vaalwater

Martjie Se Nek is a gravel road pass situated near Vaalwater in the Limpopo province. The road is wide and in good condition for most of the pass, but there are sections that have been heavily damaged by water runoff, necessitating the use of a high clearance vehicle, although a 4x4 would not be required. The clay surface of the road is badly corrugated, and would become treacherous in wet weather. The views from the flat section near the summit towards the south are magnificent, and provide a seemingly never-ending vista over the plains below the escarpment.

Papstraat, which translates as “Porridge Street”, no doubt got its name from the earliest users of this road, who would have camped with their oxwagons nearby and had breakfast here before tackling the daunting Tarentaalstraat, which follows directly after this small pass and which is in essence just a river crossing. The modern day road, although gravel, is in a good condition, but as you will have to traverse Tarentaalstraat as well, make sure that you are driving a high clearance vehicle or riding an adventure motorcycle. The pass is just 2.9 kilometres long, and has a height gain/loss of only 92 metres.

This magnificent poort should not be confused with the minor gravel road poort of the same name which is situated near Thabazimbi. The name is in fact technically incorrect, as the river which flows past the southern end of the poort is the Klein-Sandrivier. This is one of the five famous poorts and passes which allowed early explorers and settlers passage to the Limpopo Plateau, the others being Bakker’s Pass to the west and Tarentaalstraat, Bokpoort and Kloof Pass to the east. The much-photographed escarpment made up by the hills and mountains known as the “Seven Sisters” is clearly visible to the front and left as you approach from the southern side.

Legend has it that the name of this pass, which translates as “Guinea Fowl Street”, is not derived from these wild birds, which are plentiful in the area, but from the nickname of the fellow that first pioneered this route, who apparently had a rather unfortunate spotty complexion. Although not particularly steep or difficult, it is extraordinarily beautiful because of the stream which tracks the length of the pass, the lush vegetation, and the multitude of animals that are usually encountered along the road, such as baboons, warthogs, klipspringers, bushbuck, and other small antelope. The road is gravel and in a fairly good condition but there are a few difficult sections, so ideally it should be driven in a high clearance vehicle.