Near the western end of the pass
Near the western end of the pass - Photo: Trygve Roberts

This easy tarred pass sweeps up the northern flank of a double horseshoe bend in the Gamtoos River about midway between the two citrus farming towns of Patensie and Hankey. The pass is 7,9 km long and has an altitude variance of 155m converting into an average gradient of 1:51 with the steepest sections measuring in at 1:14

The pass traverses attractive scenery of mountains and the Shumba Game Farm occupies most of the western side of the pass. Once over the summit and approaching the outskirts of Hankey, the sides of the road have lot of litter which detracts somewhat from the natural scenic beauty of the area. This is especially obvious if you have just completed the pristine Baviaanskloof.

The pass is suitable for all vehicles but it should be noted that there are no safety shoulders - not even a gravel shoulder. It makes this road very dangerous for cyclists due to the large trucks that frequent this pass.

The full content of this article is restricted to subscribers.

Subscribe for only R550 a year and get full access to our website (936+ mountain passes), including the videos, the full text of all mountain passes articles, fact-file, interactive map, directions and route files.

Subscribe Now (1 year)

New: Lifelong subscription. You'll never have to worry about annual renewals or price increases. Enjoy a Lifetime Subscription to our website for just R5,000 once-off.

Subscribe Now (Lifetime subscription)

If you have already subscribed to our site, you can Log in to view the full article.

Log in


You will gain full access to the best parts of the website, which include:

  • the full content (non subscribers only see about 10% of the text) of 936+ mountain passes,
  • plus you get the video(s),
  • Fact File,
  • Interactive Map,
  • Directions
  • and the downloadable Route File.

You will also get our weekly newsletter packed with the latest interesting passes information delivered to your email each Thursday.

Paid subscribers qualify for 10% off the digital downloads from our online shop.

Still not convinced?

You can visit five ‘Open’ pass pages on Mountain Passes South Africa to evaluate what you’ll be getting: