Bain's Passes

Burgers (Koo) Pass

ThomasAttributed

Thomas plotted the route. The Divisional Council began construction in 1876. Attribution to Thomas rests on lists of his passes.

R318Route
About 5 kmLength
About 870 mSummit
TarSurface

See it on the mapLog your drive

Before you go

Tarred pass on the R318 with very tight switchbacks; drive slowly. Watch for livestock and rockfall.

Road conditions change with weather, floods, fires and roadworks. Check the latest conditions with the road authority or local tourism office before you leave, and carry offline maps.

About this pass

Burgers Pass links Montagu with the Koo Valley on the R318, the second of two passes on that road (Rooihoogte is the other). It is a short climb of very tight switchbacks and short straights through the Langeberg, so riders and drivers need to brake hard into the corners. The Koo Valley is fruit country (apples, pears and peaches), and the pass was first known as the Koo Pass because it served the valley. Mr Burger, the Montagu councillor it was later renamed for, is said to have had blue gum trees planted along both sides of the road. Pathfinda gives an average gradient of 1:15 and a steepest 1:10. The pass runs through Table Mountain Group sandstone with fynbos, and spring is the best season to see it.

Sources differ on the name: Wikipedia says it is named after the Koodoosberg, Pathfinda says after the Koo Valley, and Grokipedia (AI-generated) links it to a Khoekhoen word for the kambro plant. Bain's 1893 record lists the "Koo Mountain Pass" among his works, and Ross's talk lists "Burger's Pass" among his Langeberg and Outeniqua crossings.

History

Built by
Thomas plotted the route. The Divisional Council began construction in 1876. Attribution to Thomas rests on lists of his passes.
Built
1875–1877
Location
R318, Koo Valley to Montagu, Western Cape
Later work
Resurfaced.Now tarred; the year is not confirmed (one AI-generated account says 1951).Renamed.Called the Koo Pass at first; Pathfinda says it was renamed Burger Pass in 1957 after a Montagu councillor, Mr Burger.
Notes
No builder is named for the pass itself; attribution rests on a list of Bain's passes. Dates conflict: Wikipedia gives 1875 to 1877, Pathfinda says construction began in 1876 and finished in 1887 for about £1,000, and Grokipedia gives both 1877 and 1887. The card keeps 1875 to 1877. Length and summit also conflict: Pathfinda gives 5 km and 870 m, our earlier source 5.7 km and 880 m, and Grokipedia gives 8.5, 10 and 18 km and 800 and 1,234 m. The card uses Pathfinda's figures as approximate. The card previously said gravel; Wikipedia's list and Pathfinda both say tar, so it is corrected.

Find it

Pin
-33.68910, 19.92070
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Sources

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