Text: Marion Whitehead. Photographs: Anna J. Nel. Article from the June 2012 issue of Getaway Magazine.
Long Tom Pass is the godfather of the passes that sweep over the northern Drakensberg escarpment to Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route, and is arguably one of the country’s most scenic mountain passes.
High in the mist belt of Mpumalanga is an old Voortrekker pass that the loyal Staffie of Jock of the Bushveld fame used to travel, along with a colourful assortment of transport riders, hunters and gold panners. It was a treacherous track and wagon accidents were common for those responding to the lure of prolific wildlife on the Lowveld and money to be made trading with the Portuguese colonial outpost of Delagoa Bay (now Maputo).
Today, the 56-kilometre Long Tom Pass is still one of the highest and most impressive major roads in South Africa, twisting up and over the edge of the escarpment between the Highveld town of Mashishing (formerly Lydenburg) and Sabie. It was tarred in 1956 and has been modernised since, but still follows much the same route as in the days of ox-wagon travel.
Its name comes from skirmishes fought on the route during the Anglo Boer War, when the Boer commandos deployed long-range field artillery guns against the advancing British forces, who nicknamed them ‘Long Toms’. Some of the damage done by the artillery shells is still visible on the pass.
What you’ll see
From Mashishing, the R37 climbs rapidly onto a ridge in the Gustav Klingbiel and Mount Anderson nature reserves, then sweeps along it in great curves. There are some sneak previews over the edge of the escarpment into a deep valley to the south. By the time you reach the crest at 2 150 metres above sea level, you’ve gained 670 metres.
The whole escarpment is often shrouded in mist, formed when the warm, moist air from the Lowveld is pushed up the mountainside and cools. Snow falls in winter on Mount Anderson (2287 metres), the second highest peak in Mpumalanga, and from this great watershed, streams on the east flow into the Sabie River Valley to the Indian Ocean, while the rivers flowing west towards Mashishing end up in the Spekboom River.
The most panoramic view sites and picnic spots are in the east as the route drops almost 1000 metres to Sabie. Stop and take time to absorb the magnificent vista of natural forests and extensive plantations covering the folds of the foothills and valleys all the way to the hazy horizon.
Look out for the big guns’ shell hole in the mountain as you wind down the loops of the tight hairpin bends. Soon after Misty Mountain Hotel, at the top of the Devil’s Knuckles, is a monument with a replica of the famous Long Tom guns used by Boer commandos.
The 360-degree views give a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding valleys. Craft stalls sell local handiwork, from beads to stone carvings, and the coffee shop offers a simple menu.
Long, looping curves continue the descent around Little Spitskop, then the R37 turns right towards Mbombela (Nelspruit) and the Sudwala Caves, while the R532 continues for 10 kilometres to Sabie. Stop at the shady picnic spot just before the next cutting for a panorama of the lush Sabie River Valley. The little town has long been a centre of the timber industry and offers a great range of outdoor activities (see the box on What to Do).
A Long shot
During the Anglo Boer War, the Boers used their long-barrelled 155-millimetre calibre Creusot field artillery pieces to great effect. The powerful guns could fire a 38-kilogram shell over 10 kilometres and were the bane of the British soldiers.
When British General Sir Redvers Buller and his troops marched into Lydenburg on 7 September 1900 to the sound of the bagpipes and a brass band, the Boers were watching from a vantage point at Paardeplaats in the mountains above the town. Local historian Marion Moir relates how Boer Commandant-General Louis Botha heliographed a message to the Brits to ‘look out’ and then opened fire with two Long Toms. Two soldiers were killed and one wounded – plus a general’s afternoon nap was disrupted.
The British outnumbered Botha’s men six to one as they advanced up the mountain the next day, only to find the Boers had disappeared with their big guns. In a running battle the following day, the Boers steadily retreated down the pass to the top of the Devil’s Knuckles, where the 5700-kilogram Long Toms made their wrath known amid scenes of great bravery.
The field gun at the monument site on the pass (above) is a replica of the original. Find out more about the Long Toms at Lydenburg Museum (tel 013-235-2213), or see Marion Moir’s website.
Building the pass
Long Tom Pass was built on a bridle route developed by farmers, explorers and hunters keen to establish a trade route from the old Voortrekker Transvaal Republic (ZAR) to the harbour at Delagoa Bay.
Amateur geologist Karl Gottlieb Mauch and George Moodie surveyed the route over the mountain in 1870 and Abraham Esbach built the pass for the ZAR government in 1873-74. It became known as the Delagoasberg road or Hawepad. It was a frighteningly steep and treacherous track and it took 10 days to travel from Lydenburg, across the malaria-infested Lowveld where wildlife was prolific, to Delagoa Bay.
The story goes that Whisky Creek, just below the crest, was given this name because the water here was so good that it made an excellent drink, regardless of the quality of the liquor – or perhaps it was simply the relief that a little Dutch courage gave when tackling this fearsome track.
The Staircase (or Die Geut) was a section of the old pass so steep that the locked wheels of heavily laden wagons carved deep ruts in the rocks. Too vertiginous even for modern engineering to remedy, today’s tarred road skirts this portion.
By the time gold was discovered in the Lowveld near Graskop in the early 1870s, fortune seekers were bumping along this route in slow ox wagons or faster horse-drawn stagecoaches. They overnighted at the Old Trading Post, which was owned by elephant hunter Joao Albasini, the first Portuguese to trade with the Voortrekkers. The ruins can still be seen in Misty Mountain’s garden.
Koffiehoogte was where the transport riders stopped to rest their animals and brew coffee for themselves. Jock of the Bushveld author Sir Percy Fitzpatrick would have been among those who sat here, sharing a biscuit with his faithful hound.
What to do
Mountain biking: There’s a network of gravel roads in the plantations.
Tel 013-764-1149, email.
Waterfall spotting: The best in the area is the 68-metre Lone Creek Falls outside Sabie. Komatiland Eco-Tourism, tel 083-641-3089.
Bridge swings and abseiling: Sabie Backpackers and Xtreme Adventures offers adrenaline-fuelled thrills in the Sabie Falls gorge. Tel 013-764-2118, email.
Tubing: A fun, free family activity on a shallow stretch of the Sabie River. Jump in at the low bridge on the road to Bridal Veil Falls and exit at the causeway just outside Merry Pebbles Resort (you can also buy tubes at their shop).
Fly-fishing: Tel 013-764-2682, email.
Day hikes: The most popular is the 6,5-kilometre section of the Loerie Trail from Bridal Veil Falls.
The Fanie Botha Hiking Trail: This classic takes you along the edge of the escarpment from Sabie to God’s Window if you do the full five-night route (shorter options are possible). Tel 013-754-2724, email.
Travel planner
Recommended route
Long Tom Pass is on the R37 between Mashishing and Sabie, but it’s best to drive from the Mashishing side, as the best viewpoints are then on the left shoulder and you face the most panoramic views.
Where to eat
Misty Mountain Hotel (see Where To Stay) serves exceptional dishes, such as beef Wellington and local trout grilled to perfection, at average prices. Breakfast on the pool deck is a leisurely wake-up call to the area’s natural beauty and its Sunday lunches are renowned. Tel 013-764-3377.
The Wild Fig Tree restaurant in Sabie serves mouthwatering dishes with South African flair. Try the Cape Malay crocodile curry and rice with sambals, warthog potjie or South African meze of ostrich medallions, crocodile kebab, smoked trout fillet and biltong. Tel 013-764-2239.
Hops Hollow Brew Pub, just below the crest of Long Tom Pass; claims to be the highest microbrewery in the country and makes four beers using clear mountain spring water. It serves pub grub, buffet meals by arrangement and offers accommodation for those who can’t face the pass after a few ales. Tel 013-235-8910, website.
Useful contacts
Trips SA in Main Road (tel 013-764-1177) and the municipal information office in the Spar Centre (tel 013-764-3599) are run as a joint operation. Email, website.
Where to stay
* Merry Pebbles Holiday Resort’s caravan park in Sabie has such clean ablution blocks they literally sparkle. All 180 sites have power points and the best are on the riverbank. There are also 35 chalets and two lodges. Activities include pools, water slides, trampolines and fishing. Tel 013-764-2266, email, website.
** Bananien Lodge is just 7 km outside Sabie next to the R536 to Hazyview. Six thatched chalets are surrounded by lawns dotted with cycads and azaleas. The simply furnished, open-plan units (sleep four) with en suite bathrooms each have a double bed plus bunks for kids. Cell 082-552-8356, email, website.
** Paardeplaats Nature Retreat on the pass in the mountains 12 km from Mashishing offers elegantly simple accommodation in restored gold mine buildings. Walk sections of the original pass, go mountain biking, birding and fishing, or try a cooking, art or photography course. Tel 079-515-7799 or 079-694-9462 (a/h), email, website.
*** Misty Mountain Hotel is a three-star, owner-run establishment on Long Tom Pass. A playground, swimming pool, games room, TV lounge and cosy pub keep all ages happy. Birding, fishing, mountain-biking routes and day walks on the large property are reserved for guests’ use. Comfortable accommodation ranges from double bedrooms to family suites and a self-catering farmhouse, which can sleep 10. Tel 013-764-3377, email, website.
Accommouarion price ratings: a person a night usually B&B, sometimes full board.
| More info on the area of Panorama Route | More info on the Mpumalanga area |
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