Beautiful mountain views along the section near Wupperthal
Beautiful mountain views along the section near Wupperthal - Photo: Trygve Roberts

The Eselbank Pass, a section of which also appears on some maps as the Kerskop Pass, connects the village of Eselbank in the south with the Moravian village of Wupperthal, in a high altitude part of the Cederberg. The pass is 5 km long and is very steep in places, but these sections have been concreted which assists greatly with traction. It has an average gradient of 1:12 but the steep sections get up to 1:5.

You can enjoy fabulous mountain scenery along this pass and along the summit plateau area there are beautiful, weathered sandstone formations and Rooibos tea plantations. Allow plenty of time to complete the route from Matjiesrivier to Wupperthal- at least 90 to 120 minutes. The section between Matjiesrivier and Eselbank can be very tricky in the wet season (winter) when a 4WD vehicle will be mandatory.

Note: This route is not recommended for normal cars. Things can get a bit rough on this road. It's more of a track at times and especially so in bad weather. Having said that, I have seen some puny little front wheel drive cars successfully negotiating the entire route, but your car will be the worse for wear at the end. We have included three videos, which include an overview of the village as well as the waterfall.

PLEASE DON'T PUT STICKERS ANYWHERE THAT IS NOT YOUR PROPERTY AND ESPECIALLY NOT ON ROAD SIGNS.

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Note: Conditions can change over time. These guides are designed for planning and familiarisation, so there are fewer surprises on the day.

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