Jimny 20 Passes Challenge: Road Trip 4

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The Jimny 20 Passes Challenge started on the 22nd of March 2024. For Road Trip number 4, we decided to do Cloete's Pass, Outeniqua Pass and Meiringspoort. It was a lot of driving considering we only had time to stay away for one night but we made it!

SEE MAP HERE

Road Trip 4 - Day 1

DEPARTURE

On June 2nd, 2024, we hit the road from Cape Town around 6:00 am. Our first pit stop was at the Karoo Saloon right before Barrydale. We had driven by it a few times, but it was always closed, so we took the chance to finally check it out. Enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and chatted about the events and accommodations they have to offer. Then, we headed to the well-known Ronnies Sex Shop padstal for a quick toastie before continuing on to Cloete's Pass.

Road Trip 4 - Day 1

CLOETE'S PASS

Right before Ladismith, we headed towards Van Wyksdorp. We recognised the road we had taken when coming back from Rooiberg Pass, and soon enough we were cruising on the gravel road again. It's always such a great feeling transitioning from the smooth tar to the bumpy gravel - our Jimny absolutely thrives on it!

We made a few stops along the way to take in the gorgeous views, check out the amazing rock formations, and admire the unique fynbos in the area.

When we got to the Gouritsriver, the weather wasn't great, but we still paused to take in the views. We were super pumped to drive through the full river at a good pace for some splashy fun. But, our playful antics backfired when Jimny didn't approve and the passenger window got stuck. Guess we learned our lesson for having a bit too much fun!

We then stopped at the Nut House Pub where we hung out with the awesome owners and their cute dogs. They actually grow macadamia nuts there and treated us to a tasting session. Since we're always full of questions, we ended up getting a mini lesson on macadamia farming – it's quite a process, but the end result is super tasty. Fun Fact: macadamia flowers smell amazing! After stocking up on some yummy nuts and the best macadamia butter ever, we decided it was time to hit the road again. It was already 2:30 PM, and we still had to drive through Outeniqua to reach our accommodation for the night.

Road Trip 4 - Day 1

OUTENIQUA PASS

When we arrived towards Mossel Bay, the weather was terrible, it was rain and thunder. We kept going hoping that we would be above the cloud on the next pass. When we arrived at the sign for the Outeniqua pass, it was still very cloudy. We took our picture, left a little surprise in the Geocache that we found and did not spend too much time up there.

When we reached the top of the pass, it was like magic! We were above the clouds and the view was just amazing, it felt like we were cruising on clouds up there!

After that, we made a pit stop in Oudtshoorn to gas up and grab some last-minute groceries for dinner, then we headed to De Rust to check in to our accommodation.

Road Trip 4 - Day 1

END OF THE DAY

We stayed in a little cottage called Kerneelia Kothuis.

We were welcomed by the owner and her daughter who was visiting. They were super friendly and showed us around, even prepared the fire for us, and left us with a cute little note along with a bottle of wine. The cottage was so beautiful, really charming and cozy, with everything you could need. We wouldn't have minded being stuck there for a whole week!

We got started with the cooking, opened a nice bottle of Sijnn that we got on our previous road trip, and enjoyed our delicious fire burger made of sticky and smoky pork with rum-marinated pineapple and homemade creamy coleslaw. We had a feast. After playing with the fire for a bit and sipping on some leftover pineapple-infused rum, we got stuck in the collection of fun books that were laying around in the cottage, moved the fire inside, and went to bed.

Road Trip 4 - Day 2

BREAKFAST

We woke up super rested, the beds were so comfy! We made a cup of coffee and went out to greet the horses around the cottage. As we were cuddling with the horses, the owner drove past with our breakfasts. Yes breakfast was included. What a breakfast! We were absolutely impressed. Everything was homemade and from the farm, the packaging was extra cute and everything was delicious. We enjoyed our amazing breakfast, chilled for a little while and only left at 10:00.

Road Trip 4 - Day 2

Meiringspoort

As we left the cottage and turned towards Meiringspoort, we saw a sign blocking the road that said "Closed". Luckily, there were some policemen on the side who reassured us that our Jimny could make it through and we were allowed to pass. Feeling relieved, we continued our drive through Meiringspoort. Due to heavy rains, the river was overflowing, with water even spilling onto the road at times. We had read in our "On Route in South Africa" book that this pass had been rebuilt several times due to floods, so we figured the locals were probably used to it. We stopped at the sign and walked up to the waterfall. To give you some context, one of us, Flora, is from the warm climate of Reunion Island, while the other, Hilja, is from the cold climate of Sweden. That morning, it was only 9 degrees at the waterfall, but Hilja decided to take a dip in the water. After the swim, we hurried back to the car to warm up before hitting the road again towards Klaarstroom.

Road Trip 4 - Day 3

THE WAY BACK HOME

On our way back, we stopped at Kredouw Olive shop and grabbed some amazing olive oil. We checked out the cool art gallery and all the olive-based skincare goodies they had, and then headed home. The weather was super chilly and overcast, making it tricky to find a nice spot to enjoy the braai padkos we packed earlier. Finally, around 3:45 PM when the rain eased up, we found ourselves in De Doorns and decided to stop at the Moreson padstal. It looked like it hadn't been open for ages, but the view of the mountains and vineyard in their autumn hues was just perfect for our snack break! After that, we hit the road back home.

Road Trip 4

CONCLUSION

We had such an amazing trip! Cloete's pass was definitely our favourite but the experience of driving Outeniqua above the clouds was very unique and driving Meiringspoort in the floods was super impressive! Our cottage was definitely a big highlight as well and we would recommend it to anyone that enjoys authentic cosy comfort in beautiful areas.

Want to read about all of our Jimny 20 Passes Challenge road trips?

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