* Lesotho
* Katse Dam
* Maletsunyane Falls
* Podcast
* Pass of the Week
As you read this newsletter we will be well past the halfway mark of our 2023 Inaugural Mountain Kingdom Tour. A huge amount of planning, adjusting, emails, What's App messages and phone calls have gone into the planning of this tour, which is also our first full venture into a joint venture association with an independent Lesotho specialist.
Philip Rawlins, who owns the guest house 'Resthaven' in Matatiele is an acknowledged specialist on 'matters Lesotho' and as an added bonus he is trilingual, being fluent in Sotho. That opens up all sorts of doors on a tour of this nature and his skills and ability to communicate effectively with the locals will go a long way to ensuring our tour is trouble free.
But let's tell you a little more about Lesotho.
It's an enclave country, completely surrounded by South Africa and is one of only three such countries in the world. The others being the Vatican City and San Marino (Italy).
* Krugersdorp
* Tours Update
* South Africa 1880
* Pass of the Week
This West Rand town has frequently made headlines - mostly for the wrong reasons (Devilsdorp), but there are certainly some other interesting stories to tell.
Krugersdorp was the location of one of the most daring tunnel robberies ever to take place in South Africa. Robbers hired a shop which was adjacent to the Standard Bank, using a false name and on the pretence that they were setting up a photo studio, then papered over the windows with newsprint so that nobody could see what was going on inside.
During the period preceding the robbery, the robbers dug a tunnel to the bank, placing the soil in bags that were then removed from the premises. What counted in their favour was that the ground was relatively soft, and there were no underground cables or pipes on the route. They even installed wooden support props in their tunnel.
They had done their homework very well; they knew that compressors were being used nearby, enabling them to mask any sounds that they would make during the excavation. In fact, the bank had turned off its trembler alarms for that very reason.
After digging for three months to create a tunnel 21 metres long, the robbers reached the bank vault. Over the Easter weekend of 1977, the tunnellers broke through and robbed the bank of R413,000 worth about R10 million in today’s money. The robbers have never been identified, and no arrests have ever been made. Now that would have made a good movie too!
A quick update on the latest status of bookings:
April: Tankwa Tour - 1 spot available
May: Wild Coast V6 Tour - Fully booked
July: Swartberg Tour - 1 spot available
August: Garden Route Tour - 4 spots available
September: 7 Sisters Tour - 9 spots available
October: Kouga Baviaans Tour - 1 spot available
November: Wild Coast V7 Tour - Fully booked
December: Ben 10 Eco Challenge - 7 spots available
In this new series we take a look at what happened in the year 1880
* £50,000 worth of diamonds are reported stolen from Cape Town's post office.
* Mountain Kingdom Tour
* Tankwa Tour
* Wild Coast Tours
* Sand driving tutorial
* Podcast
* Pass of the Week
With just 9 days to go to our first ever joint venture tour, the final bits and pieces are being sorted out as the anticipation builds. During this tour we will be driving a number of high altitude passes including Sani, Kotisephola (Black Mountain), Mafika Lisiu and many more. We will visit the Mohale and Katse dams as well as the magical Maletsunyane Falls at Semongkong. There will be time to experience some local culture and learn about the Basotho way of life.
This was our first tour which was sold out before we even launched it. Our JV partner on this tour is the very knowledgeable Philip Rawlins, a native of Matatiele and owner of Resthaven Guest House, where we will start and end the tour. He knows every nook and cranny in the area and is an acknowledged expert on Lesotho. Besides English and Afrikaans, he is fluent in Sotho as well. Our guests are going to be in for a real treat.
MPSA 1 will be acting as sweep on this tour and we are planning on filming as many of the passes in Lesotho as possible, which will include drone footage. So there will be lots to report back on during March and April. Check in on our social media pages (Facebook & Instagram) as we will try and post daily, subject to signal availability.
Coming up in April over the Easter weekend is our inaugural Tankwa Tour. We have two tickets left, so why not join us on this fascinating tour over the plains of the Tankwa and ascend the Gannaga Pass. The tour includes a guided tour of the SALT facilties in Sutherland; a traverse of the spectacular Ouberg Pass and a number of points of interest to make this an Easter weekend you'll remember for a long time. The tour starts in Tulbagh and ends in Ceres.
We've had one cancellation on each of these tours. We will not advertise these spaces until after the weekend to give our regulars first option.
WILD COAST V6 TOUR (May 2023)
WILD COAST V7 TOUR (Nov 2023)
We had lots of positive feedback on last week's report back on our dune training day and many requests for more advice on sand driving. So without further ado, here follows our training manual:
* Langeni Pass under threat?
* Coffee Bay Flood Damage
* Lifetime subscriptions
* Ashton Arch Bridge
* Atlantis Training Day
* Pass of the Week
We have received some concerning photos and videos of what appears to be foundation cracks and subsidence on the Langeni Pass. This big (and fairly new) pass is a major commercial route between Mthatha and Ugie and primarily serves the paper pulp and chipboard industries. It was known when it was constructed that the road would be carrying many heavily laden trucks. As a consequence the road surface is a matrix of concrete and tar resulting in a smooth and strong surface, capable of handling the slow and ponderous traffic.
Recent heavy rainfalls in the area have caused considerable damage to infrastructure - especially roads and bridges. We have forwarded the photos and videos to one of the engineers of construction company HHO for their further investigation and action. We will report the outcome here as soon as we have any updates.
Localised flooding was extreme in the Coffee Bay area with the main bridge having been swept away as you enter the village. It's going to take some time before it can be rebuilt. In the meantime a decent detour has already been constructed, so access to the Ocean View Hotel, Hole in the Wall and surrounds is once again open.
After launching this new category of subscription, we were most impressed with the response and that the long term value in this category of subscription was seen by many. If you want to become a lifetime member, the advantages are (a) No more annual renewals, (b) no annual price increases, (c) special discounts on certain tours and other offers. Click here to see more and make the switch: SUBSCRIPTIONS
Our sand training days are always popular and our 2023 version was fully booked in short order. We made a number of improvements to the training, which included adding a mid-convoy sweep as well as a quieter spot to do our radio installations and first briefing. The quad bikes and scramblers create a lot of irritating noise, so we try and separate ourselves from those groups as much as possible. We also introduced temporary red flags to mark off safety areas for our group.
The day started with a curved ball with a major accident between a minibus taxi and a truck on the R27 close to the dunes. Traffic officers had closed the R27 at the Duynefontein intersection, which meant most of our guests had to drive to the N7 from Melkbos and get back to the dunes through Atlantis town. That meant we had one or two latecomers, but that didn't delay things by much at all.
* You talk - we listen
* Trips, Tours & Training
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge V6 - Day 5
* Atlantis Novice Sand Training
* Podcast
* Pass of the Week
Many of the ideas, concepts and innovations used in the constant evolution of our website and social media pages, have come from our subscribers and followers. One such idea arrived in our inbox from a long standing subscriber, Willie Uys, who suggested the viability of a Lifetime Subscription. We instantly liked the concept and brain-stormed some of the technical side-issues and within 72 hours it's been launched!
You can now take out a lifetime subscription for a one-off price of R5000. The benefits are that you don't have to go through the annual renewal process and also skip the annual price increases. Even better, we will be offering substantial discounts on some of our tours to this category of membership.
Click on the link to read more and take up the offer: LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP
March - The Mountain Kingdom Tour (Lesotho) - Fully Booked
April - Tankwa Tour - Easter Weekend - 2 spots available
May - Wild Coast V6 Tour - Fully booked
July - Swartberg Tour - 1 spot available
August - Garden Route Tour - Bookings have opened today - 9 spots available.
September - Seven Sisters Tour - Bookings will open next week
October - Kouga Baviaans Tour - 1 spot available
November - Wild Coast V7 Tour - We've just had a cancellation, so there's 1 spot available
December - Ben 10 Eco Challenge - Inaugural tour over the new passes. Bookings will open next week.
With an easier day ahead of us, we adjusted our departure time to 09h30 allowing for a leisurely breakfast and some extra sleep to recover from the rigours of the tough previous day. That of course excluded the three gents who went for an ice cold swim in Loch Ness and looked visibly pink and refreshed (or so they said!)
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge - the adventure continues
* Montagu Pass - Drone version
* Trips & Tours
* From Cape Agulhas to Norway on a bicycle
* Pass of the Week
The rain forecast remained. With a very long day ahead of us, we called for a slightly earlier start and got our convoy going at 0800 sharp. We had no less than three challenge passes on the schedule, with another few additional passes thrown in. The now well known drive to Barkly East went without a hitch, where we turned right just north of the town and arrived at our first point of interest - Loch Bridge.
Cameras clicked and videos were taken of the beautiful old sandstone bridge, built by Joseph Newey in 1883 after which we stopped a little further up the Tierkrans Pass to view the old railway bridge as well as the 7th and 8th railway reverses. It is such a pity that this magnificent railway route is not used for tourism purposes. How about it Rovos Rail?
Muddy conditions accompanied us as we worked our way through the tranquil New England farms - up Wintersnek and over Ballochs Pass, where we reconnected with the R393 and the Wartrail Valley. The entire area was covered in a deep green blanket, with waterfalls and rushing streams. We could not have picked a better time to visit.
Our first challenge of the day beckoned - Lundean's Nek Pass. Road conditions weren't too bad as we stopped for a leg stretch at the summit, where the Maluti range beckon darkly to the north. The descent down to Tele River was a fantastic drive, punctuated with cattle herders on horseback accompanied by long haired dogs. Our new route takes us all along the banks of the Tele River (which forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho) and up past a small village with a church in a most dramatically beautiful setting.
A short, steep, partially concreted pass heralded the turnaround point for the day. We stopped at a fabulous rock pool on the way back where some of our more adventurous guests took a dip, but there was more to come later in the day up at Loch Ness. The return leg back over Lundean's Nek could just as well be another pass altogether as the vistas are totally different on the way back to Wartrail.
* Bastervoetpad
* MPSA Drone Studio
* Tours Updates
* Pass of the Week
* Words of Wisdom
We had the convoy ready to leave by 08.30 with a rainy forecast and of course the countryside was sopping wet after it rained solidly from around 14.00 the previous day till 05.00 the next day. Our route took us over the Bottelnek Pass and it was something of a relief to see it wasn't as muddy as expected. We took a break at the summit of the Bottelnek Pass to enjoy the sweeping landscape below us. Guests were in fine spirits (either that or they were good actors!) as we moved on to the most difficult pass of the challenge - Bastervoetpad.
At the start we had the whole convoy switch to low range and advised drivers to deploy diff-locks whenever they felt they needed to. We crawled up the northern face of the pass. Wet and stony, rather than muddy conditions, allowed us to make good time to the summit, which was below the cloud base, allowing the most fabulous views over the green mountains, rivers and valleys leading down to the plateau around the Ugie area. The drone was deployed to take a group photo and then it was time to start the 13 km descent.
The road on the southern slopes was tricky with plenty of running water, rocks and mud to keep the drivers on their toes. Alan Buccholtz in his Land Rover Discovery 5 called in on the radio to advise he had a sidewall cut. Light drizzle had settled in, but soon the tyre was changed under difficult conditions, where a hole had to be dug to get the jack under the vehicle.
It wasn't 15 minutes later when Alan picked up his second sidewall cut. Fortunately he had two spare wheels, so the next wheel change took place, leaving the hapless driver with no more puncture options. It must have been nail biting stuff driving the rest of the pass with no spare wheel.
The very tricky section just after the chicane section, which had given us so much trouble in the previous Ben 10 Tour, was still difficult, but not nearly as bad. We had the whole convoy through that obstacle which is only 40m long in about 40 minutes. The road levels off after that forming a long contour section past three waterfalls which all had good flow and made for a beautiful scene, reminiscent of Switzerland.
* Trips & Tours
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge (Report back)
* Hydro Power
* Pass of the Week
* Free Wisdom
FEBRUARY
Atlantis Sand Training Day – Sunday, 12th February. We have 1 spot open for this day of fun amongst the white dunes. Come and learn or simply brush up on your skills. We organise everything and the tour costs include your entry permit, user manual and completion certificate. Click the green link to book online.
MARCH
Lesotho Mountain Kingdom Tour (March) – Fully booked.
APRIL
Tankwa Tour (Easter weekend) – Experience the magic and solitude of the Tankwa with its majestic passes like Gannaga and Ouberg as well as a day visit to the SALT telescopes. Easter is great time to visit as it isn’t too cold or hot. There are 7 spots available. (4 days & 4 nights)
MAY
Wild Coast V6 Tour – Fully booked
JULY
Swartberg Classic with a brand new configuration. We’ve changed the starting point, added in an extra day and included several new gravel passes. There are 2 tickets available. Click the green link to book online.
AUGUST
Garden Route Tour (8th to 12th). This will be our second running of this tour with some fresh innovations. The tour has not yet been loaded (until all the preliminary routes and venues have been finalised. You can do a priority booking per email to:
SEPTEMBER
Seven Sisters Tour (23/24th) The bookings will open in the next two weeks for this tour. You can do a priority booking per email to:
OCTOBER
Kouga-Baviaans Tour (10th to 14th). One of our most popular medium length tours. This year we are doing this tour in the reverse order by starting with a big splash at Karoo Theatrical Hotel and ending at Kareedouw at Assegaaibosch Lodge. There are 4 spots still available.
NOVEMBER
Wild Coast Tour V7 (31st Oct to 11th Nov). Fully booked, but we can put you on the cancellation list. Email us at
DECEMBER
Ben 10 Eco Challenge. Our brand new revamped Ben 10 Tour will drop the TTT, Ben MacDhui and Barkly Pass and replace them with 3 gravel passes in keeping with the spirit of the challenge and all will be gravel. This tour will be loaded in the next fortnight. You can do a priority booking per email to:
With a forecast for heavy rain, we brought in the bomb squad (our spare day) as we really didn’t want to tackle Bastervoetpad in very wet weather. We asked for a slightly later start and noted that the weather looked reasonable over the mountain next to Mountain Shadows Hotel – direction Dawid se Kop.
* Tankwa Tour - Good to go.
* Wild Coast Tour - More good news
* Ben 10 V6 Tour - Report back
* Drone Progress
* Pass of the Week
* Wisdom from Uncle Albert
The planned trip to the Tankwa Karoo over the Easter weekend is now finalised. Bookings will open by this weekend. A short summary of the itinerary is as follows:
Thursday 6th April: Meet at the Tulbagh Heritage Hotel for the meet & greet, driver briefing, some fine wine and tasty cuisine, followed by a comfortable night's sleep in style.
Friday 7th April: Depart Tulbagh and route over Michell's Pass, Gydo Pass, Op die Berg, Klein Cederberg Pass, Katbakkies Pass, Peerboomskloof Pass, Tankwa Farm Stall, a full traverse of the Tankwa Karoo National Park, Gannaga Pass. Overnight at the Gannaga Lodge.
Saturday 8th April: Drive to Sutherland - from there on to the South African Large Telescope for a guided tour which will be fascinating. We return to Gannaga Lodge via a different route with a few surprises, for a good meal and some liquid refreshments and a sound sleep under a blanket of Karoo stars.
Sunday 9th April: Ouberg Pass, Turck se Pas, Komsberg Pass, Rooikloof Pass and overnight in Sutherland at the Sutherland Hotel.
Monday 10th April: Verlatenkloof Pass, Windheuvel Pass, Thys se Hoogte, Jukhoogte, southern traverse of the Tankwa Karoo, Karoo Poort, Hottentotskloof Pass, Theronsberg Pass, Ceres (where the tour ends).
For those who have booked on the Wild Coast Tours, we are pleased to advise that we have secured accommodation at the Umngazi River Lodge as well as a new finishing venue at the Haga Haga Hotel. We have also secured permission to do a site tour of the new suspension mega bridge over the Msikaba Gorge, where installation of the decking sections has commenced. There is 1 ticket left for the November Tour. The May tour remains fully booked.
For bookings on other tours (Atlantis sand Driving Training, Kouga Baviaans, Swartberg) please use this link:
BEN 10 Eco Challenge - Day 1 (Part 2)
We left lady Grey before midday. The white fluffy clouds had turned grey and started looking a little menacing as we headed back east along the newly tarred R58 route via Benjaminshoogte, where the first rains started. Our route heads south along the gravel R392 towards Dordrecht. With good rains in the fortnight prior to the tour, it only took a little rain to turn the roads into a skid pan. Many drivers are concerned about mud, but on these summer tours, one quickly begins to understand the behaviour of one's vehicle and with a little sage guidance, our group were all driving very well, with no recoveries necessary.
* Trips, Training & Tours
* Up, up & away!
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge report back
* Pass of the week
* A snippet of wisdom
With most businesses and factories heading back to work this week, it's a sure sign that the summer holidays are over. It's also the perfect time to plan a trip and secure a booking - something to look forward to in the not too distant future.
Come and join us for a day of fun on the white sands of Atlantis Dunes just north of Cape Town, where we will teach the basics of sand driving, tyre deflation, self recovery, traction and momentum, which will leave you with confidence to venture out on your own or with friends. We cover the full spectrum including assisted recoveries. We will have three safety marshalls to ensure our group is well cared for. You will leave at the day's end armed with a take-home user manual as well as a completion certificate. Click on the link to make an online booking. There are 5 places left.
We are still finalising accommodation issues for this tour. It should go onto our shop page within the next two weeks.
This tour has been altered to add in some new points of interest as well as several new passes. We've also changed the starting point and added in an extra day at Bosch Luys Kloof Lodge. There are 3 tickets left.
Our 2022 inaugural version of this tour was a great success. We are busy making a number of improvements to the accommodation venues. As soon as this is finalised, booking will open.
We are busy adding a few attractive additional points of interest into this tour. It will be loaded in the next two weeks.
One of our most sought after tours, we are adding something fresh into this tour. We are reversing the route this year for a number of reasons, the most important is to spoil our guests with an opening night at the Karoo Theatrical Hotel - a seriously enjoyable experience.
The Wild Coast Tours continue to be fully booked well in advance of the tour dates. We have decided to offer a second tour in the wet season. There are 3 tickets left.
Be the first to drive the newest version of the tour. With the long term closure of the Ben MacDhui Pass, it's time to reinvent this tour. We are working hard creating a brand new Ben 10 Eco Challenge. We will be removing the TTT (as it's not a popular route with most people), Barkly Pass (as it's tarred) and of course the Ben MacDhui Pass. We will stick with the 10 pass formula and will be adding three new gravel passes into the mix. Booking should open towards the end of January.
After 5 years of indecision, we finally took the plunge and ordered a drone - the DJi Mini 3 Pro. After an interesting first week of test flights and experimentation, the drone is starting to produce some interesting photos and video clips. Our first mountain pass drone filming will happen very soon.
Page 7 of 57
|
Mountain Passes of South Africa | 2024 © Trygve Roberts |
disclaimer |
