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* Garden Route Tour (Day 4)
* Seven Sisters Tour
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Tours Updates:
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.
Descending near the summit of Bastervoetpad Pass / Photo: MPSA
It will keep us busy negotiating rocks, ruts, mud and obstacles for several hours before arriving at the Valetta farm at the eastern end. We drive this pass in the west-east direction to maximise on the scenery. The summit views are amongst the best you will find anywhere in South Africa with a 270 degree sweeping vista of the Southern Drakensberg and the richly forested valleys near Ugie.
An easy drive out through the pine and gum plantations gets us to Ugie, where we will offer the option (time permitting) of driving the Langeni Pass (newest pass in SA). We head back up the Barkly Pass to Mountain Shadows for our third overnight rest and celebration of having conquered the big one.
Day 3
We say farewell to Mountain Shadows as we head north west along the R58 to Barkly East then turn right onto gravel to see the famous Loch Bridge – one of the oldest multiple arched stone bridges built in the late 1800’s and still serving the public daily – We then drive up the Tierkranz Pass for a birds eye view of the 7th & 8th rail reverses as well as the railway viaduct over the Kraai River.
Rail bridge over the Kraai River / Photo: MPSA
We will traverse Wintersnek as well as Ballochs Pass before joining the R393 near Wartrail. Our route then takes us through the beautiful Wartrail Valley and up Lundean’s Nek Pass which offers jaw dropping views of sandstone outcrops and rushing streams with waterfalls and enough hairpin bends to make you dizzy. This is not a particularly difficult pass (depending on recent rainfall). We drive all the way down to the Telle River, then turn east following the southern bank of the river, right on the RSA/Lesotho border and up the mountain to Dangershoek for a group photo and leg stretch.
We retrace our route back to the Wartrail Country Club for our lunch break, then turn east following the delightfully scenic Funnystone Stream. Later we ascend the technical Volunteershoek Pass where your driving skills will be put to the test. This is a dramatic pass and quite long eventually summiting at 2581m ASL.
We continue heading east along the high altitude plateau past Loch Ness and Tiffindell, turning south once more to descend the Carliseshoekspruit Pass. This is without question one of the steepest passes in South Africa where the gradients get steeper than 1:4, but don’t worry, we’ll talk you down safely.
Day 4
The final day of the tour starts after a hearty breakfast at the Rhodes Hotel and begins with the ascent of the Carlisleshoekspruit pass. It’s very different to the descent and is usually tackled in 1st gear high range from the bottom of the switchback section to the top of the narrow ravine.
Once up at the top of the plateau, we turn east onto the TTT route. The Tiffindell-Tenahead-Traverse describes exactly what this road is all about. It’s the longest, highest contour route in South Africa at 27 km and runs more or less along the 2600m contour line. The road was originally built to provide vehicular access for SAPS to combat stock theft from Lesotho and is also known as Die Grenspad or Die Patrolliepad, both names adequately describing its purpose. Whilst the TTT sounds easy, it’s anything but. There are 7 mini passes along the route and some of the driving can get quite technical, but the scenery is out of this world. We will stop in at the Tenahead Lodge for a comfort break.
Tenahead Lodge & Spa - a dramatic setting on the banks of the Bell River near the summit of Naude's Nek Pass
The final challenge pass of the day and the culmination of the tour is Naudes Nek Pass. We intersect the pass at the eastern view-site (2500m) and descend it’s eastern side towards Maclear, where we turn around at the eastern marker and drive back up the way we came (this is to ensure we fully comply with the rules of the challenge). We then head down the western side towards Rhodes for our final evening of good food, revelry, prize giving (there will be Chappies awards for the good, bad and naughty – all tongue in cheek and in good jest).
GARDEN ROUTE TOUR (Day 2 continued)
We arrived at the Louvain farm in pleasant sunny weather and were greeted by Morne Jonker and his staff with fresh roasted coffee as we were told about the history of the farm and immediate area as well as the details of the 4x4 pass we were about to tackle. On this day we had left the Honda CRV at the hotel in Wilderness and took the Poswells with us in the lead vehicle. The Voortrekker Pass has a number of names. These include Old Voortrekker Pass, Duiwelskop Pass, Old oxwagon pass. The most commonly name found on most maps is the Voortrekker Pass.
The only other vehicle there might have been an issue with, was the Subaru Forester but as things turned out, Michael Salzwedel drove like an ace and emerged at the other side intact, despite bottoming out a few times - or as Michael said: "We gently kissed a few rocks"
Michael guiding his fellow drivers over some of the rocky sections / Photo: David Ritchie
The short steep ascent consists of about 5 switch-backs and suddenly the summit beckons. The next four kilometres are truly magnificent, as the road meanders along a spine of the mountain allowing wide views of the green clad slopes of the Outeniquas. There is a dedicated circular road that leads to a picnic spot with 360 degree views, where we took our lunch break amongst the plethora of wild flowers and proteas.
Some of the descent had some serious ruts and wash-aways, but if one drives slowly and carefully, there should be no problems. After intersecting with the forestry ring road, the going improved and we were able to switch up to high range as we descended incessantly towards the Bergplaas forestry station.
One of the many breath taking views from the Voortrekker Pass / Photo: MPSA
We handed the gate keys over to the ladies manning the counter at the farm stall at Woodville, and turned east on the tar road towards Hoekwil. We had made good time with the clock just past 3.15 pm, so we decided to go and visit the Big Tree at Woodville. It was 'open week' for Sanparks, where day visitors could visit any Sanparks venue free of charge. This was good news, until we arrived at 3.30 pm to park our vehicles. We were informed that the facility closed at 4 pm sharp and if we weren't back from visiting the big tree, our vehicles would be locked up for the night. Friendly banter about giving us some leeway on the time factor, was met with vehement sideways nodding of the head.
And so started a rushed walk to the Big Tree. Every guest had to sign in first and complete an entry with ID numbers disclosed. Two of our guests had recently immigrated to South Africa from Belgium. They were refused entry. I quickly spoke to the lady in charge and pleaded for sanity in the interests of tourism. Reluctantly she allowed them in. Such a pity that an open week is not open for everyone.
Our final pass of the day was the Hoekwil Pass which brought us back down to sea level, followed by a short drive along the side of the river to arrive back in Wilderness for our evening meal, which took place at Girls on the Square - a delightful restaurant serving up good food.
Next week: 7 Passes Road and Knysna
PODCAST:
In this podcast we chat about tragedies, heroes and heroines as we cover the final day of the Garden Route Tour and parts of the Seven Sisters Tour. Click here to listen.
PASS OF THE WEEK
By making use of the hyperlink, you can watch the full video set, covering the full route.
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Trygve Roberts
Editor
"The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one"
