Once again, we experienced a part of our country that remains as it was when it was made.
Jacques De Beer from PG Bison arranged staff and suppliers to attend our tour in the Eastern Cape.
What began as a boring flat journey all the way to Bloemfontein at 04h30, changed dramatically at Barclay East – cresting the summit at more than 2000m above sea level, before descending 600m down the 12km stretch of dangerous, yet spectacular curves of Barclay Pass, where I was greeted with the most amazing vista imaginable – miles and miles of open viewing allowed me to enjoy to scenery in awe.
As I slowly started the descent, I thought again, “what a beautiful country we have”, whether it’s the awesome coastline with stunning beaches, or the lure of the bushveld and wildlife that attracts you, and let’s not forget the majestic Drakensberg and Maluti mountains that stand at high altitudes.
Arriving at the small town of Ugie, I checked in to the accommodation, this before our mountain passes tour begins – negotiating some of the well-known, and lesser well-known passes in the area. Some of these will include the steepest, the roughest and the highest motorable pass in SA. All of them riddled with history going back to the 1800’s and each with its own story to tell.
An early morning meet and greet at a designated point was the beginning of the first stage of the journey. This section was a privilege, as it was on the private land of a local farmer who breeds Arabian horses, but even more spectacular were the twists and turns over the mountain to get to the farm house and camp spot, at a dead end between two massive cliffs. We even managed to get a few casts in the river to lure a few of those wild rainbow trout.
As always, the first night was spent getting to know one another and as the Afrikaans saying goes, “aggressiewe aankoms” was not left out.
The next morning was a short stint to a turn off, once again experiencing a route not open to the public, and a brilliant pass called “Mapassa”. We ascended with plenty of stops, photos and the obvious jokes. Soon, we were at the foot of the “Bastervoet Pass” known for its steep gradients and rocky sections, the 20km track is a firm favourite for that bucket list. Once again, the views and scenery do not disappoint. Arriving at the end and a short drive to Rhodes Hotel, where refreshments were enjoyed, while Adrian searched for fuel for his thirsty Land Cruiser.
Not long after that, camp was set up, fires were lit, and we waited for the right moment to start burning the meat. This is where Jacques outperforms everyone with the food he supplied, some of the best mutton and beef I have had in a long time, not to mention those two firm favourites – cheese and garlic sauces he makes. We sat around the fire listening to endless stories while the red wine flowed, and my stomach ached from laughter, but my bed was calling and so the evening ended as the last flames of the fire died down.
A late’ish start was in order as we intended to drive up “Carlisle Pass” to Tennahead, but this was quickly deleted from the itinerary, due to the late breakfast at the restaurant and the previous evening’s antics. However, we did make our way to the Tennahead Lodge for a stopover, before descending the infamous “Naudes Pass” to cross the “Potrivier Pass” before ending in the town of Maclear.
Just under 500km of the most amazing settings one can imagine, the scenery and views are spectacular, and the group of friendly, helpful, fun loving 4×4 crew who joined us on this event, will all be added to the memory bank’s list of ‘GREATS’.
