Majestic mountain passes for a scenic adventure
|Published
SOUTH Africa has beautiful landscapes to marvel at. Almost every province has a mountain range and with every mountain comes a mountain pass to explore.
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge.
The beauty of navigating mountain passes is that you don’t have to climb them. You can just hop in your car, snacks and drinks and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime.
Some mountain passes also have stops along the side of the road where you can stop and take in the towering majestic mountainous beauty of your surroundings, test you picture taking skills and take in the crisp mountain air depending on your altitude.
So before the winter season is over, why not take a relaxing drive and explore mountain passes closest to you.
Outeniqua Mountain Pass, Western Cape
The Garden Route in the Western Cape is world-famous for its beauty and scenic coastal drives. The Outeniqua Pass on the route is also a top attraction. The pass is modern, easy to drive through and promises sweeping views to compete with the best of them.
Outeniqua Pass lies north of George on the national road that cuts through the Outeniqua Mountains, connecting George and the Garden Route with Oudtshoorn and the Little Karoo.
These are small towns you can explore if you turn your drive into a weekend of exploration.
There are designated stops on the pass where you can stop and in the Outeniqua Mountain in all its glory. The drive is an indescribable experience to those grateful for regular view sites and breathtaking views.
On a clear day, one can identify four passes in the area and overlook George with the sea in the distance.
Oliviershoek Pass (R74) KZN
KwaZulu-Natal is known as the land of rolling hills, valleys and meandering roads. Oliviershoek Pass (R74) is a regional road that offers a beautifully scenic alternative to the N3 for travellers between Johannesburg and Durban.
The route begins near Harrismith, traverses Oliviershoek Pass, passes through small Drakensberg towns in KwaZulu-Natal including Bergville and Winterton, and rejoins the N3 just north of Estcourt.
The pass route also leads to several Drakensberg mountain resorts with views of the Amphitheatre, and the Sterkfontein dam combined into a wonderful scenic drive.
Oliviershoek Pass straddles the border between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, but the majority of the pass falls within KZN.
This big pass, which has a height difference of 471 metres and a length of 13.5 km, is arguably one of the best and most scenic tar passes in the country.
The road is suitable for all vehicles, and its wide sweeping bends make it particularly beloved by motorcyclists. However, if travelling in winter, ensure the pass has not been closed due to snowfalls before you go.
Abel Erasmus Pass, Limpopo/Mpumalanga
Abel Erasmus Pass links Mpumalanga’s famous Blyde River Canyon with Limpopo's game reserves, scything through the northern reaches of the Drakensberg escarpment before dropping down into the Olifants River Valley.
One of the best drives you’ll ever experience, the pass is worth driving simply for the views of the Blyde River Canyon (Molatse Canyon), and the Drakensberg mountains.
On the route, there is also the 133 metre JG Strijdom Tunnel, through which the road passes part of the way along the Abel Erasmus Pass.
You can also head north to a tufa waterfall, known as the Kadishi Tufa Falls, the second-highest tufa waterfall in the world (there are very few active tufa waterfalls).
Abel Erasmus Pass is regarded as an engineering triumph and the pass rises 610 metres above the level of the Olifants River, having begun at 335 metres above sea level at Ohrigstad River.
It drops 501 metres in altitude as the pass descends, ending near the Olifants River at 508 metres above sea level, so enjoy the views.
Joubert’s Pass, Eastern Cape
The third-highest pass in South Africa, Joubert’s Pass links Lady Grey to Barkly East via the Witteberge.
In the Eastern Cape Highlands, the pass traverses farmland before descending into Lady Grey, a peaceful and pretty little village tucked just inside the Eastern Cape border with the Free State.
You can explore the town with its friendly and relaxed residents. It is filled with little restored cottages, the odd coffee shop and a beautiful sandstone church that is a National Monument.
The little road that winds from Lady Grey to the kloof, which finally becomes Joubert's Pass, is a common footpath for hikers as the views are incredible and take in river gorges, majestic mountains and, on a clear day, vistas over Lesotho.
Interestingly the pass was named Joubert after the farmers who built it as a means of reaching their farms over the Witteberge, or “white mountains”, called that for the commonly snowy crest during winter.
Five of the farmers are named Joubert.
Blounek Pass, North West
A small pass among the giants, Blounek Pass has nothing special about it in terms of length or altitude gain, except that it is situated inside the Pilanesberg National Park.
The park rises spectacularly from the great plains of Africa and is less than 200km from Johannesburg, closer to Pretoria, and then Rustenburg. It is one of South Africa’s ultimate adventure tour and wildlife safari destinations.
Blounek Pass is nestled within the crater of an extinct volcano. Pilanesberg is an area of great scenic splendour and richly diverse wildlife, with a history extending way back prior to the Iron Age.
The pass is located in the south of the park on the tarred road, called Kubu Drive, which dissects the reserve from north to south. The road surface has deteriorated a little over the past few years, but it is safe and straightforward and suitable for all vehicles.
The Pilanesberg National Park is a flagship reserve and tremendously successful, illustrating how man’s negative effects on the environment can be repaired through conservation, the spin-off being supporting local communities, protecting wildlife, and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems.
The list was sourced from SAVenues.com