A portal through the Swartberg
Today you have to cover only 200 km, but you’ll spend the entire day in the mountains, so prepare yourself for eight hours behind the wheel. First stop at Fonteinplaas and chat to Annetjie Joubert (née Mostert), the only original Klower who still lives here. Annetjie left the kloof as a young girl, but in 1998, moved back to her parents’ house, from where she manages the guest farm today with the help of her children and grandchildren. The wrecked remains of the Morris 8 that was carried into the kloof 63 years ago stands here. After a cup of coffee in Annetjie’s company, it’s time to drive up Eland’s Pass again to the Swartberg Pass and then follow it downhill to Oudtshoorn. At the foot of the pass, you’ll find a road sign for Matjiesrivier and Calitzdorp; turn right here (S33.39187 E22.10908). The road is tarred for 19 km up to the Vinknes River, after which it becomes a dirt road. Now drive over the Huis se Hoogte Pass, followed by the Kruisrivierpoort Pass. There are several turn-offs, but you simply follow the road signs for Calitzdorp. Once you get to the town, refuel and get something to eat at one of the many restaurants. There’s also a supermarket for supplies. Calitzdorp is named after the brothers JJ and MC Calitz, who farmed here in the early 19th century. The Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1857, and the town is best known for its vineyards (Calitzdorp’s port is lovely), orchards, and the red ridges formed about 125 million years ago when the oceans receded. Follow the R62 district road over the Gamka River (this is the dividing line between the Great and the Little Swartberg) and over the Huisrivier Pass to the Amalienstein mission, where you turn right onto the R323 regional road. This gravel road takes you through the spectacular Seweweeks Poort. The road was completed in 1862 by AG de Smidt, brother-in-law of renowned road builder Thomas Bain. Seweweeks Poort’s original name was Zerwick’s Poort, in honour of Reverend Louis Zerwick, one of the founders of the Amalienstein mission. You are now in the Little Swartberg. At the end of the poort, you’ll find a road sign for the Gamkapoort Dam (S33.36194 E21.41087). Look out for a ruin of the original toll house. If you pass by in the dead of night and see a man waving a lantern, keep going – it’s said to be the ghost of a toll collector… You’ll find a large sliding gate barely 4 km after turning off at the old toll house. Just push it open by hand and let yourself in, but if it is hooked up to the electric gate motor, you’ll have to use the intercom and ask to be allowed in. The Bosluiskloof Pass starts about 2 km beyond the gate, and this is where the old Klowers led their donkeys laden with bags of dried fruit to the nearest market in the days before the Eland’s Pass.
After a cup of coffee in Annetjie’s company, it’s time to drive up Eland’s Pass again to the Swartberg Pass and then follow it downhill to Oudtshoorn
Thomas Bain and his friend Dr William Atherstone passed through here in 1868, and Bain apparently waxed lyrical about the views. There are several challenging 4x4 trails in the area, but you may only tackle them with the permission of the Bosch Luys Kloof Nature Reserve you are currently driving through. Their reception building is on the left side of the road as you drive through the kloof. The road ends at the Gamkapoort Dam, where Fox Ledeboer awaits you. Fox is quite a character with cool stories about the area. He’ll also show you which hill to climb for the best cellphone reception. You may find it hard to believe, but the Gamkapoort Dam used to be a tourist destination back in the day. The campsite, however, has fallen into disrepair and only barren earth remains of the lawns and gardens that were once considered spectacular. So, you’ll have to stay in one of five self-catering units. The dam wall was completed in 1969, and the buildings are worn down, but they’re clean and serviceable. Although Fox is no spring chicken, he’s solely responsible for cleaning and maintaining the self-catering units. The Department of Water Affairs also asked him to act as Gamkapoort Dam’s unofficial water bailiff. The main purpose of the 39 m high concrete wall is not to store water but rather to prevent floods from washing away the farms in the Gamkaskloof and Calitzdorp districts.