Wildeperdehoek Pass in Nama Khoi Platteland, Noord-Kaap

Wildeperdehork Pass is linked to the Messelpad Pass and together they form the passage over the mountains between Springbok and the coast. The name roughly translates to “wild horse’s corner”.

This is not a long Pass, in all it is just under 5 km, and is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles as some parts are in very poor condition. The Wildeperdehoek Pass is mostly travelled via the Messelpad Pass, and like its counterpart the Pass was built by the engineer Patrick Fletcher and a team of prisoners from Cape Town. Stationed at the base of the Buffels River valley in a building, the ruins of which still exist, they built the passes in the late 1860's.

The rough gravel road twists and turns in many double S-curves toward the summit which offers some incredible views over the Namaqua National Park, but what the Pass is best known for is its incredible descent onto the flats of Namaqualand - one of very few grassy areas in the arid and dry Northern Cape. On the descent one can see as far as the coast and at the bottom of the pass the landscape alters and becomes grassland.

Because the two Passes must be travelled in tandem, you will also be able to stop and view the Fletcher Barracks ruins, they provide a good perspective of what life must have been like here in 1870.

Thing to do and see

• Messelpad Pass
• Views over the Namaqua National Park
• Old Pass Road View Points
• Scenic Photo Opportunities
• Fletcher Barracks Ruins
• Wild Spring Flowers (In Season)

Admission

Free to Drive

Best during daylight hours