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Scenic passes
The Waterberg's R518, Limpopo
The R518 from Mokopane to Marken takes you through the heart of the Waterberg. It's part of the Waterberg Meander, a scenic route that takes you to community projects, natural attractions and places of historic and cultural interest. You also get to see the amazing Waterberg Red Beds.
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Mountain passes of the Little Karoo
There are few more visually dramatic road trip routes to be undertaken in South Africa than a drive along the R62, occasionally veering off to weave in and out of the Swartberg range through some great mountain passes. This is the Little Karoo, where the Cape Folded Mountains loom like craggy sentinels.
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Mountain passes of the Eastern Cape Highlands
If you want an outdoor adventure package that involves natural history, trout fishing in cold waters, 4x4 trails, a taste of farm life, meetings with living legends, and the pure bliss of driving around the mountain heights, then book a week off and come to the Eastern Cape Highlands.
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Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Town
Chapman's Peak Drive in Cape Town, which takes motorists on a 9km winding route from Hout Bay to Noordhoek, is widely regarded as one of the most scenic stretches of road anywhere in the world. Take a drive and see what all the fuss is about.
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Cycling the Helshoogte Pass
Helshoogte Pass in the Western Cape province is one of the most scenic biking routes in South Africa, with views out across the lush vineyards of Stellenbosch. Various mountain ranges provide a scenic backdrop for cyclists as they take on the challenge of this route.
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The Swartberg Pass, Western Cape
Thomas Bain worked on the Swartberg Pass with 200 convicts and lots of gunpowder. He eventually finished ahead of time and under-budget. But his real accomplishment lies in the fact that even today, more than a century after it was built, the Swartberg Pass has stood the test of time.
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The Prince Alfred Pass, Western Cape
In his painstaking manner of cutting, planning and dry-walling, and with his ubiquitous gang of Cape convicts, Thomas Bain spent four years of his life building the Prince Alfred Pass. As with most of his mountain work, Thomas Bain built a mountain road that stood the test of time.
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The Long Tom Pass, Mpumalanga
At the top of the Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga is a large cannon called The Long Tom. That was the British name for this Boer-operated field gun that fired a 38 kg shell for 10 kilometres and was the bane of British generals and their brigades.
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The Bain's Kloof Pass, Western Cape
Bain’s Kloof Pass, created in the 1850s, is one of South Africa’s finest scenic passes. And like almost every well-made mountain pass in South Africa, the name Bain is linked to it. Andrew Geddes Bain was an engineer, writer, palaeontologist and painter. But people remember him for his beautiful roads.
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Bulembu Pass, Mpumalanga
The R40 from Barberton over the Bulembu Pass is one of South Africa’s best-kept secrets. As you twist and turn your way over this scenic mountain pass you will see some of the oldest rock formations on Earth and be granted magnificent views of Mpumalanga's beautiful valleys.
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The Seven Passes, Western Cape
On the Seven Passes route in South Africa you'll cross seven rivers: the Swart, Hoogekraal, Homtini, Karatara, Silver, Kaaimans and Touw. The crossings route includes single-lane bridges, forestry settlements, a gold rush town called Millwood and the Big Tree picnic site where woodland fairies are said to hover.
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The Abel Erasmus Pass, Limpopo
The Abel Erasmus Pass leads from Limpopo into Mpumalanga along the edge of the Blyde River Canyon, and is the gateway to the Panorama Route. From the Olifants River Valley, the Abel Erasmus Pass climbs up lichen-clad mountain slopes in a dizzying series of bends and curves.
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Scenic mountain passes
Two kinds of men came together to build South Africa's scenic passes: the genius engineers and the hardy ones – often convicts or prisoners of war - who did the physical labour. Both share the glory of a well-built pass.
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Langalibalele Pass, KwaZulu-Natal
For nature lovers, the Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve in the Drakensberg has always been a special destination. Once the realm of the San, who left their mark in the form of delicate cave art, it was also the site of major colonial friction between the British and the amaHlubi, once led by Chief Langalibalele.
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Sani Pass, KwaZulu-Natal
Hikers, 4 x 4 enthusiasts and mountaineers have long favoured the Sani Pass, a rough switchback road that takes one to the top of the Drakensberg plateau. The route is considered one of the most challenging 4 x 4 routes in the country. The Sani Pass area is also a favourite of the skiing fraternity and home to vulture species.
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