Long Tom Pass

Surrounded by Picturesque Rolling Hills

In an Area of Mpumalanga known as long tom pass

Mpumalanga (Zulu name for “the place where the sun rises”)

is known for its beautiful scenery. The province stretches from the Highveld, a grassland plateau in the west, to the Drakensberg Mountains in the east. Long Tom Pass was built between Lydenburg and Sabie as an alternative route for the waggoners of the 1800s to get through to the Mozambican port of Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) for trade. It took the wagons 10 days to get from here to the coast.

The Pass was named after the final conventional Anglo-Boer War battle that took place on the slopes of Mauchsberg between Lydenburg and Sabie, reaching a peak summit of almost 2000 meters. A replica of the Long Tom cannon stands at the Devil’s Knuckles in the pass as a reminder to tourists as to why the pass is named Long Tom.

Today, visitors of the spectacular Long Tom Pass between Lydenburg and Sabie can negotiate the meandering 55.6km pass in relative comfort. The road passes below the summit of Mauchsberg at its highest point at an altitude of 2150m above sea level.