tarred poorts

Bokpoort is a tar road pass that follows a natural poort through the mountains from the lowlands of Limpopo up onto the plateau. It is one of the five original passages into the Limpopo interior used by early explorers and settlers. From the south, the roads leading to the pass are tarred, but all approach roads from the north have a gravel surface and are not in a particularly good condition, so be aware of this if driving a normal sedan vehicle. The pass has a height gain of 177 metres over a distance of 5.6 kilometres, producing a fairly gentle average gradient of just 1:32.

Buys Poort can be found between Uniondale and Willowmore in the Karoo on the tarred N9 national route. The road runs on the north-south axis through a natural poort between hills of approximately 1100m each, adjacent to the farm of the same name, before levelling out in a southerly direction towards Uniondale (30 kms). The road presents an easy gradient of 1:48 with a peak gradient of 1:20.

This is such a minor poort that the average motorist wouldn't even be aware of it unless the waypoints have been inserted to provide advance notice. What it lacks in vital statistics, it more than compensates for in the form of tranquil Karoo scenery.

Darters Poort is one of those official passes that leaves you wondering if you're in the right place. The pass has only one gentle curve towards it's northern end and climbs a fairly insignificant 62m over it's 3,6 km length. The poort does however have significant historical value as it is is named after a British sharpshooter Lt. Charles James Darter who was ambushed and killed near the poort in 1902 right at the end of the second Anglo-Boer war. His grave is located just south of Kamieskroon on the N7 and is popularly referred to as the smallest part of Britain in the world.

The poort is located on the N7 Cape-Namibia route approximately 14 km south of Kamieskroon. It forms part of a quartet of altitude gaining passes and poorts between Garies and Springbok - the others being Garieshoogte, Brakdam se Hoogte and Burke's passes. You will need to enter the GPS coordinates so that you realise you are at the poort.

East Poort is an easy 9 km traverse along the southern side of the Great Fish River just to the east of Cookhouse on the tarred N10 route to Cradock. The poort is suitable for all traffic and presents no obvious dangers. The road is in excellent condition with smoothly banked corners and easy gradients, with some impressive side cuttings for those interested in road engineering, counterpointed with lovely river and mountain views. Cookhouse has an interesting history with its most famous event being the Slagtersnek Rebellion. In modern times, the area is being widely utlitised to generate electricity via extensive wind farms. 

The poort is named after the Oryx antelope which used to roam these plains until mining changed the landscape more than 100 years ago. This is a very minor poort on the tarred R382 route between Steinkopf and Port Nolloth. It clears a natural gap through a ridge of mountains, which are a southern extension of the Vyftien Myl se Berge, where the altitudes range between 250 and 400m. The poort is 4,4 km long and has an easy average gradient of 1:133. It is the third of three passes and poorts between the two towns - the other two being the Anenous Pass and Windpoort. The poort is suitable for all vehicles.

Howison's Poort (also spelled as Howieson's Poort) is a well known cave like rock shelter halfway up a cliff in the poort. It has considerable archeological signiificance. The 8.8 km long poort bisects the mountains through dense forests and plantations just to the south-west of Grahamstown on the N2 national road.

The poort has more pass like statistics and descends a respectable 300m producing an average gradient of 1:29. The road is nicely engineered with correctly banked corners and double lanes for overtaking along most of its length. There are only 10 bends along the poort, all of them insignificant in terms of speed reduction, except for the first one right near the summit which has a turning angle of 150 degrees and it's quite sharp as well.

Grahamstown has an astonishing amount of 1820 Settler history and is of course, the seat of higher learning in the area, at the well known Rhodes University.

Janspoort is a very minor tar pass located on the R58 between Burgersdorp and Venterstad near the northern border of the Eastern Cape. It is virtually the only structure to break the monotony of this otherwise featureless road. The surface is in a good condition, probably because there is very little traffic, and can be driven in any vehicle without problems. We have been unable to establish the identity of the “Jan” that this pass was named after, or why he was important enough for this pass to bear his name, but we can be fairly certain that he was a farmer in the area, or an important personage from one of the Anglo-Boer wars.

Kruippoort, which translates as 'Crawling Passage' probably relates to the slow speed of the original road. It's an easy tarred drive traversing the R62 to the south-west of Ladismith in the Western Cape and forms part of the R62 route. The road is wide and safe and only has two gentle bends, but once inside the poort the poort hems the road in amd provides a scenic, albeit short drive.

Most drivers are not even aware that this is an official poort, so if it's best to premark the coordinates into your GPS before setting off on your journey.

The poort has very gentle average gradients of 1:267 and follows a typical poort profile. There are one or two short sections which get as steep as 1:11, but they don't last long. The biggest danger in this poort is that many motorists ignore the barrier lines when they become impatient with a slower vehicle ahead. Other than that, the engineering work in the poort is good and the road displays no design flaws.

The Naauwkloof Pass on the R62 close to Ladismith  is much more of a poort than a true mountain pass. The 8,3 km long poort offers attractive scenery with 12 gentle bends and easy gradients to make this an enjoyable break along the R62, itself touted as the longest wine route in the world.

Towards the northern end of the poort, the Naauwkloof farm entrance can be seen on the right-hand side when travelling south. There's a valley about a quarter of the way through the poort, followed by an ascent to a false summit (516m) at the 4.5 km mark. From this midway summit the road descends continuously till the end of the poort marked by the crossing of the Stassensleegte River.

Neuspoort is unusual in that it consists of two distinct sections, separated by a flat plateau in the middle. It is named after the small range of mountains through which it traverses, called the Neusberge. It is located on the N14, the national road which connects Johannesburg in the east with Springbok in the west. The road is in an excellent condition and should not present any problems, provided that the speed limits are adhered to. The route between Keimoes and Kakamas is incredibly scenic, with spectacular contrasts between the Kalahari Desert on the northern side of the road and the hundreds of green vineyards located all along the Orange River on the southern side. The western portion of this road is also locally known as Bobbejaankrans or Baviaanskrans, which both mean the same thing.

Noorspoort  is a short  winding poort just north of the lovely Karoo town of Steyterville. The poort is perhaps best known for it's painted flags on the rock faces on the eastern side of the road and the town of Steytlerville is a shining example of how to rejuvenate an old town, which is immediately evident as one drives down the neat, broad streets filled with neat Victorian houses, lovingly restored replete with broekie-lace and shady stoeps. Down the cenrtre island of the main road the lamp posts are decorated with heraldic emblems and family crests from all sectors of the local community. The Noorspoort is 3,1 km long and has a minor altitude variance of just 24m, making for an easy drive, but don't get too transfixed by all the flags. The poort was carved out by the Grootrivier - a very long river which winds its way all the way down through the Baviaanskloof to form a confluence with the Gamtoos River near Patensie.

Olieboomspoort is located directly to the south of the small town of Lephalale (formerly Ellisras) in the Limpopo province. It parallels the course of the Rietspruit river, which has carved its way through the low hills surrounding the area, on the tarred R510 road. The pass is a little longer than the national average and, unlike most other poorts, has a significant altitude gain of 145 metres. There are no apparent dangers other than some sharpish corners, and the poort can be driven in any vehicle, irrespective of the weather conditions.

This poort is named after what is considered to be the world's toughest animal - the Honey Badger (Afr. Ratel). So fierce is it's reputation that the South African Defence Force named one of it's armoured vehicles the Ratel. It's possible that badgers were found here in the past, but a more likely scenario is that the land here is considered to be so harsh as to be compared with the 'tough as nails' Ratel. The poort is quite awkward to define, but the Ratelpoort itself is merely the traverese through the obvious nek towards the southern side of the poort over a distinct ridge of east-west running mountains. From there it continues climbing up a northern ridge known as Vrieshoogte (Freezing Heights), to summit between two prominent granite peaks on either side of the road at 913m ASL after 4,3 km.

Telemachus Poort (also known as Modderpoort) is located near the tiny Eastern Cape town of Jamestown, about 60 km from Aliwal North. It is named after the Telemachusspruit which tracks the pass on the western side along its southern half. The poort is quite unusual in that it consists of two distinct sections; a “poort” section which follows the stream, and a “neck” section which climbs up a hill towards its summit on the northern side.

The road is in a good condition, and should present no problems for any vehicle in all weather conditions. There are only four corners on the pass, one of which is a big loop of 120 degrees, but this curve has a very wide radius and is easily negotiated.

The Uniondale Poort was completely rebuilt over a lengthy period after being seriously damaged by floods about a decade ago. Today one can enjoy this lovely scenic drive through the poort on a beautifully engineered, modern road taking in the stunning rock formations and some small waterfalls if you are lucky enough to drive it after or during good rains. The road was first built through the poort in 1925 and it was tarred in 1960. It carries a secondary name of 'Queen Street'. The major, modern reconstruction took place between 2007 and 2010 during which phase traffic was routed to Uniondale via the Potjiesberg Pass on the N9.

Venterspoort is located near Philipstown, a small town which lies about 50 kilometres north-east of De Aar in the Northern Cape. It is difficult to establish exactly which Venter the poort is named after, as this was a very common surname in the area around about the middle to latter part of the 19th century, which is when the town was established. The actual poort is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape, and unless you know precisely where it is, you would probably miss it altogether when driving on the R48. The tarred road is in a good condition, and should not present any problems other than the normal hazards associated with rural South Africa.

This short poort offers surprisingly beautiful scenery after the flat approaches on either side over the vast Karoo plains. The 3,2 km long poort has 8 bends, corners and curves, several of which exceed 140 degrees radius and two are very sharp, requiring a reduction in speed. The poort offers wonderful scenery of contorted and twisted rocks set amongst steep sided mountains. With an average gradient of 1:50 these are typical poort style statistics and the steepest section is a very easy 1:17. The poort is on the tarred R329 and connects Steytlerville in the south with Jansenville, Klipplaat and Wolwefontein to the north-east.