little karoo

  • This little known poort lies just north-east of Calitzdorp and provides a superb, but slower gravel alternative to the R62. It connects Calitzdorp with the farming communities that lie to the north of the R62 and south of the Swartberg Mountains. The poort offers beautiful and dramatic scenery of the unusual red sandstone mountains.

  • This fairly steep gravel pass lies on the east/west axis on the southern side of the Swartberg Mountains and connects the Kruisrivier farming area in the west with the Swartberg Private Game Lodge at the eastern end of the pass. Continuing eastwards along this road (P363) will bring you to the foot of the Swartberg Pass as well as ultimately to the Cango Caves.

    At the 3.2 km the pass is well below the national average and the altitude variance is a mere 98m, but it is the magnificent scenery which makes this one of those back road passes well worth detouring to travel.

  • This short, steep and winding gravel pass is only just over 1 km in length and climbs 57m producing an average gradient of 1:18 with some stiff gradients in the middle of under 1:5. The pass offers sweeping views of the valley of the Kareevlakterivier, which flows eastwards forming a confluence with the much bigger Touws River. It's located on the R1405 about 8 km to the west of Prinspoort and approximately 55 km south-west of Ladismith and 40 km NNE of Barrydale (as the crow flies). There are some steep, unguarded drop-offs on this pass and it's best driven at a slower speed.

  • This delightful little pass offers a very scenic and pleasant drive amongst isolated farms, with thousands of aloes and amazing succulent plantlife. Even though the traverse is short at just 2.7 km, the pass offers some tight corners and inclines reaching 1:7.
    There are a number of passes along this road which make this drive particularly enjoyable for those not in a hurry. The going is slow and there are numerous farm gates that need to be closed behind you.

    The rule with farm gates is to leave the gate as you found it. The DR1469 is fairly long drive that takes about 2.5 hours to complete from Van Wyksdorp to Armoed (near the R328). The road is not suitable for normal sedan vehicles but a 4x4 is not mandatory.

     

  • The Kleinfontein Poort is in very close proximity to the Kleinfontein Pass - separated be just 500m. Despite its relatively short length the little poort has a lot to offer in terms of some very tight corners, but the real attraction here is the magnificent succulent plant life that flourishes in the poort.

    The poort is just 2.1 long and contains 11 bends, corners and curves, including four very sharp and tightly radiused bends in excess of 90 degrees each.

    The poort (like it's twin - the Kleinfontein Pass) falls within the boundaries of the Kleinfontein farm, itself located in the very heart of the Klein Karoo about midway between Vanwyksdorp and the R328 near Oudtshoorn. This is a very quiet and remote road but it is doable in any vehicle with decent ground clearance (in fair weather).

  • Kliphoogte is a minor pass on the Barrydale-MR00322 road, but it should not be taken lightly as there are several dangers lurking on this road to catch unwary drivers. The pass is short at just 2.4 km and displays a classic middle summit profile with an altitude variance of 65m and a maximum gradient of 1:8

    The pass falls within the main road between Barrydale and the tarred R323 to the north of Garcia's pass, providing travellers with a lovely, scenic route which is about 50/50 gravel and tar. The road also provides access to the Gysmanshoek Pass (northern end) and the Brandrivier Pass (southern end)

    Regardless of which direction you are driving the pass the major bend towards the western side is where things become tricky. The road is poorly engineered on this bend, as not only does it reach its steepest gradient here, but there is reverse camber present as well. To add to this this, the bend is almost always badly corrugated and a loss of traction is highly likely to occur even in a 4WD vehicle. If tyres have not been deflated this corner is waiting for an accident to happen. Slow right down to about 30 kph and gear down.

     

  • This short, but scenic poort forms a natural access point across the lower mountain range which separates the Langkloof at the N9 with the farming area along the Kammanassie river valley and Mount Daskop. The poort is fairly straightforward and the only dangerous point is in the middle of the poort where the road crosses the Matjies River via 90 degree bend over a low  level concrete bridge. The river allows the flora in the poort to flourish and the birdlife in this poort is known to be good. This poort does not appear on any maps as an official pass. We have named it solely for the purpose of indexing.

  • This fairly short poort routes through a clear gap in the mountains just north of Heroldt and forms a natural northerly extension to the historicial Montagu Pass on an easy traverse towards Oudtshoorn. This little poort seems to have been forgotten and completely dominated by the grandeur of the Montagu Pass, but a closer look at the Paardepoort (The Pass of Horses), reveals an old road, built in similar style to Bain's work of the late 1800's, which can be clearly seen on the opposite side of the poort with substantial retaining walls still adequately propping the old road up, above the river.

  • This rough poort of 1,7 km in length traverses a natural gap in the mountains about 24 km east of Klaarstroom. Some of the ascending up the northern side has gradients of 1:10, but once the middle point is reached at the 0,6 km point, it's fairly level from there onwards. There are wonderful views of the Groot Swartberg mountains to the south as you crest the summit. The road leads to the Haggas farm, about 1,5 km beyond the southern end of the poort. This is a poort for the more serious pass hunter and forms an out and back route, although are there a number of circular options if you want to explore the area in more depth.

    This is a basic farm road and is sometimes little more than a jeep track. We recommend being in a 4WD vehicle or at least in a high clearance bakkie. This is a dead-end road, so you will need to retrace your route back to the R407.

  • This fairly steep gravel pass is one of four passes on the DR1649 road between Vanwyksdorp and Armoed. It has a high-low profile and offers wide views as the descent drops down into a narrow valley where the Perdebont farm is located. The pass is named after the farm and translates into English as "Pie-bald horse" 

    This is a safe pass provided speed is moderate. It can be driven in any vehicle with reasonable ground clearance in fair weather.

    The Klein Karoo offers untold surprises of succulent plant-life coupled with dazzling mountain views. The best time to travel here is in winter or early spring for the best flowers and of course, the aloes bloom in winter, making for an attractive vista. If you're one of those that doesn;t mind hot weather, then go here in midsummer where daily maximums often reach above 35C

  • The Potjiesberg Pass is a long pass on the N9 south of Uniondale. It descends from the Karoo plateau to the valley that hosts the R62 route. There are some big descents and motorists should exercise caution on this pass - especially heavy trucks can have braking issues here. The pass is broken up into two distinct sections, with a valley separating the two.



  • An easy gravel pass traversing farmlands in the Little Karoo north of the Kammanassie River valley. The going is easy and the condition of the road is generally good. There are very few dangers on this pass, with the only exception being the crossing of the Leeublad farmstead at the end of the pass, where there are a couple of sharp corners and the presence of other vehicles, farming equipment, livestock and pedestrians. Treat the final kilometer with extra caution as the road passes within metres of the main farmhouse. A slow speed also keeps dust levels down for the farmer.