Long, longer… Long Tom

Winding through some of Mpumalanga's breath-taking scenery, the (in)famous Long Tom Pass is one of those "I love to hate you" passes in South Africa. It is 26.2 kilometres long (or even longer depending on where one starts measuring), plus it displays an altitude variance of 671 vertical meters through a complex network of curves as it ascends up the Drakensberg escarpment between Sabie in the east and Lydenburg in the west.

The pass forms part of the Mpumalanga Panoramic Route, which offers stunning scenery (the love part). Still, it carries appropriately heavy traffic – both tourist and commercial (the hate part). Named after the famous Long Tom cannon used in the Anglo-Boer War, the pass is prone to heavy mist, and can be dangerous in low visibility