One of the best perks of our job as motorcycle guides in South Africa is getting to ride the country's amazing mountain passes—a lot. The passes we keep going back to have two things in common: stunning views and exciting curves. I remember when I first started exploring them, wanting to ride each pass at least twice: the first time just to enjoy the riding—to see how smoothly you can connect each section and feel like you're riding the pass well; the second time to go back, take it easy, and soak in the views.
On our Seascapes, Switchbacks and Safaris tours we often get guests wanting to ride a pass twice—and we're happy to oblige. Here are our 5 top passes we love to ride twice:
1 - Clarence Drive, False Bay Coast
Ok, this isn't technically a pass—Clarence Drive skirts around a mountain range, not over it. But there are some inclines, lots of sweeping curves, and incredible views of False Bay. We love this section so much we've made it a staple on all our Cape Town-based rides. We've worked it into our Day 1 route on our rides north to Namibia and east to the Kruger Park.
2 - Franschhoek Pass, Cape Winelands
Franschhoek Pass connects the wine-growing valley of Franschhoek with the Overberg region. It's possibly the most scenic and fun-to-ride pass in Southern Africa. We've managed to work this pass into our one-day rides as well as our rides to Namibia and the Kruger Park. We'll probably leave you behind on this one because we know every curve intimately. No matter how much we try to ride at the same pace as the group, by turn 2 we can't help claiming our home-ground advantage, opening the throttle and going for it. We'll wait for you at the top!
3 - Bains Kloof Pass, Wellington
I once tried to count all the corners on the north face of this unique pass—and got to around 135 before losing count. This is another section we've managed to squeeze into the first or last day's riding on most of our longer routes. Rain or shine, we love seeing riders' eyes open wide at the relentless tight corners that come at you on a wonderfully smooth and confidence-inspiring surface. The views of the kloof are worth riding all the way down and up again to take them all in.
4 - Long Tom Pass, Eastern Escarpment
In case you were thinking the Western Cape has all the good riding, Long Tom Pass is almost worth the trip to the north-eastern part of South Africa alone. The pass connects the scenic trout-fishing village of Dullstroom with the logging center of Sabie and features a replica of the Long Tom cannon used by the Boers in the second South African War. On the best days, the mist clears and you'll get a lifelong riding highlight as you wind up and over through twisting sections surrounded by pine plantations with incredible views on both sides. While some may choose a coffee break in the town of Sabie, there are usually at least a few riders who go back for another run.
5 - Barkly Pass, Eastern Cape Highlands
One of my highlights so far in 2025 was doing a film shoot on this pass, which required riding up and down a bunch of times. The pictures will best do the describing here. A great thing about this pass is that we have to ride it twice on our route from Cape Town to the Kruger Park. If you take your time, that means you could do this pass 4 times over two days—which might just be enough.
