Van Zyl Pass

Backblip. For my records only.

My sister asked me to dig out some snaps of the long land rover they used to have that we'd used to go to Namibia in 2013. Only 10 of these beasts were made in South Africa!  It really was not the most sensible vehicle to take on this road, but we managed it, though I did have to get out and walk for some of the way, as I was rather worried/scared at the angles the vehicle reached going over some of the boulders. I just pretended I wished to take photographs/record it!!


Re this pass which is among the 10 most dangerous in the world.

The road to the summit is totally unpaved. The drive is around 15km (9.32 miles) long. It’s a classic extreme road, but not really a road, just a route made over the mountain by travellers over time. The outrageously steep pass itself is a pure adrenaline rush, but the lead-up route is 10-15km of tough driving, dodging its way through boulders, rocks, ravines and badlands. The descent from the top of the pass covers a distance of ten kilometres – but it will take you three to six hours to negotiate.