Prince Alfred Pass

We recently went on a family holiday to Sedgefield and Knysna.

Wanting to avoid the hustle of the Friday traffic on national roads, we decided to leave a day earlier and take the road less travelled.

The weekend before I was having a few beers with my mates. Stuart and Benji recommend taking the R62 rather than staying on the N2 past Port Elizabeth. What a great recommendation!

That got me thinking… Are any of Thomas Bain’s passes nearby? Well glad you asked! There is an in fact the amazing Prince Alfred Pass (R339). I been wanting to travel Thomas Bain’s amazing passes for years now, so this was a great opportunity.

History of Prince Alfred’s Pass:

In the 1800’s Thomas Bain was asked to build the pass which provided him with his biggest challenge to date. He began his work on the pass in 1860 and completed it in 1867 for a mere £11 000.

Today, Prince Alfred’s Pass is a well-travelled road for both South Africans and international tourists linking the Klein Karoo with the coast.

With four biomes on the pass it provides a home to an abundance of indigenous fauna and flora. The road crosses the river 7 times while winding through the mountains. This spectacular 88km mountain pass is also the home of the Middle Keurbooms Conservancy. Concerned landowners started the conservancy in June 2006. Today it covers more than 30 thousand hectares, protecting indigenous fauna and flora and participating in various eco-tourism and eco-farming activities.

It is the only pass in South Africa where people live alongside the road and trade in the pass. Come and explore this lovely winding road, be warned that you will be charmed by it’s beauty. De Vlugt is a small hamlet somewhat half way through the pass. Here you will find an array of quality accommodation, restaurants, tea gardens and many unique outdoor activities.

You can also read a lot more about it here including videos:

https://www.mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za/find-a-pass/western-cape/item/142-prince-alfreds-pass-part-1.html

So our journey took us from home, along the N2 where we turned off onto the R62 through to R339 and turned off onto a true driving adventure. Here is our route: https://goo.gl/maps/UN85cnmp6Ghh1MnM6

We wanted to break the trip up so we stayed in the amazing Cloud Cottage which is at the top of the pass. We arrived at around 4pm and watched in amazement as the sun went down over the mountaintops and our glorious cottage. No electricity, no mobile phone coverage, just a really great cottage, well provisioned with the most amazing views. Just stunning. If you need a break and want to get away and literally unplug, this is the place.

More info: http://cloudcottage.co.za/main.htm

The next morning we explored our surrounds bit and enjoyed the most amazing mountain views.

Mid-morning we packed our trusty X-Trail and headed down the pass. It’s a fantastic drive. Don’t rush it. Well you can’t really. But you want to take your time, enjoy the amazing views and the little gems along the way.

We arrived in Sedgefield at lunchtime and met up with Raine and Tam before spending a few days there with them and Derek and Charlae.

In short, if you in the area, like driving and you have a vehicle that’s comfortable on gravel roads then you MUST do this.