PASSES & POORTS
by Marion Whitehead
(Jacana Publishers, R180)
South Africa is a big country with many places to visit and mountains to cross, but to the average person the thought of actually planning a trip that has any passes is quite daunting.
This book has 30 mountain routes. Many of the passes were designed by Thomas Bain including Cogman’s Kloof, Pakhuis, Garcia, Koo, Verlaten and Montagu, all built by convicts at a time when there were no 4x4 or front-end loaders, and many of them are still in use today. Bain had built 23 passes and many roads before he died in 1893.
Include a few from Passes & Poorts on your next trip or choose one and do a day trip. The most famous route is the Chapman’s Peak Drive which is an 11km scenic drive between Hout Bay and Noordhoek. Stop along the way and enjoy the view or find a place to have something to eat.
Each section includes the history on the building of the passes, directions, maps, places to go and things to see. There is information which includes the best trails in the area, hikes, mountain-bike and 4x4 routes, and places to stay.
The photos of the passes will give you an idea of what to expect, so get off the main roads and take the back road the next time you go to Cape Town. Enjoy the small towns and see the beauty of South Africa.
Author Marion Whitehead worked as a tour guide on the Garden Route and the Little Karoo; is now an assistant editor for Getaway magazine and roams the country looking for more exciting routes to share.
I have been on some of these beautiful passes and am happy to have this book in my collection of travel books. – Dianne Low