We recently did a huge off-road circle around South Africa … and a highlight was the Bastervoetpad (surrounded by snow-dusted peaks) in the Eastern Cape’s Drakensberg foothills. Oh, my, what an adventure! Slipping and sliding in slushy mud; rattling and shaking across ditches and washaways; grinding over loose stones and rocks; sliding down boulders; trying to find a road when there was none. But, always, surrounded by awe-inspiring views onto an ocean of hills and kloofs, dips and rises that rolled out to every horizon. And then there was our stay in the Victorian village of Rhodes — which SERIOUSLY deserves more visitors than it gets.
But … amazing how outdated online travel stories can become — this is why you need to visit Gravel Road Adventures regularly! We keep you updated and in the loop. An old account of Bastervoet dated 2012 on the Web says “it could have been managed (both ways) in two-wheel drive” (not today!), another travel site recommends that “you would be advised to do it in a 4×4 or, at the very least, a vehicle with high clearance” (at the very least??), and a Facebook page, in 2013, claims “the road is rough in places and sometimes impassable in wet weather” (rough in places? Try some five years later…)
Our experience: it’s ESSENTIAL to have a 4×4 with high clearance and low range. We drove the pass in dry conditions, so be even MORE CAREFUL after rain or snow. And it IS always wise to consult local advice.
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