Content tagged:
offroad passes

This basic 8,5 km route over the Koringberg connects a string of telecom towers along the summit ridge with farms to the north and south and varies from fairly mild to quite complex. The route can be done in a circular format starting and ending at the farm Hoogeleë - with its campsite known as Die Ark - or it can be driven as an out and back route returning back from the summit the same way you ascended. Driving it as an out and back route will peg it at Grade 1 to 2. Driving down the southern side will escalate it to Grade 3 (and higher if the weather is wet)

You will need a high clearance 4x4 to complete the entire route, but it is doable in a high clearance 4x2 'bakkie' in fair weather by turning around at the summit and retracing your route. The descent down the southern side of the mountain is extreme in places, depending on recent rainfall and this more difficult section is probably best tackled by more experienced drivers. The route traverses two privately owned farms, so permission is required to drive the route.

The Matroosberg 4x4 is arguably one of the most popular off-road routes in the Western Cape and is without question the most popular route to access snow in winter. Matroosberg originally received its name due to a rock formation visible from the Hex River Valley and N1 highway. This rock formation, about three quarter of the way up the mountain, shows a very distinct pinnacle, which is the “Matroos” (the Afrikaans for ‘sailor’) alongside his ship. “Berg” is the Afrikaans for ‘mountain’. Therefore “Matroosberg” roughly translated means ‘sailor mountain’. The road climbs 993m over 8,8 km to summit at 2230m ASL. For those wanting to reach the true summit, it involves a short walk to the beacon (2250m). The average gradient is a very stiff 1:9 with some sections being at 1:3. This route is currently rated as a Grade 4 in terms of difficulty, with the final few kilometres above the Groothoekkloof Canyon viewsite being a Grade 5. This route is not recommended for novice off-road drivers.