Magoebaskloof

Magoebaskloof is where the R71 falls off the Highveld escarpment into the Letaba valley, dropping several hundred metres through a belt of forest that catches cloud most of the year. The pass is named after Makgoba, a Tlou chief killed during a colonial expedition in 1895, which the modern signage handles with varying degrees of detail. The drive passes through indigenous Afromontane forest and enormous commercial plantations, and one stretch - the Woodbush avenue of towering eucalyptus - is a landmark in itself, planted early in the twentieth century and now a corridor of very tall trees. Debengeni Falls, a broad cascade into a pool, is off the pass in the De Hoek forest. Canopy tours, mountain biking and long forest walks operate through the area, and the Ebenezer and Magoebaskloof dams sit at the top.

What you'll find

• The escarpment drop - a pass falling several hundred metres through cloud forest.
• The eucalyptus avenue - a corridor of very tall planted trees at Woodbush.
• Debengeni Falls - a broad cascade into a pool in De Hoek forest.
• The mist belt - forest that spends much of the year inside cloud.

When to go

September to April. A day. Mist and rain are frequent - that is the local climate, not bad luck.

What to expect

The pass is steep, winding and busy with logging trucks. Mist reduces visibility badly and often. Much of the green here is commercial plantation rather than indigenous forest. Debengeni's rocks are slippery.

Nearby

Debengeni Falls and the Wolkberg are close; Tzaneen is below the pass.

Key facts