We decided to take the original old road over the mountain.
Here are two photos at the start of the pass, and a person would be in real trouble to stop with a flat tire with the baboons hanging around. They can get nasty when their babies are with them.
Do you remember the previous post that we passed through the new Du Toitskloof tunnel? See it HERE
Well, upon our return, we decided to tackle the old pass, much higher up on the Du Toitskloof mountains. The only problem that we had, is that the mountain pass was covered in a thick mist. The pass was built by Italian prisoners of war, after the first world war. So, if you want some history on the pass, then go to this link.
So, no way that I was going to stop here, as I knew that those baboons would not be very welcoming:)
But let me show you the scenes when we got higher up on the mountain.
First, we had to pass through this much shorter tunnel.
And then as we ascended, the fun with the mist in the mountain peaks started. So I took random photos as we drove along.
Yep, it could get very tricky if one tries to speed around the sharp bends of this road, it is for sure a far way down.
Finally, we reached the top and there was a lovely lookout spot, so we stopped, and I will give you a taste of the majestic views that I will show you in another post.
Here is the taste, and that is the new Du Toitskloof tunnel that I posted some time ago.
After we took the photos of the views, we took the road down.
The pass is 48km long and they reckon that on a clear day one can enjoy stunning views of cliffs, valleys, farms, and the town of Paarl. Oh yes, we were high up, and it was a joy to see how the misty clouds hung over above the landscapes. As I said, I will show that to you in another post, as this post is getting a bit long in the leg. Fortunately, not many people take this old pass anymore, and we saw maybe one or two cars in the distance, whereas in the modern tunnel below, there is constant movement of cars, trucks, and busses passing through the tunnel. They reckon that the new tunnel cuts 11km's off the trip between Paarl and Worcester, but we didn't mind as I am sure you will agree that the old pass is the more scenic one. So that's it for now, and keep an eye out for the post that I will do with the views.
I hope you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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