Chunie's Poort is located on the tarred R37 road, about 40 km south of Polokwane (formerly known as Pietersburg). There are various spellings of the name, including Chuene and Tshwene, which translates as “Baboon”, but most sources and the signboards use the spelling as shown above. The pass follows the course of the Tudumo River, which flows southwards out of the Chuniespoort Dam. At the northern end, the river has cut its way through a narrow gorge, and an unusual feature of this pass is that the bridge over which the road is built does not cross the river, but parallels its path through this gorge, directly above the water.
This is one of the great classic passes of Limpopo province. It has less than 29 passes in total, but amongst those are some of the finest scenic passes in the land. This pass climbs 446 vertical meters to summit at 1400m ASL producing an average gradient of 1:17 with the steepest parts being at 1:9. The pass is tarred and is suitable for all vehicles.
The mountains here are a place of wonder, delight and perfect for adventure sports. The afro-montane forests provide the canopy to a playground of hikes, rock pools, waterfalls and MTB trails as the ever present mountain mists smother the pass in wet cloudy conditions.
Put your head lights on (not your parks) and be wide awake if you drive this one in the mist.
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