Montagu Pass
| Montagu Pass | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Montagu Pass, from the Outeniqua Pass |
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| Compass direction | south | North | |
| Pass height | 745 m | ||
| Western Cape Province ( South Africa ) | |||
| Valley locations | George | Oudtshoorn | |
| expansion | Street | ||
| Built | 1844-1847 | ||
| Mountains | Outeniqua mountains | ||
| Map (Western Cape) | |||
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| Coordinates | 33 ° 52 ′ 0 ″ S , 22 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ E | ||
The Montagu Pass (745 m) was the first safe pass over the Outeniqua Mountains in South Africa and replaced the dangerous Cradock Pass . The pass was named after John Montagu .
Henry Fancourt White was in charge of the construction work (1844 to 1847) for the eight-mile pass . For reasons of cost, the work was carried out with the use of 250 prisoners. Now it only took hours - compared to days to drive over the Cradock Pass - to get over the Outeniqua Mountains from George to Oudtshoorn .
The pass was to remain the main link between the coastal region and the Little Karoo for over 100 years and is still popular with tourists today because of its spectacular views
In 1972 the pass was declared a National Monument (since 2000: Provincial Heritage Site ) and is the oldest unchanged pass road in South Africa.