No matter if it’s the beautifully tarred Outeniqua Pass between George on the Garden Route and Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo that can be effortlessly negotiated in a 1930s Model T Ford; or the challenging Sani Pass, for which you will need all your skills and a hefty 4X4, always leave prepared.
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With insurance sorted and your overnight bags packed, it’s time to head to one of these passes.
1. Sani Pass, KwaZulu-Natal – strictly 4X4
T’was an epic drive.. #sanipass #lesotho
A photo posted by Dotes & Laur. (@causeadventure) on
Jul 6, 2015 at 10:31am PDT
Described by everybody who has experienced it as the mother of all treacherous passes, the gravel pass between KwaZulu-Natal’s Underberg region and Lesotho is for experienced 4X4 drivers only. It’s longer, steeper and tougher than any of its competitors and can even be deadly.
Awesome day up Sani Pass with the mates! Frozen waterfalls.. #sanipass #Lesotho #southafrica #travel A photo posted by Sean Ayling (@seanoayling) on
Jul 4, 2015 at 9:03am PDT
Built in 1950, what this pass takes out of you in the challenge of overcoming the road conditions and bad weather, it gives back in scenery. If you are not the driver, have a beer at the highest pub in Africa as you summit at 2876 metres above sea level – anything higher than that and an aircraft needs pressurised cabins! Go prepared. It has snowed on this pass as late as October.
2. Long Tom Pass, Mpumalanga
A very happy moment spend in the mountains #mountains #mountainclimbing #mountainview #mountainviews #spectacularview #majesticmountain #Longtom #longtompass #high #naturelover #nature_perfection #mountainporn #skyporn #picturehunting #kevsinsta #kevsinstafamous #kevinruthvenphotography #kevspic #photooftbeday #followforafollow #followforfollowback #followforfollowers #f4fb #f4f
A photo posted by @kevsjourney on
Jun 19, 2015 at 8:55pm PDT
In Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902 the ‘Long Tom’ was an artillery cannon which gave the invading British troops a hard time. Maybe this is why the pass got the same name because the old pass was notoriously difficult to negotiate with an ox wagon.
#longtompass #mountains in the sky. A photo posted by henniestander (@henniestander) on
Mar 16, 2015 at 4:08am PDT
These days the new pass is much easier to drive but remains as breath-taking as ever. The route beetween Lydenburg and Sabie starts at 1,456 metres and climbs to an altitude of 2,138 metres. At about 20 km from Sabie there is a replica of the Long Tom cannon.
3. Naudes’s Nek, Eastern Cape, 4X4
Crazy wind speeds up here #naudesnek #wind #gay #gaylove #gaycouple #easterncape #maclear
A photo posted by fritzvermaak (@fritzvermaak) on
Jun 29, 2013 at 6:22am PDT
This is officially the highest dirt road mountain pass in southern Africa. Yes, the summit at 2,920 metres is even higher than the Sani Pass. The pass between the town of Maclear and historic hamlet Rhodes is a modest dirt road named after the brothers Naude who first travelled this route in the 1890s on horseback.
The #road to #Rhodes and #tentkop #drakensberg #maclear #easterncape #southafrica #landscape #scenic #gravelroad A photo posted by StormbergPhotography (@stormbergphotography) on
May 27, 2015 at 9:38am PDT
It offers some of the most spectacular scenery in South Africa but should not be attempted if it is snowing. The Rhodes Tiffindell Ski Resort via the Carlisleshoek Pass is close by should you need to overnight.
4. Bainskloof Pass, Western Cape
#bainskloofpass pressure
A photo posted by Hansie Reinecke (@hansiereinecke) on
May 20, 2015 at 12:12am PDT
The Bain’s Kloof Pass between the Boland towns of Wellington and Ceres snakes through an impressive ravine of rock formations and deep gorges. It was completed in 1853 and named after the engineer in charge of building it, Andrew Geddes Bain, and not after his more famous son Thomas Bain who followed in his footsteps.
#rockpools #aquamanshoes #TweedeTol #wellington #westerncape #southafrica #meetsouthafrica #Photography #Capetown #capetownaccessible #capetownetc #ig_capetown #igers #instagramsa #instagramcapetown #lovecapetown #nature #summerfun #endofsummer A photo posted by Avril (@avrilmaharaj_photography) on
Apr 25, 2015 at 4:46am PDT
Make sure you stop at Tweede Tol, an oasis of rock pools, but book ahead through Cape Nature as you will need a visitor’s permit. One of the main features of this pass is the overhanging rock called Dacres Pulpit which creates a height restriction and keeps heavy trucks and busses off this pass.
5. Baviaanskloof Pass, Eastern Cape – High ground clearance and/or diff lock
This is Gamtoos and it’s my favourite place in the world to watch how the sun bids the day farewell. #Africa #SouthAfrica #easterncape #exploreeasterncape #africansunset #sunset #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetoftheday #meetsouthafrica #southafricathroughmyeyes #gamtoos #gamtoosvallei #gamtoosvalley #gamtoosriver #mountains #sunset_madness #sunsetporn #Wanderlust #Travel #travelblogger #blogger #vagabond #explore #discover #roadtrip #goingsomewhereslowly #travelgram #instagram_sa #instatravel
A photo posted by Going Somewhere Slowly (@going_somewhere_slowly) on
Jun 6, 2015 at 8:47am PDT
This is actually a sequence of passes starting with the Grootrivier Poort west of Patensie in the Gamtoos Valley stretching all the way towards Willowmore. It was one of the last projects undertaken by South Africa’s most famous road engineer, Thomas Bain, between 1880 and 1890 opening up a vast and mountainous area of over 200 km of wilderness.
Kouga dam is overflowing #kougadam #easterncape #southafrica #ourbeautifulcountry #nature #thisplaceicallhome #breathtakingview #nofilter A photo posted by Charne Ferreira (@charneferreira) on
Jun 29, 2015 at 7:30am PDT
The climb up to Bergplaas with its Mountain Zebra can be tricky, so keep your speed low and enjoy the scenery. In the valley below stop at Doodsklip located at the top end of the Kouga Dam where you are allowed bass fishing if you have a freshwater fishing permit.
Give yourself a lot of time to drive the entire route as progress can be slow, especially when travelling in a 2X4.
6. Bouldersberg Pass, Mpumalanga
#flying #helicopter #R22 #robinson #avgeek #mountains #pretty #lowveld #southafrica #pilots #aviation
A photo posted by Ruby Wilson (@rubytuesday_99) on
Apr 24, 2014 at 1:13pm PDT
Together with the Mpageni Pass the Bouldersberg Pass runs along the old national road from Nelspruit to Kaapmuiden through the Crocodile Poort Nature Reserve. It’s a narrow tarred road that climbs 473 meters over a distance of 6,65 km but is not too difficult to negotiate if you are not in a hurry.
Drive slowly and enjoy the scenery while also being careful as there are often wild animals on the road. The summit is reached at 964 metres. This is a perfect alternative to the busy N4. Not that there as booms at both sides of the pass where you should sign in and out.
7. Outeniqua Pass, Western Cape
These (Outeniqua) mountains! I honestly don’t know what it is about them, but I just can’t get enough #george #outeniquapass #outeniquamountains #mountains #mountain #mountainrange #landexplores #landscape#naturegram #sky #horizon #clouds #cloudysky #cloudstagram #trails #hiking #mkexplore #explore #adventures #exploring #huffpostgram #photooftheday #instagood #summer #southafrica #southafricaza #gardenroute #igersgardenroute #vscosouthafrica #livefolk A photo posted by Sharyn Hodges (@sharynhodges) on
Mar 7, 2015 at 10:25pm PST
Completed in 1951 and rebuild in 1997, this is one of the easiest – but also most spectacular – passes to drive in South Africa. Climbing from George on the Garden Route over the Outeniqua Mountains towards Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, one of the best features of this pass is the Four Passes Viewing Site, where a view of the Outeniqua Pass, the Montagu Pass, the Voortrekkers Pass and the Treinspoor Pass can all be seen.
Well here we are #outeniquamountains #outeniquapass #openroad #road #mountain #pass #green #misty #mist #moody #mysterious #tarmac #tarroad #outeniqua #vscosouthafrica #southafrica #southafricaza #gardenroute #igersgardenroute #thisissouthafrica #meetsouthafrica #vscom #vsco #folkgood #instagood #huffpostgram #nala_rinaldo #explore #exploreeverything #exploretocreate
A photo posted by Sharyn Hodges (@sharynhodges) on
May 28, 2015 at 6:19am PDT
Take in not only the adventurous spirit of the men who carved roads into these mountains, but also the beauty of the deep gorges and ravines, the high cliffs and the fynbos of the region.
8. Magoebaskloof Pass, Limpopo Province
Die winter steek sy kloue uit tot in die warmste dele van ons land. #magoebaskloof #limpopo #southafrica #winter #autumntrees #forest #lake #translate in to #afrikaans #dam #nature #vscocam #vsco #InstaNature #landscape A photo posted by RuaanReÿneke (@ruaanreyneke) on
Jun 6, 2015 at 11:40pm PDT
Arguably one of South Africa’s most classic passes, the Magoebaskloof pass between Tzaneen and Haenertsburg offers some of the finest scenery in the country. The pass climbs to a summit of only 1400 metres but what it lacks in height it makes up in views over the sub-tropical vegetation with cycads, palms and waterfalls. This is a photographer’s dream – if it is not too misty. Take time out to stop at the Magoebaskloof Rest Camp, which features views over the Lowveld.
Drive slowly as there are many twisty S-bends and hairpins.
Top photo by Instagram.com/DarrynKemper