Sir Lowry’s Pass view point

After nearly a day on the road between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town (roughly about 800km and normally an 8 hour drive if you only stop once or twice briefly) one starts to be in a hurry by the time you get to the top of Sir Lowry's Pass just west of Somerset West. The end … Continue reading Sir Lowry’s Pass view point →

Cogmans Kloof

Cogmans Kloof outside Montagu is one of the famous landmarks on Route 62 through the Klein Karoo. The Cogmans Kloof Pass passes through a poort (a poort being defined as a path through a mountain range) which runs through the Langeberg between Ashton and Montagu. The first white farmers in the area were allocated farms from 1725 … Continue reading Cogmans Kloof →

Tsitsikamma Forest Trail Part 3: Up the old pass

The first part of our walk through the Plaatbos Nature Reserve took us on various trails through the forest before taking a halfway break next to the Storms River by the old low water bridge. This left us with the walk back up to the village on the Storms River Pass. In 1879 the famous pass builder Thomas … Continue reading Tsitsikamma Forest Trail Part 3: Up the old pass →

Mountain flowers

Little dry flowers on top of the Swartberg Pass outside Oudtshoorn. I am always amazed at the resilience of plants growing in an area where in summer the temperature can top 40 degrees Celsius and in winter is often covered in snow.

Herold

As you cross over the Montagu Pass from George into the Klein Karoo you enter a small village called Herold. Herold is tucked away in the mountains at the end of the beautiful historic pass. The town developed as a result of the the pass that was constructed in 1847. The town grew quite rapidly … Continue reading Herold →

Swartberg Pass toll house

The ruin of the old toll house on the Swartberg Pass (here and here) can be found at the start of the pass on the Oudtshoorn side of the mountain. I would have wanted to spend some more time at the ruin getting photographs, but it was hot (around 40 degrees Celsius) and the family … Continue reading Swartberg Pass toll house →

Toll house flowers

Flowers growing next to the old toll house on the Montagu Pass near George I am currently on the Garden Route on a business trip (with a borrowed camera in hand as mine is still in for repairs) so I am hoping to get some opportunities to take a couple of nice pics of the … Continue reading Toll house flowers →

Montagu Pass Part 2

As you drive higher up the Montagu Pass, the road gets steeper and narrower. You can imagine how this could have been a problem during the early days of ox wagons. Two wagons could not pass abreast in most places, specially around the tight corners. Consequently the drivers and ox leaders had to whistle and … Continue reading Montagu Pass Part 2 →

Montagu Pass Part 1

A week or two ago I posted on my trip over the Swartberg Pass (part 1 and part 2) during my recent holiday. I also had the opportunity to do another of the iconic Southern Cape passes while I was in the area. The Montagu Pass is the old pass over the Outeniqua Mountains from … Continue reading Montagu Pass Part 1 →

Meiringspoort

There are two ways to get from the Karoo into the Klein Karoo over / through the Swartberg and both are very scenic. The Swartberg Pass is for those with lots of time and Meiringspoort for those in a hurry. The Meiringspoort road features soaring cliff walls with spectacular rock formations along the 25 km … Continue reading Meiringspoort →