The N3 stretch every Joburg caravanner dreads

“I’d done the Joburg to Durban tow more times than I could count. Harrismith was always where I started to relax a little. The worst of the traffic was behind me, the road was open, and the van was tracking nicely.

Then you reach Van Reenen’s.

The first time I hit it properly, the fog had come down so fast I lost the road ahead. One minute I could see the trucks in front of me, the next just a pair of red lights floating in white. Rain made the tar slick. The road dropped away, and the caravan behind me suddenly felt like it had its own opinions.

On a descent like that, a loaded van doesn’t just follow you. It pushes. Every touch of the brakes felt like a negotiation. I could feel the weight shift, and I could feel my hands tighten on the wheel. A truck was grinding along beside me, and I remember thinking: please, nobody do anything sudden.

Nothing happened. We got down safely. But I pulled off at the bottom, switched the engine off, and sat there for a good five minutes with my heart going.

What stayed with me wasn’t the fear. It was the realisation that I’d been doing this for years, twice a trip, just hoping the conditions would be kind.

Towing a caravan 600km each way is a lot to ask of you and your vehicle, and Van Reenen’s is where the mountain reminds you of it. You can’t control the fog, the wind, or the trucks. You can only control how often you put yourself through it.

That’s a big part of why I built Oasis in the Midlands. Leave the van here, about 120km from Durban, and the pass is behind you for good.”

Jacques Maingard – Owner, Oasis Caravan Storage.

Have you had a moment like this on the N3? Tell us where in the comments. We’d like to hear which stretch got you.