At 4 kilometers, this is the longest road tunnel in our country.
I have travelled a few times from Johannesburg to Cape Town (1398km), but always took back roads to avoid this tunnel and the toll gates. But not this time, as it was the easiest way to get to our destination.
Some tunnel information below.
The Huguenot Tunnel is a toll tunnel near Cape Town, South Africa. It extends the N1 national road through the DuToitskloof mountains that separate Paarl from Worcester, providing a route that is safer, faster (between 15 and 26 minutes) and shorter (by 11 km) than the old DuToitskloof Pass travelling over the mountain. On average 12,000 vehicles use the tunnel every day with up to 22,500 vehicles using it daily on holidays.
But first we had to pay at the national toll gates. (Picture above)
And then we closed in on the tunnel's entrance.
Four kilometers of this kind of stuff below.
An idea for a tunnel through the DuToitskloof Mountains was conceived in the 1930s but was put on hold due to the outbreak of World War II. The idea developed into a pass over the mountains, the DuToitskloof pass, using the labour of Italian prisoners of war between 1942 and 1945 and continued with ordinary labour until its completion in 1948.
The tunnel was named after the French Huguenot refugees that settled in the area in the late 1600s with one of the Huguenot refugees being Francois Du Toit, after whom Du Toitskloof was named.
So, to experience the drive through the tunnel, watch the video below on YouTube.
We were on our way to a town called Ceres, way up inland and I will share more about the museum in the town in another post. Here below is my Lady waving at you.
A hair-raising adventure took place upon our return after a few days, as I decided to go over the original DuToitskloof Pass, way above the tunnel. Hair raising because of the misty conditions. The original DuToitskloof Pass has a history of its own that I will also share with you. We were out on a 2-day break, and I have always wanted to travel inland to have a look at the other towns in the province. All of the small towns here have long histories and my favorites to visit are the museums and even the graveyards. So, I have a heap of amazing photos to share with you in posts over the next days. Our first destination was the town of Ceres, and the next day we moved on to the town of Tulbagh. So be prepared for some great views. Before I forget, I also have a lot of photos of the roads and the landscapes. But in order not to bore you, I will also do some normal posts in between to keep you entertained. Please know that I appreciate all of your support on my posts.
That's all for now.
I hope that you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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