"The
Rooiberg Pass was built in 1928 most probably under the
supervision of the
Divisional Council of Oudtshoorn. It joins the tiny
village of
Van Wyksdorp with
Calitzdorp over the
Rooiberg
Mountain. This is not a pass to be trifled with and although it can be
driven in a normal car, a
high clearance vehicle would be better. It is
also a long pass at 14 km and contains some fairly rough sections. There
are a total of 69 bends, corners and curves which include 6 hairpins
and many other bends with a turning radius in excess of 90 degrees. It's
a road for the less hurried traveller and offers wonderful views on
both the northern and southern sides with valleys and ridges bedecked in
fynbos and in winter you'll be treated to the sight of the bright
orange flowers of hundreds of thousands of
flowering aloes.
The pass has an altitude variance of 509m over a distance of 14 km
producing an average gradient of 1:27 with the steepest parts measuring
in at 1:7. All these considered, it is one you simply have to drive at
least once in your life."
