The Dassieshoek Pass is a gravel road just north of Robertson that connects the town with the Dassieshoek Nature Reserve, which nestles in the foothills of the Langeberg mountains. The pass is gravel and despite some extremely sharp corners, has relatively easy gradients and it can be driven in a normal sedan vehicle. The road is a dead–end. This is not an official pass, but qualifies to be listed in terms of our definition.
The Karoo has several dynamic passes and the De Jagers Pass is one of them. It's located on a good gravel road about 30km NNE of Beaufort West. Unless you're a local farmer, you'll have very little reason to be on this road. Of course, pass hunters don't care about these things, and this gravel pass will satisfy every cent spent on fuel, locating it. It's a farm road and leads only to other farms in the area, but it does offer many options to the adventurous traveller. Please note that our description covers an ascending route from south to north which is by far the easiest way to locate this pass, but our video was filmed in the opposite direction for maximum scenic value.
A pleasant little gravel pass close to Robertson in the Breede River Valley that connects Worcester with the R60 halfway to Robertson and provides a slower more scenic alternative to the R60. The road traverses two farming areas - first Rooilandia, then Eilandia. These two areas are separated by a ridge of mountains known as Die Bloubanke. The road interconnects all the farms in the valley with their immediate market towns and runs along the east/west axis on the northern side of the Breede River. (Wide or Broad River) The pass is suitable for all types of vehicles.
Die Venster translates into The Window. This is an easy pass with gentle curves and a fairly small altitude gain/loss. However, what it lacks in technical drama, it more than makes up for in terms of grand scenery. The road ascends gradually from the west through a curve to the left as it heads for the lowest point between two mountain ranges. From the summit, a vast landscape opens up featuring flat plains stretching as far as the eye can see with rugged mountains interrupting the Karooscape.
This scenic pass of 4,16 km descends through the attractive Diepkloof - a hidden kloof in the Swartberg and Skimmelberg mountains a few kilometres due west of the N7 and the Olifants River Valley approximately halfway between Citrusdal and Clanwiliam. The pass has some very steep gradients of 1;5 but these only last for short distances and will not present many problems for normal cars. The road does have some very sharp corners though, where caution needs to be exercised. This is a connecting farm road with low traffic volumes and offers a sublime drive for the less hurried traveller who enjoys gravel road driving. Best time to visit is June through to October.
This 4,5 km pass has a classic profile, but the eastern ascent is much longer than the western descent. The pass provides access to the last farm along this rugged valley and is preceded by the Pietersfontein Pass. The two passes run back to back for a distance of 14,4 km and make for a magnificent gravel drive. There aren't many sharp corners, but the gradients get as steep as 1:6. It is the very steep, unguarded drop-offs on the left and the dazzling scenery that make this pass worth seeking out.
The Doornkloof Pass is named after the original farm in the small and compressed valley formed by the Doringkloofrivier. The road is a dead end so you will need to retrace your route back to Pietersfontein. It makes this pass quite exclusive and only the more dedicated pass hunters will seek this one out.
The second portion (descent) of the pass is marked as a private road, so please be aware of a possible trespassing issue, but the sign board announcing this is very small and can easily go unnoticed.
This relatively unknown pass is located on the farm road designated MR00363 between the Swartberg Pass and Calitzdorp, just to the east of the Kruisrivier settlement. It offers marvellous scenery with the mighty Swartberg Range looming ever present to the north. With a moderate length of 4.7 km and an equally modest altitude gain of 156m it produces an easy average gradient of 1:30 but there are a few sections that do ramp up 1:8.
There are a number of passes to the north-east of Calitzdorp which mainly follow the many river courses that flow down from the Swartberg Mountains. These include the Kruisrivierpoort, Huis se Hoogte, and Coetzees Poort. There are a number of cautionaries for this pass, despite it's modest statistics. These inlclude some very sharp corners, steep drop offs, loose gravel on the corners, ruts and washaways as well as a strong possibility of finding livestock on the road.
The Doringkraal Pass is a short, low altitude gravel pass on a farm road approximately 10 km north-west of Heidelberg in the foothills of the Langeberg. The road follows the southern side of the Duiwenhoksrivier (Dove Cage River) and terminates at the point where the road crosses the river over a low level concrete bridge. This road is drivable in a normal sedan vehicle, but traction issues can happen if conditions are muddy.
This moderate pass of 3,5 km is located on a side access farm road, the OP 06104, which connects with the bigger gravel road, the P0294 exactly at the point where the Langkloof Poort becomes the Ouberg Pass. The road runs along the east west axis and follows the course of a small ravine along the Salmonswater river. The road provides access to several nature and game reserves, which include African Game Lodge and Mont Eco Nature Reserve.
It has an average gradient of 1:19 but those numbers are fudged by some fairly steep sections towards the eastern end where things get as steep as 1:7. The road can get quite rough after rainy periods, but on the day of filming it had recently been scraped and was in good condition. It is suitable for all vehicles in fair weather. Please note that this is an out and back route, so the pass has to be driven first ascending, then descending returning to your starting point.
This fairly long pass offers an easy drive on a safe, well constructed main route - the N12 - between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn in the vicinity of Klaarstroom. When approaching from the north, this is the first set of mountains the N12 traverses after more than 100 km of almost arrow straight flat driving over the vast plains of the Karoo. The poort is named after the Droekloof Mountains, through which the pass winds. The name translates into Dry Ravine or Passage.
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