Prince Alfred Pass by Motorcycle: Karoo to Garden Route on Gravel

Prince Alfred's Pass is the gravel section of the R339 between Avontuur in the Langkloof and Knysna on the coast. At 68.5 km it is the longest publicly accessible mountain pass in South Africa by a wide margin.

This was one of Thomas Bain's biggest jobs and some call it his greatest. Watch for his dry-stone retaining walls and the culverts he built under the road to carry floodwater into the river. They have survived more than 150 years of storms.

Prince Alfred is a moderate gravel ride in dry weather. It is less steep than the Swartberg but much longer, and its difficulty changes section by section.

• •Avontuur to De Vlugt (north). The roughest part. A narrow gorge with tight hairpins, loose gravel and sharper rocks. It looks like a Karoo canyon and rides like one.
• •De Vlugt to the Plettenberg Bay turn-off (middle). Narrower and bumpier, with corrugations and sections that wash out in heavy rain.
• •The forest section to Knysna (south). The surface improves and the road winds through tall indigenous forest. It feels easy, which is why riders speed up here. The corners are often blind and the edges drop into gorges.

Throughout the pass the road is narrow enough that a car and a bike pass each other carefully. Expect the occasional logging truck or local bakkie coming the other way.

The road suffers after big storms. Floods closed it in June 2024 with rockfalls, and fresh washouts and repairs are normal after a wet winter. If you've ridden graded gravel before, you can ride Prince Alfred. The skill it asks for is concentration over a long distance, not technique on one hard climb.

A middleweight adventure bike suits Prince Alfred best. The rocky north section rewards a lighter bike, and the long forest section rewards comfort and good suspension.

• •Light and forgiving: CFMOTO 450MT. Easiest in the De Vlugt gorge and the least tiring over 68 km.
• •The sweet spot: Yamaha Ténéré 700, Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, CFMOTO 800MT-X, Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro, BMW F 900 GS Adventure.
• •Big ADV: BMW R 1250 GS Adventure, R 1300 GS and GS Adventure, Honda Africa Twin, Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro. Very comfortable on the faster forest gravel. Best for riders already confident moving a heavy bike on loose surfaces.

The same rule as on any long gravel day applies: tyres with real off-road grip, and a bike you can flat-foot or close to it. On Mufasa we match every rider to a bike before the tour using a short questionnaire about their experience, height and priorities.

Ride Prince Alfred between November and April, Mufasa's season. The southern half sits in forest that gets regular rain, so the road is at its worst after the wet months and in the middle of a storm.

• •Spring and summer (November to February): the most reliable conditions. Hot in the Karoo gorge, cool in the forest.
• •Autumn (March and April): quieter roads and softer light, with a growing chance of rain.
• •Winter (June to August): the wettest time on this side of the mountains. Washouts and closures are most likely.

At any time of year, check the local road notices the day before. After heavy rain, look carefully at the low-water crossings.

On Mufasa we ride Prince Alfred north to south, from the Karoo down to the coast. Downhill toward the sea is the better direction: the landscape opens up in front of you, and you finish in Knysna instead of climbing out of it.

1. 1.Leave Hlangana Lodge outside Oudtshoorn and ride east past the Kammanassie Mountains.
2. 2.Reach Avontuur and turn south onto the R339 and the start of the pass.
3. 3.Ride the De Vlugt gorge, then the long forest descent.
4. 4.Arrive in Knysna and check in at the Log-Inn, two nights on the lagoon with a rest day.

The day covers about 171 km in roughly three hours of riding. Fill up before Avontuur, because the pass has no fuel. The support vehicle runs behind the group with water, tools and a spare bike. The next day is a rest day in Knysna, so riders arrive knowing they can recover.

1. 1.Pace yourself for 68 km. This is a long pass, not a short climb. Take a break at the halfway mark, drink water, and reset your concentration.
2. 2.Stand in the rocky north section. Use the pegs through the De Vlugt gorge and let the bike move underneath you.
3. 3.Don't relax in the forest. The surface gets better and the speed creeps up, but the corners stay blind and narrow.
4. 4.Keep left and assume something is coming. Logging trucks and bakkies use this road, and there's rarely room for two vehicles side by side.
5. 5.Cross wet patches and streams slowly and upright. Shaded forest sections stay damp long after rain. Avoid braking or turning on wet rock.
6. 6.Stop where it's wide. Pull right off the road for photos, never on a bend.

Mufasa is our 11-day Western Cape and Garden Route adventure tour, about 75% gravel. Prince Alfred is Day 5, the day after the Swartberg and the gateway to two nights on the Knysna lagoon. The tour also takes in Rooiberg Pass across the Karoo, Bainskloof and Chapman's Peak.

Groups are 6 to 12 riders. I lead on a bike, and a support vehicle carries your luggage, tools, water and a spare bike. You choose from more than ten adventure motorcycles, matched to your experience before you land. Looking for a different route? See all our guided motorcycle tours.

The next Mufasa departures are in February and April 2027, and the tour page always shows the latest dates.