Why this ride
A remote mixed-surface corridor with strong terrain and adventure-riding value. It links naturally to Outeniqua and Langkloof mountains.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Prince Alfreds Pass starting at Knysna
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 85 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 00
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Editorial context
Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.
Access context
Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.
Seasonal context
Sep-Apr
Scenic road chapters
Garden Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 14 km this is Garden Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 14 km
- Named road
- Garden Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Knysna
Knysna lies around a tidal lagoon on the Garden Route, with a pair of sandstone cliffs known as the Heads guarding the narrow channel to the sea. Forest runs down to the water, and the whole town has a green, relaxed look, with a population around sixty-nine thousand and a waterfront full of small shops and restaurants. The lagoon is an estuary, home to rare seahorses and a rich oyster industry, and every year there is an oyster festival in the winter that fills the town.
Read the complete Knysna write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Knysna sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Prince Alfred Pass.
2. Prince Alfred Pass
Thomas Bain built a great many passes, and Prince Alfred, finished in 1867 and named for Queen Victoria's son, who visited the Cape in 1860, is one of the longest. It runs from Knysna up through the Outeniqua mountains to Uniondale, over a distance of nearly eighty kilometres, and most of it is gravel. The route was built to link the timber country of the Garden Route with the farms of the Karoo, and for decades ox wagons carried wood, wool and supplies along it.
Read the complete Prince Alfred Pass write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Prince Alfred Pass comes up 24 km in. Next is Uniondale.
3. Uniondale
Uniondale is a small Karoo town on the northern side of the Outeniqua mountains, a place of whitewashed houses, tin roofs and a long, wide main street that has seen little change in decades. It lies in a dry valley at the foot of the pass, on the road between the coast and the Little Karoo, and it serves as the gateway to Prince Alfred's Pass, one of the most beautiful gravel roads in South Africa. The surrounding country is open and rolling, with sheep and goats grazing among rocky hills.
Read the complete Uniondale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
85 km in you reach Uniondale.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Prince Alfreds Pass (75 km) · 95 km
- Garden Route · part 3 · 262 km
- South Africa · Garden Route High and Coast · part 1 · 544 km