Katbakkies Pass trip report and road conditions — April 2025
Went through last weekend in a Ford Ranger XLT. Here is the full report.
The approach road is graded gravel for the first 50km then transitions to a proper 4x4 track. We had 3 vehicles in convoy which made recovery easy when the lead vehicle got axle-deep in a rut. Total distance from the gate to our campsite was 50km and took 2 hours.
Camping: The campsite has no facilities — fully self-sufficient. Signal is Vodacom only near the gate.
Fuel: filled up in the last town before the turn-off. Diesel consumption was around 14L/100km on the technical sections — budget for higher than your tar road figure. We carried 31L spare in jerry cans.
The scenery is genuinely spectacular. Happy to answer any questions from people planning this route.
4 Replies
Good write-up. One thing to add from our trip there — the campsite booking process has changed since the last reports I read. They have installed a new water tank at the halfway point which changes the water carrying calculations.
Good write-up. One thing to add from our trip there — the campsite booking process has changed since the last reports I read. They have installed a new water tank at the halfway point which changes the water carrying calculations.
— steef_pretorius
Thanks for the report — this is exactly what I needed. Heading there in March with two other rigs (Ranger Raptor) and have been debating whether to take the longer alternate route. Based on your description, I think we will stick to the main track.
Nice one, christo. Did you do the river crossing at the bottom of the valley? We skipped it last time and regretted it. Adding it to the plan for our next trip.
— riaan_bezuidenhout
Went through this one two seasons back and our experience was similar. The crossing you mentioned was also the part that got our attention. What tyre pressures were you running? We found 1.3bar front and rear worked well on that surface.
Nice one, christo. Did you do the river crossing at the bottom of the valley? We skipped it last time and regretted it. Adding it to the plan for our next trip.