r303

The Buffelshoek Pass should be viewed in conjunction with the Middelberg Passas it is to all intents and purposes the southern half of the Middelberg Pass. The pass takes its name from the nearby Buffelshoek farming area and translates from Afrikaans into 'Buffalo Corner' undoubtedly relating to the presence of buffaloes here in the 1800's. The pass is gravel and generally maintained to a good standard. It offers fabulous views over the valley when driven from north to south (descending) - views that stretch back to the south as far as the eye can see in a blend of greenery and rugged mountains. It does sometimes snow on the pass, but during the summer months, it is hot and dry.

The pass compresses 30 bends, corners and curves into its 5,3 km length ranging from gentle curves to some extremely tight hairpins. Most of the steeper parts are in the upper reaches of the pass which also include most of the sharper corners, whilst the lower part of the pass through the farming area is much milder in terms of severity of bends and easier gradients. The pass is suitable for all cars, but be warned the surface can be rutted and rough at times, depending on when it was last maintained. We strongly recommend tyre deflation by at least 20% for any vehicle driving the pass.

The Elandskloof Pass is a comfortable tarred pass, designated route R303 and is the prequel (or sequel depending on your direction of travel)) to the much more dramatic Middelberg Passwhen travelling from north to south between Citrusdal and the Koue Bokkeveld. A substantial plateau lies between these two passes and the farm Elandskloof lies at the southern end of the pass and is where the pass took its name from. Despite the easy gradients and gentle corners, it is a very old pass dating back to the 18th Century and was first a sheep trekking route, but has been modernised and realigned several times over the past 150 years. It should be noted that there are 3 passes with  variants of this name in the Western Cape - the other two being near Villiersdorp and the Gamkaskloof respectively.

The pass contains 18 bends, corners and curvers within its 7,1 km length gaining 338m which produces an average gardient of 1:21 and it never gets steeper than 1:11. There are three bends with major angles of up to 150 degrees, but all of them have wide turning arcs rendering them quite safe providing speed limits are complied with.

The Gydo Pass was built at the same time as Michells Pass by Andrew Geddes Bain and his team of convict labourers circa 1848. This important pass connected the Warm Bokkeveld with the higher altitude Koue Bokkeveld, as well as the remote, but fertile (and therefore lucrative) Witzenberg Valley a few kilometers west of the head of the pass.

The Middelberg Pass is a real classic offering exquisite views and rugged, mountainous terrain on a mix of gravel and tar with hairpin pins and some very steep drop-offs. It traverses the Middelberg mountain range between the Koue Bokkeveld and Citrusdal. It is suitable for all vehicles and together with the Buffelshoek passwhich precedes it from the south and the Elandskloof Passwhich follows it in the north, this trio of passes is virtually one long pass.

On the flatter plateau areas there are farms peppered with citrus orchards and rooibos plantations, with blue dams with crystal clear, high quality water. The pass has a stiff average gradient of 1:14 with some sections (which are tarred) as steep as 1:5. This is a fairly modern pass having been constructed some 50 years ago.

Be aware that the maintenance of this road is not great, which means the gravel sections can be rough, rutted and corrugated. We recommend tyre deflation for improved traction with the added benefit of providing a softer ride. Take the pressures down to at least 20% of normal.