Seweweekspoort — Ladismith Karoo GravelGorge.

Distance

90 km

Duration

1 day

Climb

700 m

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Curated by Rider · Updated Jun 2026

Overview

Seweweekspoort — Ladismith Karoo Gravel Gorge.

One of South Africa's most spectacular gravel poorts. The Seweweekspoort cuts through a vertical fault in the Swartberg Mountains, twisting past towering folded-rock cliffs beneath Seweweekspoort Peak, the highest summit in the Western Cape. A well-graded but remote dirt road with over 200 bends and no services — pure Karoo drama.

Quick facts

SurfaceMixed

Distance90 km

Days1

Total climb700 m

DifficultyChallenging

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Day-by-day

The route.

ROUTE

5 stops

LadismithStart · Start below the cleft peak of Towerkop. Last reliable fuel, water and supplies before the gravel poort — fill the tank and carry water.

Seweweekspoort South EntranceScenic Point · Turn off the R62 onto the gravel road into the poort. The name means Seven Weeks Poort; the road threads a narrow fault with over 200 curves in 17km.

Seweweekspoort Peak ViewpointMountain Pass · Beneath Seweweekspoort Peak (2325m), the highest point in the Western Cape. Sheer folded rock strata rise vertically on both sides — a geological cathedral.

Bosluiskloof Northern ExitScenic Point · The poort opens onto the Klein Karoo plateau near the historic Bosluiskloof Pass. Vast silence, big sky and almost zero traffic.

LadismithEnd · Return through the poort to Ladismith. The shifting afternoon light makes the cliffs look completely different on the way back.

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