Baboons Pass 2024

[WillemBeast]

Good day everyone, I am new here.

I am looking to do a baboons pass trip next year with a few friends, we are all experienced drivers with lots of 4x4 training and routes under our belts.

Are there any members with experience of the route and area who can share some advice, mainly wondering what the best time of the year and how many days would be ideal.

Also a list of essential equipment, from other posts on the forum I see often times jacks and winches are used to clear boulders.

We will be looking to take two 105's and one 100 up.

Any information will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Willem.

[JohanMaree]

Willem

I have done the pass once with a 1200GS and twice in two days with a lifted Isuzu during 2012. Winch and hilift jacks were used extensively.
I believe the pass deteriorated tremendously over the years.
Stay away during rain season and during frost/snow.
En weet, jy gaan met skade terugkom. Dis nou as jy hom klaarmaak. Seker die moeilikste 21km in SA.

Jy moet jou ysterballe solank begin polish

[LandyAndy]

A little TIC:

Don't overestimate your driving ability.

Don't underestimate the pass.

Your age might count against you in some aspects if the going gets tough, but it will definitely count in your favour when it comes to packing rocks.

Take pics and write a trip report.

[Patroller]

Good day everyone, I am new here.

I am looking to do a baboons pass trip next year with a few friends, we are all experienced drivers with lots of 4x4 training and routes under our belts.

Are there any members with experience of the route and area who can share some advice, mainly wondering what the best time of the year and how many days would be ideal.

Also a list of essential equipment, from other posts on the forum I see often times jacks and winches are used to clear boulders.

We will be looking to take two 105's and one 100 up.

Any information will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Willem.

I only did it once, but keen to do it again.
Potentially more effective for moving rocks is a (guala) steel rod that you can get from Builders.


Best time in my opinion is Spring or Autumn
Winter is cold and with snow
Summer is rain.
You want to avoid both.

How many will you be?
I would say 5/6 is ideal.
10 too many, one will have drama.
3 too little to support if need be.

[WillemBeast]

Willem

I have done the pass once with a 1200GS and twice in two days with a lifted Isuzu during 2012. Winch and hilift jacks were used extensively.
I believe the pass deteriorated tremendously over the years.
Stay away during rain season and during frost/snow.
En weet, jy gaan met skade terugkom. Dis nou as jy hom klaarmaak. Seker die moeilikste 21km in SA.

Jy moet jou ysterballe solank begin polish

Baie Dankie Johan, daar is darem baie tyd om te beplan.

Sien nou net meer uit!.

[WillemBeast]

A little TIC:

Don't overestimate your driving ability.

Don't underestimate the pass.

Your age might count against you in some aspects if the going gets tough, but it will definitely count in your favour when it comes to packing rocks.

Take pics and write a trip report.

Thank you, will post some of the planning and vehicle mods on here in the leadup as well.

[WillemBeast]

I only did it once, but keen to do it again.
Potentially more effective for moving rocks is a (guala) steel rod that you can get from Builders.


Best time in my opinion is Spring or Autumn
Winter is cold and with snow
Summer is rain.
You want to avoid both.

How many will you be?
I would say 5/6 is ideal.
10 too many, one will have drama.
3 too little to support if need be.

Thank you, right now I am thinking a long weekend in March, we plan on the 3 100's (lots of redundancy) and then a mate of mine with a Defender is also up for it. So 3/4 as it stands.

[JohanMaree]

Oorweeg om naby die Goliath te oornag as die tyd julle vang. Beter om daarvoor voor te berei as nie.

Ons het twee dae agtermekaar deurgery om motorfietse te herwin. Die eerste dag was 8.5h. Die tweede dag net 6h, want ons het die belyning toe beter verstaan. "Nothing beats experience and local knowledge"

[Edgy]

Willem

I have done the pass once with a 1200GS and twice in two days with a lifted Isuzu during 2012. Winch and hilift jacks were used extensively.
I believe the pass deteriorated tremendously over the years.
Stay away during rain season and during frost/snow.
En weet, jy gaan met skade terugkom. Dis nou as jy hom klaarmaak. Seker die moeilikste 21km in SA.

Jy moet jou ysterballe solank begin polish

To get a 1200GS up Baboons is a feat of note, I have ridden the Roof of Africa a few times and Baboons was a part of the route and even on my 200 KTM its hard work! (Think 2012 was the last)

[Peter Connan]

If I may make so bold, consider taking along a couple of 1.5m lengths of scaffold plank. They make great "bridging sections".

[Fred56]

https://youtu.be/-Bk4_KzfSyw?si=xWdDKrgMgnMxLn9l


Couple of guys doing Baboons.

[stofstreep2]

Good day everyone, I am new here.

I am looking to do a baboons pass trip next year with a few friends, we are all experienced drivers with lots of 4x4 training and routes under our belts.

Are there any members with experience of the route and area who can share some advice, mainly wondering what the best time of the year and how many days would be ideal.

Also a list of essential equipment, from other posts on the forum I see often times jacks and winches are used to clear boulders.

We will be looking to take two 105's and one 100 up.

Any information will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Willem.

[stofstreep2]

Did the pass 5 years ago. Very tough but good for life long memories. On first day drove for 8 hours, slept in the pass and spend 7 hours on day 2 to finish. Were 3 LC 200's and went at a slower pace to prevent damage to vehicles. One of the best off road experiences of our life but with probably no desire to do it again

[HermanvdW]

One of the best off road experiences of our life but with probably no desire to do it again

Same feeling on this side. Swambo still have bad memories as she had to pack rock's on one of our wedding anniversary's.😂

[WillemBeast]

Thank you for all the input, this was a special experience.

I think the best advice for future drivers is to have big tires (35+), rock sliders and good spotters and maps.

We had a tough time, lost two tires a bit of road rash as well as a mangled prop shaft, also had one broken finger in the convoy.

We spent 15 mins finding the actual route even with the T4A location, there are loads of routes to little settlements that can be misconstrued for the pass.

Day 1 was 11 hours, we had some rain on day 2 so it ended up being 18 hours, seemed like no one has done the route in a while.

We were very lucky to have a Sotho speaker amongst us and having local knowledge makes a HUGE difference we skipped two or three incredibly hectic sections using by routes.

[Hedgehog]

Thank you for all the input, this was a special experience.

I think the best advice for future drivers is to have big tires (35+), rock sliders and good spotters and maps.

We had a tough time, lost two tires a bit of road rash as well as a mangled prop shaft, also had one broken finger in the convoy.

We spent 15 mins finding the actual route even with the T4A location, there are loads of routes to little settlements that can be misconstrued for the pass.

Day 1 was 11 hours, we had some rain on day 2 so it ended up being 18 hours, seemed like no one has done the route in a while.

We were very lucky to have a Sotho speaker amongst us and having local knowledge makes a HUGE difference we skipped two or three incredibly hectic sections using by routes.

Well done!

[ViperR]

Congrats. Something I always wanted to do.

[Bezza Bran]

Has anyone else done Baboons Pass recently since Willembeast? We have a crew heading there in December.