Long Tom Pass
Digging into Details of SA's most liberating scenic route
There’s something liberating about venturing gradual slopes that gives one an accessible and intimate feel. If the road leading up to Mpumalanga’s most famous pass calls some to move, it is surely those who revel in its beauty, who makes everyone envious for driving South Africa’s Best Road along the mountainous peaks of Long Tom Pass.Long Tom Pass
Long Tom Pass is situated in the Mpumalanga province, on the Regional Road R37 between Lydenburg and Sabie. At the top of the Long Tom Pass is a large silver cannon called The Long Tom. That was the British name for this Boer-operated field gun that fired a 38kg shell for 10km and was the bane of British generals and their brigades.The Long Tom Pass was built between Lydenburg and Sabie as an alternative route for the waggoners of the 1800s to get through to the Mozambican port of Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) for trade. The exquisite Horseshoe Falls are found along the Sabie River in the Mpumalanga province. These falls are found 4kms off the Old Lydenburg Road, signposted on the left side. Another popular tourist attraction is the Mac Mac Falls, named for the feisty Scottish miners who panned for gold here in the 1870s gold rush.