Swartberg Pass

Thomas Bain built most of the Swartberg Pass between 1883 and 1888, after the first contractor went bankrupt with only six kilometres done, using convict labour, and it remains unsurfaced on essentially the alignment he laid out - which is why it is a national monument and, for a lot of drivers, the best road in the country. It climbs to about 1,583 metres through rock that the Cape Fold event crumpled so severely that the strata stand near-vertical and folded back on themselves, in bands of red, orange and grey. Bain's dry-stone retaining walls, built without mortar, still hold the road up in places, some of them several metres high. The northern descent to Prince Albert is a series of tight hairpins with drops. The pass sits inside the Swartberg Nature Reserve, part of the Cape Floral Region UNESCO listing, and the turnoff to Gamkaskloof leaves from the top. Snow closes it some winters.

History

Construction began under the contractor Jan Tassies with 100 workers from Mozambique, but after 13 months he went bankrupt with only 6 kilometres of road done. Thomas Bain, son of the road engineer Andrew Geddes Bain, built the rest between 1883 and 1888 with convict labour, and the pass opened on 10 January 1888; its dry-stone retaining walls, holding up some of the hairpin bends, still stand after more than 130 years, and it remains the only road into Gamkaskloof (Wikipedia, Swartberg Pass).

What you'll find

• The 1888 gravel road - still unsurfaced on Bain's original alignment.
• The dry-stone walls - mortarless retaining work holding the road after 130 years.
• The vertical strata - rock folded upright in bands of red, orange and grey.
• The hairpin descent - tight bends dropping to Prince Albert on the north side.

When to go

March to May and September to November. Two to three hours to drive slowly.

Things to know

Gravel with steep drops and no barriers in places; caravans are prohibited and it is unsuitable for nervous drivers. Rain and snow close it without warning. There are no facilities on the pass. Corrugations punish low cars.

Nearby

Gamkaskloof turns off at the top; Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn are at either end.

Key facts