Cats Pass is a typical inverted profile pass with a low point in the middle at the crossing of the Qora River. Although a little difficult to find, this pass will remain one of your travel treasures once you've driven it. It traverses unspoilt Wild Coast scenery through a remote part of the old Transkei, yet there is life in abundance as the locals go about their daily chores and livestock make themselves comfortable on the road. There are many passes similar to this one, yet each one has its own special charm.
At 8.5 km it's a substantial pass and you will experience an altitude variance of 247m via 48 bends corners and curves and of those 6 are greater than 90 degrees, but there are no hairpin bends. The going is fairly slow, due to the constant need to slow down for livestock on the road. The local cattle are particularly fond of spending time on the bridges and are reluctant to move out of the way. Exercise patience.
Cautionary: In very wet weather, the roads in this region quickly become extremely slippery. Under such conditions a 4WD vehicle is a very good option.
Colonanek (also known as Colananek) is situated in the high mountainous area of the Eastern Cape, close to the KZN border between the towns of Mount Frere and Cedarville. The pass, which is gravel surfaced, contains 19 bends, corners and curves withing it's 4,4 km length, producing an average gradient of 1:30 with the steepr sections measuring in at 1:11.
The pass traverses the substantial rural settlement of Colana (from which it takes it's name) so drivers need to be aware of livestock, pedestrians, slow moving vehicles and minibus taxis throughout this traverse. The scenery is lovely with colourful mud huts bedecked with thatch adding a splash of colour to the scenery. This quiet country road is a long and slow drive. If you're in a hurry, rather avoid this one.
Combrink's Pass and the Holgat Pass are the descent and ascent respectively of the high plateau where the Bergplaas camping sites are found. Regardless of which direction you drive the pass, it is a visual feast. It is also the biggest of the five Baviaanskloof passes (Nuwekloof, Grasnek, Langkop, Holgat and Combrinks) in terms of altitude gain/loss. This is the last pass you will encounter before exiting the bio-reserve and entering the Cambria valley.
Compressed within its 5,5 km length the road descends 333m via 73 bends, corners and curves, resulting in an average gradient of 1:16, but there are some sections as steep as 1:8. The road is single width for most of its length making overtaking impossible and passing difficult, where one of the vehicles will need to reverse back to a wider point.
This pass is a winner with stunning views for its entire length, however for anyone suffering from acrophobia, the very steep and completely unguarded drop-offs could be quite intimidating.
If you are new to the Baviaanskloof, we recommend watching the Orientation Overview video first.
Daggaboers Nek is a long tarred pass, located south of Cradock on the N10. The upgraded road is in an excellent condition, and features a double lane on the ascents of both the southern and northern approaches. Gradients are gentle and all of the corners have a wide radius, allowing motorists to easily maintain the designated speed limit of 100 kph. The pass offers beautiful views over the undulating Karoo landscape, particularly on the northern side once the summit has been crested. The pass has a history dating back to the 19th century.
This 5,1 km long pass descends into the Umnga River valley via one U bend and two very sharp hairpins. The pass descends from 1291m ASL at the village of Dalibango through an altitude drop of 342m producing a stiff average gradient of 1:15 to end at the crossing of the Umnga River at a low level bridge.
You will be treated to views of towering cliffs and steeply wooded slopes with the Umnga River winding its way down the centre of this fabulous scene.
It contains 14 bends, corners and curves and requires vigilant driiving. We recommend driving this road in a small convoy of two to three vehicles in case of emergency. Be aware of personal safety at all times and make sure you leave the nearest town with full fuel tanks and that your vehicle is serviced and reliable.
Dangershoek Pass is a combination of a poort and a pass with the majority of the distance being a poort where the road hugs the contours of the Telle River, which forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho. The scenery is breath-taking as the road heads upstream alongside the river, darting in and out of side ravines. The landscape is massive with the Maluti range dominating the views to the left (north). There are countless streams and waterfalls as well as a special rock pool directly accessible from the road, but be careful where you park as the road is narrow. The water can only be described as "fresh" and not recommended for those that don't like ice cold water.
A few small farms are traversed before the road crosses one of the main tributaries of the Telle River near a small village where a church spite is visible from some distance away. Most of the stream crossings are via low level bridges or concrete causeways. If these are coming down in spate, discretion and caution should be exercised whether to continue or not. Remember the golden rule: If you're not prepared to walk it, then don't drive it.
Sections of the steep climb up to the summit are concreted, so normal vehicles can tackle this drive is the weather is fine. The final section is quite steep (1:5), but views from the summit are seriously impressive and impossible to describe in words. By continuing on this road, it will eventually get you to Telle Falls.
This high altitude pass is a little difficult to find, but offers rich rewards to the traveller seeking out the more remote passes. It lies to the east of a deep valley between Cookhouse and Tarkastad and connects a range of farms from the Bedford side with the R344. The pass has a significant altitude gain of 289m over a distance of 4.9 km producing an average gradient of 1:17 with the steeper sections measuring in at 1:14
This is one of those remote farm roads, less travelled, where the more adventurous traveller will be rewarded with wonderful scenery and quiet roads where you are unlikely to see another vehicle over the entire route. The road is generally maintained to a good standard and can be driven in any vehicle.
De Waalskloof Pass was no doubt named after the first Dutch settler that farmed the valley at the foot of the pass. This little known pass is not difficult, but the surface is rutted, rocky and bumpy. It will take 30 minutes to cover the 5.5 km distance. It's of average length and runs along the east-west axis along a valley on the northern side of the Didima Range and the Katberg Mountain.
Although fairly old, the road is well designed and presents an even gradient throughout of 1:13. This pass forms a western approach to the summit of the Katberg Pass and is a perfect approach for those wanting to drive the Katberg Pass in the descending mode. It also provides access to the summit of the Devil's Bellows Pass, which is currently in a very poor state and we don't recommend driving north over Devil's Bellows Pass, unless there are a minimum of two vehicles with recovery equipment and drivers with experienced off-road skills.
The road can get tricky in wet weather where a 4WD vehicle will be mandatory, but in fair weather most 4x2 vehicles with reasonable ground clearance will manage the road. However if you intend descending along the Katberg Pass, you will definitely need a high clearance 4WD vehicle with low range. You will be treated to excellent high altitude scenery. The usual gravel road cautionaries apply - mountain mists with low visibility, electrical storms in summer, high rainfall, snow in winter, rock falls, washaways, deep ruts, loose rocks and livestock on the road.
This easy tarred pass is located about halfway between Middeldrift and King Williams Town on the R63 main road. The pass offers scenic views of the forests around Keiskammahoek and Pirie and gives access to the R354 as well as to two railway stations and the busy industrial developement of Dimbaza. The pass is 9 km long, has two gentle curves and only climbs 75 vertical metres. There's plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful forested mountains and rural village scenery.
Unlike most other poorts in South Africa which are generally quite flat, Debruinspoort does have a significant altitude gain of 225 metres. It is located on the gravelled R344 road between Adelaide and Grahamstown, just south of the crossing of the Great Fish River at Piggott’s Bridge and to the west of the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. Other than some wash-board corrugations, the pass is well maintained and in a good condition, and should present no problems for any type of vehicle.
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