Looking west along the Telle River Valley / Photo: Trygve Roberts

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.

 

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