When travelling through the Baviaanskloof from west to east, the Holgat Pass is 5th pass you will need to traverse - the first four being the Nuwekloof Pass, Studtis Poort, Grasnek Pass and Langkop Pass. The Holgat Pass is often confused with the Combrinks Pass which lies a few kilometers further east. The pass is essentially the ascent up the final big mountain climb for travellers heading eastwards, interrupted by a high altitude plateau (where the Bergplaas campsites can be found) followed by the Combrinks Pass as the descent. If you are new to the Baviaanskloof, we recommend first watching the Orientation and Overview video
The pass contains 49 bends, corners and curves within its 4,7 km length and 10 of those corners are greater than 90 degrees. The road is partially strip concreted and sections of the concrete are in poor condition, making for quite a bumpy ride. Most of the pass has steep, unguarded drop-offs and drivers need to be alert. Overtaking is impossible and passing vehicles travelling in the opposite direction will require both vehicles to move over to create sufficient passing space.
The rest of this article is for members.
Join for R575 per year and unlock 936+ pass pages, including:
- Full mountain pass history and photos
- Drive-through video filmed by Trygve Roberts (so you can virtually drive the route and know what to expect)
- Fact file (GPS start/summit/end, gradients, elevation, surface, distance, time, date filmed, nearest town)
- Google Maps directions link + downloadable KMZ route file (Google Earth and most GPS software)
You will also receive our bi-weekly newsletter, packed with the latest interesting passes and tour news.
Note: Conditions can change over time. These guides are designed for planning and familiarisation, so there are fewer surprises on the day.
Subscribe Now (1 year) Subscribe Now (Lifetime)
Already a member? Log in to view the full article.
See 5 open pass pages as examples:
