Swartberg pass near Oudtshoorn, South africa.MP4
Swartberg pass near Oudtshoorn, South africa
Driving around South Africa - Swartberg Pass
This time you can see parts of the Swartberg Pass, which connects Prince Albert (Great Karroo, North) and Oudtshoorn (Little Karroo, South), Western Cape, South Africa.
It's approx. 30 km long and on its highest point 1600m high.
The pass was built in the 80ies of the 19th century by Thomas Bain using convict labour.
This clip covers only half the pass but it gives an impression of some nice views and the serpentines, starting on Prince Albert's side in the North.
Here is some more information about the pass and the Swartberg-mountains:
Google Maps:
The track is called Bloodflood and was written by the huge band alt-J (Δ).
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This clip is meant to be an afterglow for all my family, friends and fellows who I met at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa 2011/12 and - hemhem - again in 2013. ;)
Cape Agulhas, Oudtshoorn and Swartberg Pass, South Africa
From the southern part of South Africa..
Swartberg Pass Waterfall via De Rust - Oudtshoorn - Video 2 of 2
DE RUST -- THE PASSPORT TO MANY DESTINATIONS
The quaint village of De Rust, situated on the N12 (known also as the R62) might only be a dot on the map but it has one great advantage. It is just the right place for an overnight stop en route to one of many destinations.
Nestled between the Swartberg and Kammanassie mountains, the village is the gateway to the Great and Little Karoos -- the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
For many years De Rust was just a small village on the way from Beaufort West to the beautiful Garden Route. Apart from stopping for the essential bite to eat, no one took much notice of their surroundings. But things have changed. Recently De Rust became the home of different visitors -- radio and TV broadcasts, film producers, magazine and newspaper reporters writing articles, a photographers' conference and many more.
MEIRINGSPOORT - THE BIG ATTRACTION
In November 1996, after torrential rain in the Karoo, flooding in Meiringspoort caused almost the entire road and every little drift to be washed away. On reconstruction of the roads and drifts, beautiful picnic spots were added as was the resting place at the waterfall, and the area has become one of the most visited spots in the Little Karoo.
Meiringspoort is probably our biggest draw card.
This incredible passageway of towering sandstone cliffs that pierce the heart of the Swartberg Mountain range will leave you breathless and the plant diversity is unbelievable. Some plant species are known all over the world. The world famous geranium (Pelargonium Zonale) originates from this area. During 1689 Hendrik Oldenland collected wild geranium here. Seeds and cuttings were later sent to Europe where it was cultivated by the Duchess of Beaufort in England during 1710. This plant is still acknowledged as one of the important parents of the massive geranium industry in Europe and America. (Because of its origin, you can find a geranium in almost every garden in De Rust).
A variety of birds and small animals can be seen -- you might even spot a black African eagle hunting dassies or find baboons guarding the road side.
Halfway through the gorge you can stop at the Information Kiosk where the history of Meiringspoort is displayed as well as samples of some of the different plant species growing in the Poort. Take a walk up to the impressive waterfall well hidden in the deep ravine, and visited in 1925 by the then Prince of Wales. The water drops some 60 m into a deep pool. Legend has it that a mermaid hides here -- you may be lucky enough to see her! Enjoy the quietness and beauty of this undisturbed spot.
DE RUST -- GATEWAY TO
PINCE ALBERT AND SWARTBERG PASS -The very popular circular route through the Meiringspoort gorge takes you to Klaarstroom (Clear Stream) - a neat village with a shop where you can still buy groceries directly over the counter and candy in a paper cone. The century old police station is a well-maintained historic building. In the Anglican Church yard a number of Anglo Boer War graves can be seen. Continue your journey to Prince Albert, famous for their olive products. Spend some time roaming the streets and shops, then begin your trip over the Swartberg Pass. This 52 km pass is one of the most beautiful creations on earth and with its spectacular cliffs and majestic views is really something to experience. On top of the pass is the turn off to Die Hel (Gamkas Kloof -- Valley of the Lion). It will take about 2 hours to drive down the road, as it is quite steep, but with all the small buck, veld animals, plants and flowers and its natural beauty, you won't even notice the time. On the Oudtshoorn side of the pass, are the Cango caves with its columns, staligtites and fairy like crystal pools. If you haven't been there, do visit.
Returning on the winding Oude Muragie farm road, you will pass the Rust and Vrede waterfall. Take a walk on the pathway which leads to the crystal clear pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Magnificent! Savour the beautiful mountains and farmlands as you meander back to De Rust.
UP AND DOWN THE MOUNTAIN PASSES
SWARTBERG PASS (gravel road)-- built by Thomas Bain more than 100 years ago, links Prince Albert in the Great Karoo with Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, and reaches an altitude of 1585 m above sea level. Its breathtaking scenery demands that you get out of your car and experience the real beauty of mother nature -- about 1 hours drive from De Rust.
MEIRINGSPOORT (tarred road)-- The fantastic 21 km gorge of towering sandstone cliffs links the Great and Little Karoo and starts 2 km outside De Rust.
Swartberg Pass, South Africa
Riding up over the Swartberg Pass from Oudtshoorn to Prince Albert in Western Cape of South Africa.
Swartberg Pass (R328) Part 1 - V6 2018 - Mountain Passes of South Africa
Subscribe at for the full write up on this pass with accurate directions, history, tourism, photos, Fact File, Route File, and an interactive smart map and much more. Access to over 700 passes and poorts.
06 Swartberg Pass (Oudtshoorn-The Hell-Prince Albert), South Africa 2008 part1
08.08.08: Prince Albert
Oggi sveglia alle 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 (Manu aveva trooopppo sonno!!!); obiettivo della giornata è la Cape Karoo Route, quella segnalata sulla cartina dell'ufficio informazioni.
Sistemiamo il mezzo, poi Luca si mette a masterizzare cd, morale che lasciamo il campeggio alle 11:30
La Garden Route è panoramica, ma non è così spettacolare come la descrivono; anziché proseguire verso Geroge giriamo per Oudtshoorn (ma come cazzo si pronuncia???) e finiamo sul Robinson Pass; qui il paesaggio non è niente male.
Per la Cape Karoo Route bisogna tenere direzione Prince Albert, così alla prima indicazione giriamo, senza sapere a cosa saremmo andati in contro...
Route 62 and Swartberg Pass, South Africa
Jeffreys Bay to Mossel Bay, South Africa
Route 62 is South Africa's answer to the State's Route 66.
Meiringspoort Waterfall.
Swartberg Pass
More photos on Facebook
Swartberg Hotel - Accommodation Prince Albert South Africa - Africa Travel Channel
- The Swartberg Hotel is a charming Victorian hotel, situated in the heart of our quaint Karoo village, Prince Albert. Established as a hotel in 1864, the Swartberg is now one of 19 national monuments in the village, and is still the only hotel in Prince Albert today.
Prince Albert is easily reached from the N1 - just 40km from the Prince Albert Road turnoff, and is the perfect stop over if you are traveling between Cape town and the interior of South Africa. The road to Prince Albert from the N2 is a little longer, but the magnificent sights of Meiringspoort or the Swartberg Pass are truly breathtaking, and a chance to experience either should not be missed.
Swartberg Pass-Drive to Oudtshoorn, Swartberg Pass, De Hel & Prince Albert
Swartberg Pass-Drive to Oudtshoorn, Swartberg Pass, De Hel & Prince Albert
The natural divide between the plains of the Great Karoo and the lush valleys of the Little Karoo has always been the imposing Swartberg Mountains. There was a time when these crags were impossible to breach, and people had to take circuitous routes to get to their destinations.Thus a road between Oudtshoorn and the village of Prince Albert became one of the first mountain pass projects through the Swartberg.Initially, the tender for the Swartberg Pass was awarded to one John Tassie. But the mountain beat him, and he could only build 6km of road before going bankrupt.Enter Thomas Bain, an extraordinary road engineer dubbed ‘The Man with Theodolite Eyes'. By now he had built 16 of the country's most challenging mountain passes. He had learnt his craft from his father, Andrew Geddes Bain, a brilliant road engineer, palaeontologist, geologist and explorer.Thomas Bain worked with 200 convicts and a lot of gunpowder. He finished the Swartberg Pass ahead of time and under-budget. The real story of his exploits lies, however, in the fact that even today, more than 120 years after it was built, the Swartberg Pass still stands strong.The magic of this pass really hits you during the river crossings, when you see the parapets of Cape Fold rock. More than 120 million years ago, the tectonic shifting of the earth caused these rocks to fold and thrust in on themselves, eventually taking on the appearance of flaky pastry.There has never been a need to tar this marvellous road. In fact, the locals are dead against it. The Swartberg Pass has extremely low accident levels, for which most credit Bain and his ‘Theodolite Eyes'.For any visitor to this region, a trip over the Swartberg Pass with its dizzying switchbacks is an unforgettable experience.
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Swartberg Pass Waterfall via De Rust - Oudtshoorn - Video 1 of 2
DE RUST -- THE PASSPORT TO MANY DESTINATIONS
The quaint village of De Rust, situated on the N12 (known also as the R62) might only be a dot on the map but it has one great advantage. It is just the right place for an overnight stop en route to one of many destinations.
Nestled between the Swartberg and Kammanassie mountains, the village is the gateway to the Great and Little Karoos -- the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
For many years De Rust was just a small village on the way from Beaufort West to the beautiful Garden Route. Apart from stopping for the essential bite to eat, no one took much notice of their surroundings. But things have changed. Recently De Rust became the home of different visitors -- radio and TV broadcasts, film producers, magazine and newspaper reporters writing articles, a photographers' conference and many more.
MEIRINGSPOORT - THE BIG ATTRACTION
In November 1996, after torrential rain in the Karoo, flooding in Meiringspoort caused almost the entire road and every little drift to be washed away. On reconstruction of the roads and drifts, beautiful picnic spots were added as was the resting place at the waterfall, and the area has become one of the most visited spots in the Little Karoo.
Meiringspoort is probably our biggest draw card.
This incredible passageway of towering sandstone cliffs that pierce the heart of the Swartberg Mountain range will leave you breathless and the plant diversity is unbelievable. Some plant species are known all over the world. The world famous geranium (Pelargonium Zonale) originates from this area. During 1689 Hendrik Oldenland collected wild geranium here. Seeds and cuttings were later sent to Europe where it was cultivated by the Duchess of Beaufort in England during 1710. This plant is still acknowledged as one of the important parents of the massive geranium industry in Europe and America. (Because of its origin, you can find a geranium in almost every garden in De Rust).
A variety of birds and small animals can be seen -- you might even spot a black African eagle hunting dassies or find baboons guarding the road side.
Halfway through the gorge you can stop at the Information Kiosk where the history of Meiringspoort is displayed as well as samples of some of the different plant species growing in the Poort. Take a walk up to the impressive waterfall well hidden in the deep ravine, and visited in 1925 by the then Prince of Wales. The water drops some 60 m into a deep pool. Legend has it that a mermaid hides here -- you may be lucky enough to see her! Enjoy the quietness and beauty of this undisturbed spot.
DE RUST -- GATEWAY TO
PINCE ALBERT AND SWARTBERG PASS -The very popular circular route through the Meiringspoort gorge takes you to Klaarstroom (Clear Stream) - a neat village with a shop where you can still buy groceries directly over the counter and candy in a paper cone. The century old police station is a well-maintained historic building. In the Anglican Church yard a number of Anglo Boer War graves can be seen. Continue your journey to Prince Albert, famous for their olive products. Spend some time roaming the streets and shops, then begin your trip over the Swartberg Pass. This 52 km pass is one of the most beautiful creations on earth and with its spectacular cliffs and majestic views is really something to experience. On top of the pass is the turn off to Die Hel (Gamkas Kloof -- Valley of the Lion). It will take about 2 hours to drive down the road, as it is quite steep, but with all the small buck, veld animals, plants and flowers and its natural beauty, you won't even notice the time. On the Oudtshoorn side of the pass, are the Cango caves with its columns, staligtites and fairy like crystal pools. If you haven't been there, do visit.
Returning on the winding Oude Muragie farm road, you will pass the Rust and Vrede waterfall. Take a walk on the pathway which leads to the crystal clear pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Magnificent! Savour the beautiful mountains and farmlands as you meander back to De Rust.
UP AND DOWN THE MOUNTAIN PASSES
SWARTBERG PASS (gravel road)-- built by Thomas Bain more than 100 years ago, links Prince Albert in the Great Karoo with Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo, and reaches an altitude of 1585 m above sea level. Its breathtaking scenery demands that you get out of your car and experience the real beauty of mother nature -- about 1 hours drive from De Rust.
MEIRINGSPOORT (tarred road)-- The fantastic 21 km gorge of towering sandstone cliffs links the Great and Little Karoo and starts 2 km outside De Rust.
Swartberg Pass: Part 3
In the final part of this series on the Swartberg Pass, between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert, we head down the famous hairpin bends leading down to the Great Karoo.
Drive to Prince Albert through Outniqua Hop and Swartberg Pass - VLog 006
Through Mally's Lens - VLog 006
Mally and David Skok take us on a tour from Plettenberg Bay (South Africa) to Prince Albert. The journey takes us through two beautiful mountain passes: the Outeniqua Hop and the Swartberg Pass. David provides the drone footage, and Mally the commentary.
Thanks to Cornel Delport for the footage of Plett after the fire.
Swartberg Pass: Part 2
Before we head for Prince Albert in the Great Karoo, we take a detour to Gamkaskloof.
South Africa Roadtrip episode #3: Garden Route & Swartberg Pass
Impressions of our South Africa road trip along Cape Town and the Garden Route in 3 short episodes. Episode 3 covers our tour along Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma National Park, Cango Caves, Swartberg Pass, Prince Albert & Winelands. Thanks for watching! Claudi, Sara, Finn and Nico
Swartberg Pass - Western Cape, South Africa
- Created at TripWow by TravelPod Attractions (a TripAdvisor™ company)
Swartberg Pass Western Cape
Read more at:
Travel blogs from Swartberg Pass:
- ... I had read about the various mountain passes so choose to do a circular route and cross the Swartberg Pass out to the one horse ie one main street village of Prince Albert and back via De Rust to Oudtshoorn where we had ...
- ... After that we picnicked at the top of the Swartberg Pass (another heritage site) that winds its way up and over the Langeberg mountains, stunning views of course ...
- ... in probably one of the best backpackers in the world (B/P Paradise, fact fans), did a 52 kilometre mountain bike ride down the Swartberg Pass, went to see some caves (Cango Caves - see picture), visited an ostrich farm and a wildlife centre (meerkats, ...
- ... I had read about the various mountain passes so choose to do a circular route and cross the Swartberg Pass out to the one horse ie one main street village of Prince Albert and back via De Rust to Oudtshoorn where we had ...
- ... Swartberg Pass is amazing ...
- ... As you can see from the photos, Swartberg Pass is a dirt track, barely wide enough for two cars to pass ...
Read these blogs and more at:
Photos from:
- Prince Albert, Western Cape, South Africa
- Somerset West, Western Cape, South Africa
- Wilderness, Western Cape, South Africa
- Zoar, Western Cape, South Africa
Photos in this video:
- On our way up the Swartberg Pass by Mchavez from a blog titled Daytrip (Exploring the Swartberg Pass)
- On top of the Swartberg pass by Antonkarin from a blog titled Äntligen!
- Views from Swartberg Pass by Badams from a blog titled Hippy Cars on the Garden Route
- Swartberg pass views by Badams from a blog titled Hippy Cars on the Garden Route
- Me at Swartberg pass by Badams from a blog titled Hippy Cars on the Garden Route
- Swartberg Pass by Vermaakjeanne from a blog titled To Hell and Back
Greater Oudtshoorn Tourism
The towns of Oudtshoorn and De Rust are in the Klein Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains. Oudtshoorn is the ostrich capital of the world. The world's biggest bird is just one of the many attractions in this area of exceptional contrasts and natural beauty.
The region is home to the spectacular Cango Caves, Africa's largest show cave system; an ecological hotspot where three distinct plant biomes (succulent karoo, cape thicket and fynbos) converge; and the Swartberg mountain range, which is part of the Cape Floral World Heritage Site.
For further information:
Oudtshoorn Tourism
info@oudtshoorn.com
oudtshoorn.com
De Rust Tourism
derust@oudtshoorn.com
derust.org.za
Driving Swartberg Pass south 03, just past summit, South Africa, 2019-04-28
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Off Road Motorcycle Ride Over Swartberg Pass in South Africa
Swartberg Pass (R328) Part 2 - V6 2018 - Mountain Passes of South Africa
Subscribe at for the full write up on this pass with accurate directions, history, tourism, photos, Fact File, Route File, and an interactive smart map and much more. Access to over 700 passes and poorts.