Dawid se Kop Mountain Road is a very steep track with a mix of gravel and concrete, which provides access to the Telkom microwave tower at the summit of the 2520m high peak of the same name. This is on private property and not accessible by the general public. We have added this road to our database so everyone can experience what its like to drive, by watching the double video set.
The road only has a few bends and has to be driven in low range due to the very steep gradients which generally prevail at between 1:3 and 1:4. The views from the summit are simply fantastic, offering 360 degree panoramas over the region, with visibility exceeding 50 km on a clear day.
The peak is clearly visible from the R58 and from the Mountain Shadows Hotel, easily identifiable by the tall tower perched on top of it. It's an out and back drive with a lengthy two spoor gravel access road peppered with many farm gates. This is one of points of interest we offer on our Ben 10 Tours by special arrangement with the farm owner.
Scroll down to view the map & video. It is recommended to watch this video in HD. (Click on the "quality" button on the lower taskbar of the video screen and select 4K.) Wait a few seconds for the video to display.....
FULL-SCREEN MODE: Click PLAY, then pass your mouse over the bottom right corner of the video screen. The outline of a square will appear. Clicking on it will toggle Full Screen Mode. Press ESC to return to the original format.
Note: Google Earth software reads the actual topography and ignores roads, cuttings, tunnels, bridges and excavations. The Google Earth vertical-profile animation generates a number of parallax errors, so the profile is only a general guide of what to expect in terms of gradients, distance and elevation. The graph may present some impossible and improbable sharp spikes, which should be ignored.
Digging into the details:
We filmed this road in the descending mode to maximise on the amazing views and to illustrate just how steep the road is. During the construction phase of the tower and its associated equipment, things were distinctly hazardous on the track up to the summit, when two accidents indicated the necessity to concrete the track to ensure good traction.
One of the accidents involved a Unimog truck and the other a Ford Ranger LDV. In both cases the cause of the accidents was brake failure. Fortunately there were no fatalities or serious injuries in either case.
Never be the hero on steep roads like this by relying on your brakes. Always gear down to a level that allows you to descend primarily making use of engine compression to slow your vehicle down. The foot brake should only be occasionally lightly feathered to control speed. If you're braking more than 15% of the time, you need to go down another gear. Vehicles without low range capability are particularly vulnerable.
To the south of the summit plateau a white cross can be seen. This was erected by local farmer, Geudeon van Zyl, as a place for local farmers to pray and give thanks to God. It is a particularly spiritual place with wide views down over the R56 and the Mountain Shadows Hotel some 500m lower down in the valley.
From the 2520m summit point the road drops very steeply for 200m where it levels off on a spacious plateau. It then steepens quickly to around 1:7 and turns sharply into the south west for almost a kilometre, before switching sharply back into the south east. Just after this second bend, the gradients get very steep and remain steep until the second gate is reached.
As the descent commences, because of the very slow speed of around 10 kph, drivers and passengers will have time to absorb and appreciate the dramatic scenery as the road plunges headlong down the valley. There are very few trees at those high altitudes and most of the vegetation is lower than 1 metre, allowing for unobstructed views.
Closing of the gates is a tough job, due to the fact that vehicles are canted forward at a steep pitch, with gravity making any movement awkward. There are two gates that need to be opened and closed on the steepest part of the descent. Just after the second gate, there's a short drift where the road crosses over the other side of the valley.
From there the concrete gives way to a stony two spoor track and the gradients ease off to around 1:8.
Soon a third gate is reached, again at an awkward angle with deep ruts causing quite a drop for passengers opening the gate. The rest of the descent remains slow with the "pass" reaching it's end point at a small stream at the 3 km point at an altitude of 1500m ASL.
The fairly long and slow drive back to the R396 remains very attractive and takes about 30 minutes.
Fact File:
|
GPS START |
S31.176849 E27.865753. |
|
GPS SUMMIT |
S31.176849 E27.865753 |
|
GPS END |
S31.161639 E27.850997 |
|
AVE GRADIENT |
1:6 |
|
MAX GRADIENT |
1:3 |
|
ELEVATION START |
2520m |
|
ELEVATION SUMMIT |
2520m |
|
ELEVATION END |
2022m |
|
HEIGHT GAIN/LOSS |
498m |
|
DISTANCE |
3.0 km |
|
DIRECTION - TRAVEL |
NW |
|
TIME REQUIRED |
15 minutes |
|
SPEED LIMIT |
None |
|
SURFACE |
Gravel two spoor and concrete mix |
|
DATE FILMED |
02.12.2024 |
|
TEMPERATURE |
24C |
|
NEAREST TOWN |
Elliot / Khowa (38 km) |
Route Map:
Use these powerful features to get the best use out of the map:
- Choose either Map View or Satellite View (overlaid on the map detail.)
- Zoom in and out; rotate in any direction.
- Use the 'Get Route' feature (directly beneath the map): type in your address to get a personalised route straight from where you are to the pass, with time and distance included.
- Detailed written and printable directions.
- Drag the 'little orange man' icon onto the pass for a complete 360° tiltable "street view".
Route files:
||Click to download: Renosterpoort (N1) - (Note - This is a .kmz file which can be opened in Google earth and most GPS software systems)
