Swartberg

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The Swartberg Mountains ( Afrikaans: Groot Swartberg Mountains ) are a mountain range in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. They are part of the Cape Fold Belt. The highest mountain is the Seweweekspoortpiek with 2325 meters above sea level. Although primarily the Swartberg Mountains consist of red rock, the name translates to " black mountain ". Erosion and vegetation have the dark colored surface, from a great distance saw the mountains for the first settlers from black.

The mountain range separates the Great from the Little Karoo. At the foot of the mountains, the places in the south of Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert are in the north and the Rust in the east. The main road through the Swartberg Mountains is the N12, which runs through the Meiringspoort Gorge. It is well constructed and performs relatively flat along the river from Prince Albert to the Rust. Approximately 29 km north of Oudtshoorn lie the Cango Caves.

However, special tourist attraction is the Swartberg Pass. It was built in 1881-1886 by Thomas Bain, the most important road builder of the 19th century in South Africa. The 27 -kilometer unpaved mountain road reaches an altitude of 1583 meters. On the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Swartberg Pass was declared a National Monument in South Africa.

The Swartberg Mountains are one of the eight protected areas in the Cape Floral Region and are since 2004 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pass road at the Swartberg

View from the pass

Folded rock

The N12 in the Meiringspoort Gorge