Houwhoek Pass

Houwhoek Pass

To reach Houwhoek Pass, on the tarred N2, you will have to crest Sir Lowry's Pass first. In fact, there is a 25 kilometre stretch of road between the two passes, known as Cole's Pass, to add further confusion to the mix. All in all, this mountainous part of the national road is a series of three passes.

Houwhoek is not difficult to find. There are a number of establishments in the area that act as beacons, like the Houwhoek Farm Stall. However, you only enter into the pass proper after the inn and farm stall, a steep, rocky descent that takes you into the Overberg; the scenery changing dramatically during the descent.

Houwhoek Pass geographically lies between the towns of Grabouw and Botrivier, an easy but incredibly beautiful drive that together with Sir Lowry's Pass has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the Western Cape. If you want to do this principally as a drive (and it is a perfect day's outing for visitors), then add even further beauty by returning around the back of the mountain, over Clarence Drive and through the Kogelberg Biosphere.

Also make sure to stop off in Elgin, which begins more or less at the town of Grabouw and includes a series of farms, hikes, accommodation, the Green Mountain Eco Route and at least fifteen wine farms in the greater Elgin area. Most of this part of South Africa is the stuff of picture postcards, a verdant fruit growing and wine producing area in which one can safely while away a few weekends with little effort. And its proximity to Cape Town makes it all the more accessible.