more like a valley than a poort. In addition it doesn't display the one key element of all poorts in that there is no river bisecting it.

It's an official poort, so it gets indexed here, regardless of how small or insignificant it might appear. It's 4,5 km long and displays an altitude variance of 68m producing an average gradient of 1:66 with the steepest section just east of the summit, measuring in at 1;14.

Mgwalana Pass takes its name from a small village on the eastern side of the traverse. It is also sometimes spelled as uMgwalana. The pass is located on an unnamed gravel road which connects the R410 near Cala to the R58, which is the main access route between Elliot and Engcobo in the Eastern Cape. The road is not regularly maintained and is in a poor condition, but could be driven in any high-clearance vehicle, provided that the weather conditions allow. Like most of the roads in this area, the pass offers up some beautiful views over the surrounding landscape, as well as a delightful glimpse into the lifestyle of true rural South Africans.

Michel's Pass is located in the Eastern Cape between Hogsback in the east and Seymour in the west. The 6,5 km gravel pass is in excellent condition (as at April 2018) but is subject to severe thunderstorms in summer and snowfalls in winter with a summit altitude of 1442m ASL. The track is marked strictly for 4WD vehicles with high ground clearance and low range, but since it has been recently repaired it is now doable in a 4x2. It is best to check with local busineses and B&B's in Hogsback whether the road is passable or not.