The pass roughly parallels the R43 but further to the west, and connects the the town of Bot River with the farming communities to the north and the Theewaterskloof Dam/ Villiersdorp region, where it forms a T-junction with the R321, 10 km further NW of the summit of the pass.
The pass starts just outside the village of Bot River. It heads in the general north-easterly direction and hugs the western bank of the Bot River for about 8 kms. Within the first kilometer the road loops sharply to the left in a full hairpin, and crosses the first of many streams. The first one is the Houwhoek River. This pattern of sharp hairpin turns to the left as the road maintains altitude is the common theme as a number of ravines are traversed. This makes the driving slower than normal as all these corners are really sharp. There are approximately four in the first half of the pass.
The Bot River Valley is extensively farmed and you will traverse the farms of Hoekplaas (Corner Farm), Uiendal (Onion Dale) and Klipdrift (Stony Drift), after which the road heads more towards the north, as it loops around a large hill, all the while maintaining course with the river. The bulk of the Houwhoek Mountains dominate the scenery to your left (west) and spawn a range of steep ravines, like Piet Baster Kloof, Witwaterkloof and Krakeelpoort.
The road then makes a large left hand curve past the farm Kiesieskraal before descending towards the farms Eik en Walle (Oak and Walls) and Goedvertrou (Good Faith). Another 2 km further as you pass the farm Kanaan, the road turns sharply to the right to cross the Bot River over a very narrow concrete bridge. Take it easy here as this bridge has no safety railings. Just after the bridge, the road forms a Y-junction with another farm road from the south-east. Continue northwards by taking the left hand fork.
The next section meanders through a lovely valley through the farms Fisantekraal, Wortelkloof, Stelkloof and Doringkloof. Just after the last farm and the recrossing of the river, the road starts ascending in earnest for the first time. The gradient increases sharply to 1:6 through this part of the pass and you will get a nice view to your right of Aasvoelkop [342m] (Vulture Peak) which is a prominent peak within the Perdeberg (Horses Mountain) mountain range.
Near the summit, the road swings away towards the north-west and ends adjacent to the farm Welgemoed. After another 5.5 kms from the summit the road becomes tar. (ref A) Continue straight on to intersect with the R43 about 8 kms further. When you get there a left turn will take you to Grabouw and the N2 whereas a right turn will take you to the Theewaterskloof Dam and Villiersdorp where you also have the option of going to Franschoek via the R44 and the oldest pass in South Africa - the Franschoek Pass.
At the start of the tar (ref.A) you will see a gravel road heading off to the right. It is 3.5 km from there to the next Y-junction. If you take a left turn, it will also return you to the R321 close to the western side of the big bridge over the dam. A right hand turn will provide a beautiful, higher altitude drive along the southern side of the Theewaterskloof Dam revealing expansive views on both sides. This road is 7.5 km long (gravel) and joins the tarred R43 near the dam wall in a T-junction. From there you could go left to Villiersdorp or try the Floorshoogte Pass, which will take you towards Caledon, Bot-River and the N2.