Private Tour
Full-Day Swartberg Mountain PRIVATE Tour (including lunch and transfers)
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
This full-day guided nature tour of the 27 kilometer Swartberg Pass (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), includes leisure optional scenic walks on the Swartberg Pass offering panoramic views over the Klein and Great Karoo at the "top" of the Pass ( 1568 m above sea level). We also visit the quaint Great Karoo town of Prince Albert and return to Oudtshoorn via the scenic Meiringspoort.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Swartberg Pass
From the Guesthouse we travel north towards the majestic Swartberg Mountains. From the Southern foothills we start our ascend of nearly 900 meters up the Swartberg Mountains via the world renowned Swartberg Pass. The Swartberg Pass, a National monument, has a gravel surface and was constructed by renowned road engineer, Thomas Bain over a 4-year period and opened on 10 January 1888. The dry- stone technique used to construct the pass required extreme manual labour and is as solid as it was when constructed 128 years ago. Get close to nature and explore the spectacular Sandstone formations dating back more than 300 million years. Feast your eyes on the full splendour of diverse “fynbos” species ranging from various Protea species as well as “cone bush” and “pin cushions”. You may even spot a soaring Verreaux Eagle or Jackal Buzzard while the agility of the “Klipspringer” (small antelope) over the rugged sandstone formations will astound you. At the summit (“Die Top”) of the Swartberg Pass, we enjoy a panoramic view over the Great-and-Klein Karoo. You will also be able to enjoy an optional leisure walk before we descend the Swartberg Pass en-route to Prince Albert where we are treated to a light lunch. Departing from Prince Albert, you will be introduced to the arid Great Karoo landscape and its diverse succulents and karroid bush by skirting the northern slopes of the Swartberg Mountains, en- route to Meiringspoort. Time is spent at the 60-meter high waterfall in Meiringspoort, before snaking through the rest of the poort to the peaceful Little Karoo “Dorpie” - De Rust. From here we return to the Hotel / Guesthouse.
What‘s Included
Lunch
Driver/guide
Transport by private vehicle
Gratuities
Pickup points
Oudtshoorn Hotel
Cnr of Baron Van Reede & Van Der Riet Street, Oudtshoorn South Africa
Protea Hotel Oudtshoorn Riempie Estate
Baron Van Reede Street Oudtshoorn South Africa
Karoo Retreat Gastehuis
41 Klein Karoo Street Oudtshoorn South Africa
Queen's Hotel By BON Hotels
5 Baron van Reede Street, Oudtshoorn South Africa
Hlangana Lodge
51 North Street Oudtshoorn South Africa
86 on Langenhoven Bed & Breakfast
86 Langenhoven Road Oudtshoorn South Africa
El Dorado Hotel & Self Catering
Park Road, Corner Van Der Riet St Oudtshoorn South Africa
Turnberry Boutique Hotel
130 St John Street, Oudtshoorn South Africa
Van Riebeeck Hotel Conference
209 Jan van Riebeeck Road, Oudtshoorn South Africa
Options
Swartberg Pass Full-Day Tour
Pickup included
Reviews
9 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic tour with a knowledgeable and very friendly guide
Robert P,,Dec 5, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a whole day with Lynette in the Swartberg mountains and Cango Caves. It’s a stunning place, and being guided around made it so much more rewarding. The views are stunning and we even learnt a bit about what we were looking at! Lovely lunch too. Great day.
Holiday Highlight - Five stars!
OliveTree60,,May 2, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A truly memorable day tour through the incredibly stunning Swartberg pass. Jan is an exceptional guide and his enthusiasm and knowledge about the mountains, flora and fauna is admirable. We spotted so many beautiful birds, flowers and a very impressive blue headed lizard! We enjoyed a delicious lunch stop in Prince Albert and a bonus stop at a tobacco farm on our way back to Oudtshoorn. Thank you, Jan, for being so lovely and for our excellent day out.
Not to be missed
Debbie B,,Feb 20, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Despite the weather, this was a fantastic tour. Lynette was so knowledgeable and pointed out wildlife and plants we would have missed and told us all about them, as well as about the Pass. Interesting talking about South Africa in general too. Highly recommended.
Fantastic
elainew623,,Jun 28, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Best guided tour of the Swartberg area, we had a full day tour with Jan our guide and covered a big area through beautiful scenery, he was very informative and passionate about his country and their people, great history lesson for us, and so knowledgeable about the birds, flora and fauna, and geology of the area, stopping to take amazing photographs, and enjoy the scape, it was a great tour.
Fabulous tour of a spectacular region of South Africa
Steve G,,Jun 11, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This trip was amazing thanks to the spectacular scenery and Jan, the guide. This man has an incredible wealth of knowledge that it was a pleasure to listen to his descriptions and the answers to our many questions.
Wonderful Day Tour with Jan
Tom362,,Mar 7, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We have just returned from a great day out on the Swartberg Day Tour with Jan. Whilst the pass, the views and the scenery were even better than expected, this was so much more. Jan was willing and very able to discuss anything including history, (from settlement to the present day) politics, Flora, fauna, peoples, languages, food and drink. We learnt so much and hopefully developed our appreciation of both this wonderful region and the wider country. Absolutely no hesitation in recommending True South Travel, extremely interesting and informative, very open to questions and discussion.
AMAZING EXPERIENCE
myholidaysaway,,Mar 4, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Jan Bester knows his stuff. An amazing day spent with Jay driving through the Swartberg Mountains and having a typical African lunch. Such a lovely man.
FANTASTIC
jacnabz,,Jun 21, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We took a full day Swartberg Pass Tour with Jan. What a treat and what a truly amazing day. We had no expectations no itinerary and no agenda. We hopped in the car and said show us things we wouldn’t find on our own. That is exactly what we got. Jan is passionate about all things South Africa and personalised the day for us, this is definitely not a ‘one size fits all’ kinda tour, and Jan’s knowledge is never ending. We ate bread from the braii, drank stream water and met locals. The grand finale, the sheer magnitude and outstanding beauty of the Pass: the history, flora, fauna and wildlife made for a truly magical day with a very inspirational guide. A must do if you’re in the area
A Magic Day
255103MariaS,,Jun 3, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our full day tour was fantastic. Jan, our guide, was very knowledgeable and his love of the area was obvious. We had many stops where we could appreciate the beautiful scenery, wildlife and vegetation. Jan also shares my love of photography so it was a bonus having someone willing to stop and let me click away.
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Operated by True South Travel