Road / Route Advice - R358

[Pieter du Toit]

Hi all. Just wish to ask for some input from whom might have been down this road (recently). Busy planning first leg of our Dec holiday - which is all the way up to Augrabies Falls National Park. Just past Van Rhynsdorp there is a road (R358) one can follow all the way past Kliprand up to Pofadder, Northern Cape. And then from there you get onto the N14 again to Augrabies Falls National Park. Does anybody know what the R358 might look like currently and beyond our recent storms and heavy rainfalls?

Many thanks for your input

[Steele]

Maybe ask Ian DeVilliers. He was recently in the area, although I think he drove the R357. Might still be able to give insight to road conditions in the area.

[iandvl]

Hi - only noticed this now.

I was in the area - yes. But used the R357 - not the R358. Was not bad though - a little corrugated. However, my idea of "not bad" may not be what others think of "not bad".

The R358 I did about two years ago. Well - I travelled Eastwards on it from Bitterfontein, but then turned off on the R355 to Loeriesfontein. It was in excellent nick then, but this is always dependant on when last the roads have been graded, how much traffic there has been and what the weather looks like. It's the main road across the "knersvlaktes", and if you've not driven that way before, I'd recommend it. Beautiful. Also, there is a very strong possibility of spotting Martial Eagles on the stretch of road between Bitterfontein and the R355 turn off. After the R355 turn-off (ie: towards Kliprand etc), I've got no idea.

Edit: Sorry - I last drove that way three years ago. This was sort of relatively shortly after the lockdown and probably why the roads were so good. Relevant bit of that trip report is here: viewtopic.php?p=113742#p113742

[Pieter du Toit]

Many thanks Ian this is much appreciated.