* Pass of the week
* Garden Route Tour - Day 4
* Seven Sisters Tour - Day 1 B
* Grabouw 4x4 Novice Training
* Ben 10 calling...
* Podcast
It's been the culmination of many weeks of hard work, but we are proud to present a brand new 4 part video series on the recently refurbished Bain's Kloof Pass. The video footage was filmed post refurbishment and features the newest footage of the pass. In the voice narration we dig back into Andrew Bain's life and the culmination of his life's work in this timeless masterpiece.
We bade the beautiful gardens at Belvidere Manor adieu after a sunny breakfast on the veranda of the old Manor House, heading back to the N2. Close to Knysna, we turned north onto the Old Cape Road, which was once the main road in and out of Knysna.
This was the biggest day of the tour in terms of distance to be covered. The very first point of interest was the Simola Hill Climb - scene of fast cars, skilful drivers and breakneck speeds. The hill climb is fairly short, but it has several bends and climbs very steeply, especially towards the upper half. As we were driving at a fairly sedate 40 kph we had time to admire the manicured grounds of the Simola Golf Estate.
At the summit, we immediately entered the Gouna forest and with it the beginning of a very long stretch of gravel driving. The Gouna Pass is a gravel road connecting the Gouna Forestry village in the north with the Old Cape Road close to the Simola Golf Estate. It is a spectacular drive through dense indigenous forests and amber, tumbling rivers. The hustle and bustle of Knysna was quickly forgotten as we wound our way steeply down to the crossing of the Gouna River. A small pump station and weir serves as a supplementary water resource for Knysna.
Despite the easy numbers of the average gradient at 1:30, many parts of this pass, especially on the eastern side of the Gouna river valley, range between 1:5 and 1:8. Some of these steeper sections have been concreted to aid traction. The Gouna Pass leads to the Gouna Forestry Station and also joins Kom se Pad traverse at that point, allowing a complete circular drive starting and ending in Knysna.
Once up on the mountain ridges, the views are gorgeous with ridge upon ridge of green clad hills ranging away on both sides of the road. Before long the road splits and the condition deteriorates somewhat as we climbed up to the Gouna Forestry Station. Giant Yellowwoods and resonating birdsong, mark the western start of Kom se Pad. This beautiful drive through the lush indigenous forests of the mountains north of Knysna, takes about an hour, as it winds its way between Gouna in the west and Diepwalle in the east. This is one of the best publicly accessible roads in deep indigenous forests where one doesn't require to be in a 4WD vehicle.
* Pass of the week
* Fresh ideas for 2023
* Garden Route Tour - Day 3
* Seven Sisters Tour - Day 1
* Cederberg Day Trip
* Podcast
The Kouberg Pass is a very steep pass that loses 446m of altitude over just 4.8 km on a minor gravel road (P2262) which takes vehicles down to the Moravian settlement of Wupperthal in the central Cederberg area. The road is quite narrow in places and very steep on the concrete sections. A lower gear should be engaged to make use of engine compression to save on brakes overheating. The link below will take you directly to the featured pass page where you can enjoy the video and all information normally reserved for subscribers only. This pass ties in nicely with the information further on in this newsletter as well as with the podcast.
* * Kouberg Pass (P2262) - Western Cape * *
We've been working for about two years on a project that started during Covid and is now on the brink of being launched. We will be adding a menu link to a new section of the website which we believe will resonate with our readers. There will be two separate websites, which will be accessible from the mother site. One will be Lighthouses South Africa and the other will be Shipwrecks South Africa. These two projects dovetail perfectly with one another, yet are different in their respective challenges. They will operate under their own domains but will be accessible via the MPSA site
The Lighthouses project will be launched first followed by Shipwrecks in 2023. An enormous amount of research is required on the shipwrecks project, so it will take time, but our aim is to have a comprehensive and interesting resource to add another perspective to the MPSA overall package and engage on a different level with our subscribers and followers.
We are also trying out a new format with our newsletters by putting the Pass of the Week at the top of the page, rather than the bottom. Feel to let us know how you feel about these changes. We welcome constructive criticism.
With warm sunshine and blue skies we set off from the Wilderness Hotel by ascending the very steep Heights Road in Wilderness with a detour to the Map of Africa view site. It's a popular spot for tourists, plus it's the launch site for the paragliders that are frequently seen gliding effortlessly in the lift above Dolphin Point and Wilderness Beach. On the landward side of the view point the Kaaimans River has carved a deep gorge through the mountains, forming a remarkably similar outline to the southern half of Africa.
About 20 years ago your scribe did a one day paragliding course, which started with a few short dune flights and culminated in a solo flight from Map of Africa with a fairly decent landing on Wilderness Beach. It was a memorable day!
We regrouped and headed back to the 7 Passes Road, only this time we turned into the east, ticking off Thomas Bain's famous passes one by one: Touw River, Hoogekraal, Karatara, Homtini and Phantom passes. We had completed Silver River and Kaaimansgat passes the previous day.
* Latest news on tours
* Garden Route Tour (Day 4)
* Seven Sisters Tour
* Podcast
* Pass of the Week
All our tours are now fully booked, except for the Ben 10 Eco Challenge where we have one place open. If you have some experience at off-road driving here's a great way to unwind before Christmas.
For the full itinerary and pricing click here: BEN 10 ECO CHALLENGE V6 OFFICIAL TOUR
On Day 1 our route takes along the scenic R58 road following the Sterkspruit via some amazing sandstone formations to Barkly East . We remain on the R58 and traverse the Kraai River Pass and later the Grondnek Pass, where after we turn off the tar onto gravel and follow one of the finest gravel roads in the Eastern Cape Highlands through verdant farms, cascading streams and deep valleys. This road leads us to our first challenge pass of the tour – Jouberts Pass which we drive in the descending mode offering lofty views of the town of Lady Grey.
We visit Lady Grey and swing back onto the R58 heading south over Benjaminshoogte Pass, where we will see some of old rail reverses and an abandoned rail tunnel. We turn off the tar onto the R392 and head south to Clanville crossing the Kraai River a second time. At Clanville we turn south-east along a linking farm road where we take a lunch break in a beautiful birch forest. We then join the R396 via Perdenek and change direction again at Clifford, where the road leads us southwards into the waiting arms of the beautiful Otto du Plessis Pass, which is the second challenge pass of the tour. The summit views are exceptional.
Once over the Otto du Plessis Pass, we head east to Elliot (Khowa) accompanied by some beautiful vistas of the southern Drakensberg with its towering buttresses and green valleys, to rejoin the tarred R58 and ascend the Barkly Pass – the third challenge pass for the day, to return to the good food and warm hospitality waiting for us at Mountain Shadows Hotel at the top of the pass (2000m ASL)
Day 2:
Our route heads north-west briefly, where we turn onto gravel at the Bottelnek Valley – a remote and isolated farming valley with those magnificently tall Lombardi poplars and birch forests, past farmsteads dating back to the late 1800’s. Then we ascend the Bottelnek Pass and join the R396, which leads us to the most anticipated pass of the entire tour – the Bastervoedpad Pass.
* Trips, Tours & Training
* Seven Sisters - An action packed weekend awaits
* Ben 10 in December - Will it be a wet and muddy challenge?
* Garden Route Tour (Day 3)
* Murder on Montagu Pass
* Pass of the week
Seven Sisters Tour (Fully Booked) - It's happening this weekend and the weather forecast is looking perfect. We will report back on this 1 night / 2 day tour next week. This is the first running of this tour and we are looking forward meeting up with old friends as well as meeting the new first timers. The tour includes a traverse of the Jan Phillips Mountain Road, a drive through the service tunnel with a Tolcon manager chatting to us as we proceed; a drive up the Seven Sisters Pass, lunch on a mountain top farm, the old Du Toitskloof Pass, Slanghoek Valley, the newly opened Bains Kloof Pass, an overnight stay at Diemersfontein Wine Estate, a traverse of the Cape Nature track along the source of the Witte River to Happy Valley and some serious gin and grappa tasting at a 200 year old distillery. All that packed into 2 days. The anticipation is palpable.
Grabouw 4x4 Novice Training (30th Oct). We have just had a cancellation this morning, so there is one place up for grabs.
Kouga-Baviaans Tour (15th - 19th November) - This popular tour is fully booked. You can put your name down on the cancellation list if interested.
Ben 10 Eco Challenge Official Tour (10th - 15th December) - An exciting tour for the intermediate to experienced 4x4 driver, which is likely to be on the wet side. Experience the finest high altitude scenery over the 10 challenge passes and several other excursions like vulture watching and a drive up the very steep Dawid se Kop (2500m). We have 2 spaces open.
Mountain Kingdom (Lesotho) Tour (12th - 18th March 2023) - Fully booked. Cancellation list available.
Wild Coast V6 Tour (9th - 20th May 2023) - Fully booked. Cancellation list available.
To be put down on the cancellation list, simply drop us an email with your preferences to:
It rained hard all night, but the morning dawned crisp and clear. Perfect weather for touring gravel roads, which received a good damping down from the rain and in the process reduced dust levels to almost zero. Our first pass of the day started less than 100m from our hotel in Wilderness.
Whites Road is a lovely meandering mountain road with a mix of tar and gravel offering glimpses between the dense vegetation of the ocean, beaches, lagoon and the Touw and Serpentine Rivers as it winds gently up to Wilderness Heights. The road is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists as the gradients are very comfortable at around 1:16 most of the time.
* Trips & Tours
* Garden Route Tour Day 1
* Podcast
* Pass of the week
15/16 October 2022 - Seven Sisters Tour (Fully booked). We will be repeating this tour in 2023 for those that missed out.
30th October 2022 - Grabouw Novice 4x4 Training Day - (Fully booked). This tour will also be repeated during 2023.
15th - 19th November 2022 - Kouga Baviaans Tour (Fully Booked)
10th - 15th December 2022 - Ben 10 Eco Challenge - 2 places available.
12th to 18th March 2023 - Mountain Kingdom (Lesotho) Tour (Fully booked)
9th to 20th May - Wild Coast Tour (Fully Booked)
Cancellations are a normal part of running tours. We are operating cancellation lists for any future tours you might be interested in. Email us your details to be added to the cancellation list to
We departed Gondwana Nature Reserve in steady rain which instantly reduced dust levels to zero. Always look at the brighter side of life!
Our route took us through the Hagelkraal area over very hilly terrain, where each neck in the mountains offered fresh vistas, until we connected with the tarred R326 close to the 8 Bells Inn. Although we didn't stop there (owing to the time spent at Gondwana) this wonderful old country hotel has some fascinating history.
In the year 1816 the property on which Eight Bells stands today, was granted by the then Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset, to a certain Johannes Petrus Marx. It was some 2322 morgen in extent.
The route taken by travellers and traders between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn passed through the property and a condition of title was that “a place of outspan be set aside” at the foot of the Attakwas Mountain Pass, (now known as the Robinson Pass). Today only a small piece of the “original outspan” adjoins Eight Bells.
* Ben 10 is calling
* Lesotho-Sani Tour
* Swartberg Tour (Day 4)
* Podcast
* Pass of the week
We have 3 spots available for our annual Ben 10 Eco Challenge Official Tour. Be the one! Sign up for 5 days and 6 nights of camaraderie, fun, excitement, technical driving, probably plenty of mud and test yourself and your vehicle on some of the most beautiful and challenging passes in South Africa. Earn the badge! We supply comfortable hotel based accommodation with two hearty meals daily.
The Ben MacDhui Pass is still closed to the public (we will try and get special permission). The substitute pass is the Bottelnek Pass ( 2204m)
This much anticipated tour is now very close to being published. Load shedding issues have prevented us from launching it this week, but it is happening. The tour will take place from the 12th to the 18th March, 2023. Watch this space. Those that have requested prioity bookings will be notified personally ahead of the tour being published.
Another new venture we are in the process of initiating is the replacement of some of our tourism boards. There are 4 in urgent need of replacement. Recently a (drunk) motorist missed the corner at Dolphin Point on the Kaaimans River Pass and trashed the MPSA sign there (plus his car) with the whole lot ending down below on the railway line. That sign needs to be replaced lock, stock and barrel.
On Burgers Pass near Montagu, a bluegum tree toppled over, badly damaging the sign there and the sign along the Hexrivier Pass has been blasted with a shotgun. These two need just the boards replaced as the poles are still intact. Another sign on the 7 Passes Road has been hit by a truck and the sign at the summit of Du Toits Kloof Pass has been so badly vandalised it is no longer a tourist attraction but an eyesore.
Maintenance is an ongoing problem. Our recent appeal for a new sign at the summit of the Swartberg Pass (Die Top) elicited a quick response from a Pretoria based businessman who paid for the new sign and had it erected. Maintaining the signs is one thing, but replacing them is beyond the financial abilities of MPSA. And that's where crowd funding comes into the picture.
We are planning on raising R100,000 to replace the signs mentioned above and will be offering both corporate and private sponsorship. Those will benefit directly from positive exposure on our social media platforms. The programme will soon be appearing on our website under a separate menu tab: PROJECTS.MPSA
If you want to get involved in the early stages, please send us an email:
Our convoy started the climb up Lawson's Pass with a slight change in convoy order, by moving Des and Ann Price in their 4x2 Renault Duster Automatic behind the MPSA Land Cruiser, just in case they got stuck. It's actually quite awkward driving a 4x2 vehicle in a group where eveyone else is in low range. I asked Des to hang back and allow us to get well ahead before he commenced the climb. It wasn't long and he had caught up, requiring him to stop on a slightly flatter section to allow us to get ahead again. The Land Cruiser was working hard in low range trying to stay ahead of the Duster.
* Paying the bills
* Garden Route Tour (Report back)
* Swartberg Tour (Day 4A)
* Podcast
* Pass of the week
We have engaged the services of an expert on Lesotho, Philip Rawlins, in a joint venture effort to put on a world class tour in the Mountain Kingdom. We have now finalised all the accommodation and routing details. These will be published next week on our Shop/Tours page. Demand has exceeded supply for this tour (based on pre-bookings). We can only take 12 vehicles. All those names on the priority list (28 at this stage) will be given advance notice to book and an exact time when bookings will open. Please note our booking system is fully automated, so be ready to book when we notify you. Bookings will be on a first come, first served basis.
If you have some spare time in early December, why not join us on the ultimate adventure tour. We'll guide you through the 10 challenge passes and several more as we take in the grand spectacle of the Drakensberg with its majestic scenery, amazing sandstone formations, tranquil farms and sparkling rivers. We'll take you to mountain tops you can't get access to on your own ; to watch the vultures soaring - and in between all that you'll enjoy country style food, good wine and revel in the camaraderie of like-minded travellers. You will need some experience to do this tour as well as a high clearance vehicle with low range.
The Garden Route Tour which took place last week was another success. As is the case with all inaugural tours, we iron out any weak spots to ensure future tours become ever more successful. We kicked things off at the Rooiberg Lodge near Vanwyksdorp as our rendezvous point. Everyone loved Rooiberg, to the point that our next Garden Route Tour (GRT) will include two nights at the lodge to allow those that have travelled big distances to relax, soak up the tranquillity, have a swim, go game watching or tackle the 4x4 route.
What makes this venue so enjoyable? The fact that is in the middle of nowhere is a good starting point, lending to it's universal appeal. It's about 10 km from Vanwyksdorp, which itself is many kilometres from anywhere. The green lawns and neat thatched buildings centre-pointed by a sparkling blue pool - all perfectly located at the foot of the Rooiberg Mountains. It really is an oasis. Kudos to the staff, who have really upped their game in the food department. Meals were attractively presented and very tasty.
Day Zero: 10th September. Our group arrived in dribs and drabs from about 14h00 and soon settled in. By 18h00 we had everyone's radios installed except for our youngest member of the tour, Michael Salzwedel (of blue Subaru fame), who pitched an hour late, but he has been on other tours and quickly settled in. Happy hour was followed by the drivers briefing and a most enjoyable dinner. Load shedding was in full swing, but it didn't dampen our spirits as we discussed the details of the next day.
* Garden Route Tour (report back)
* Gamkaskloof
* Die Hel
* Survivors
* Pass of the Week
As you are reading this newsletter, we are on our final day of the Garden Route Tour. Today we are visiting a few of the local attractions near Plettenberg Bay (Kurland and The Crags), before descending down the Grootrivier Pass to visit beautiful Nature's Valley. Our route takes us over the old Bloukrans Pass then on for a visit to the Storms River Bridge.
Some interesting facts about this bridge is that the Paul Sauer Bridge, also known as the Storms River Bridge, is a deck arch bridge. The bridge is located on the Garden Route section of National Route 2, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. At a maximum height of 120 metres above the Storms River, it was the highest concrete arch in Africa until the Bloukrans Bridge, 216 metres, opened on the same road in 1984. It was a pioneering engineering triumph for the (then) South African national Roads Dept.
The bridge was designed by Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, and constructed by Concor between 1953 and 1956. It spans 100 metres. The main span of the bridge consists of a reinforced concrete arch structure spanning between two concrete abutments located on the western and eastern sides of the river. The deck of the bridge consists of three main spans, the centre span between the two abutments and the two approach spans up to the joint above the abutments. The reinforced concrete deck is supported by the arch by means of 12 sets three reinforced concrete columns or struts.
The main arch structure was constructed in a unique fashion: the complete arch was divided into four semi-arches which were built with climbing formwork in an essentially vertical position on opposite sides of the gorge. These were then rotated and lowered into position in pairs to meet at the centre, thus forming the completed arch structure.
* Garden Route Tour
* 4x4 Training Day
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge
* Lesotho
* Pass of the week
There is plenty of action on the tours front as we gear up for the busy part of the year.
Garden Route Tour - Fully booked and commences on Saturday this week. This is our inaugural Garden Route Tour so we will be keeping a beady eye on proceedings and you will be able to get real time feedback if you follow our Facebook page on facebook.com/MountainPassesSouthAfrica as the tour progresses each day.
Seven Sisters Tour - 15/16 Oct 2022 - Fully booked.
Grabouw 4x4 Novice Training - 30th October 2022 - 1 place open.
Kouga Baviaans Tour - 15th to 19th November 2022 - Fully booked
Ben 10 Eco Challenge V6 - 10th to 15th December 2022 - 4 places open
Lesotho Tour - 12th to 18th March, 2023 - There is a huge amount of interest for this tour. We are still waiting for two of the venues to revert to us on the dates we have requested, which should be concluded by the end of this week. Online bookings will go live on or about the 20th September. Those that have pre-booked will get advance notice.
After a thoroughly enjoyable stay at the Swartberg Hotel, we had our group ready to roll by 09.00 heading east out of town, destination Swartberg Pass. The goal sounded easy enough. Die Hel by lunchtime and back down the Swartberg Pass before sunset. It didn't quite go as planned.
The Swartberg Pass never disappoints and despite it being the second most popular pass page on our website (with Sani Pass being #1), the Swartberg Pass is different to Sani in so many ways, but perhaps it is the rugged history and pioneering road building efforts by Thomas Bain, that make this pass a hit with so many South Africans. The overlooked allure is that it can be driven in any car (unlike Sani).
* Ben 10 Eco Challenge V6 (Dec)
* Mountain Kingdom Tour (March)
* Novice 4x4 Training
* Swartberg Tour Day 2(b)
* Pass of the week
We will be running the ever popular Ben 10 Eco Challenge (Version 6) from the 10th to 15th December, 2022. The Ben 10 is never the same. There are always challenges and surprises and the mid-summer timing adds the element of thunderstorms, mud and river crossings to up the ante a bit. Join us for 5 days of technical gravel travel as we guide you through the myriad obstacles and complex navigation to earn your badge of completion. This trip is not suitable for novice offroad drivers.
You can get the full itinerary and pricing here: BEN 10 V6 OFFICIAL TOUR
You've been waiting patiently for this long awaited tour. With all Covid restrictions lifted we have put together (as promised) the ultimate Lesotho tour package, working with an expert on the Mountain Kingdom in a joint venture, where you will experience some of the finest highlights on offer which will include Sani Pass, Maletsunyane Falls, Katse Dam, Mohale and many of the highest and steepest passes on offer during this spectacular 6 day tour from 12th to 18th March, 2023. Accommodation and meals will be pre-booked in the best lodges. If you want to put your name down on our priority list, pop us an email to
There are hundreds of thousands of 4x4 owners in South Africa who don't know how to drive offroad. We have created a one day introductory course for novice 4x4 drivers. The course covers all the basics you need to know, including recovery techniques. The idea is to give you the confidence to venture out on your own to enjoy the freedom that 4x4 ownership offers. We still have one place open for our Grabouw 4x4 Novice Day on October 30th. Full itinerary and pricing available on this link: GRABOUW TRAINING DAY.
The perfect winter weather ensured perfect conditions for touring as our route covered a short stretch of smooth tar along the R328 heading south through Schoemanspoort along the banks of the Grobbelaarsrivier. A short-left halfway through the poort took us past the Cango Resort (a nice camping spot run by the Oudtshoorn municipality) and on to the Koos Raubenheimer Dam.
(Read more...)
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