On the road heading west from the N1 in Limpopo, past Modimolle and Vaalwater, there is a sign that has poked my inner adventurer every time we passed it in the last couple of years. Bakker’s Pass. Turning onto the road you have to pass a security checkpoint, we just told him we are going through Bakker’s Pass.
The sandy gravel road was quite wet, with several soft muddy patches, and that changed often, but for the most part of the GPS estimated 3hours and 7 minutes, we had the same surface. We ended up doing a 4 hours trip, but we did take the road hugging the Marakele National Park all the way on the south up the western boundary and traveling back east on the northern boundary.
On the southern boundary of the Marakele Nature Reserve, we passed through the Bakker’s Pass, from east to west. This is also in the direction that Mountain Passes South Africa took their description (see the reference below).
We definitely advise taking this trip much much slower than what Google Maps suggests. This is a 20-40km/h road for most parts. Faster than that you will find yourself in sections where control of the vehicle will become a challenge with the rocky downhills and loose pebbles. The road was in a really bad condition especially after a couple of days of rain.
Take food for the road, there’s no place to stop for a bite. Take your bathroom break at the Vaalwater Spar center before attempting the route, unless you are comfortable with a roadside lavi(tree).
The scenery on this road is phenomenal, the Waterberg mountains make for a majestic landscape and the winding Bakker’s Pass requires your attention. So stop, get a nice place to have a picnic on the side of the road, and just enjoy the trip. We encountered a couple of eagles, there’s plenty of wildlife and then we met Single Steve the Elephant with one tusk.
We have some more photos on our Facebook Page Tracks and Passes (see link in references)
References:
https://mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za/find-a-pass/limpopo/item/637-bakkers-pass.html
https://www.facebook.com/100205758713485/posts/299382315462494/?d=n