Du Toit?s Kloof Pass, South Africa The spindly viaduct and the four-kilometre-long toll tunnel that link Cape Town to Worcester are impressive. But so is the view, and if you take the toll tunnel you miss the best of it. The scenic road was begun by Italian prisoners-of-war in 1942 and even has its own tunnel ? 222m long, but impressive in its day.

Swartberg Pass, South Africa The retaining walls and culverts you see were cut and packed by hand when this pass was built in 1877, linking Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn. From the top of the pass you have an eagle?s view of tiny patterned fields and, over the summit on the northern side, massive mountain gorges and tiny hairpin bends.

Bloukrans Pass, South Africa Instead of taking the bridge that straddles the deep gorge in the Tsitsikamma National Park, drive down this narrow, winding and sometimes bumpy road to river level and then up out again. It passes through indigenous forest and offers closeness to nature that you won?t experience on the faster toll road.

Long Tom Pass, South Africa Lazy coils of road through farmland and plantations follow a route between Sabie and Lydenburg. The old transport riders called it the Harbour Road because if you stuck to it long enough you?d get to Maputo on the coast. A full-scale replica of the 1870s siege gun, Long Tom, marks a scene of action during the Anglo-Boer war.

Sani Pass, South Africa The pass extends from just past the Sani Pass Hotel to the Lesotho border, a length of 25km. In the space it climbs more than 1 000m to 2 874m with a gradient that reaches 1:2,5 in parts. The scenery you drive through, as the road writhes among the hills and up the mountainside, is spectacular.

Bushman?s Pass The 2 263m-high Bushman?s Pass, which lies between Maseru and Montsonyane, is just the start of the well-named Mountain Road. Next comes the pass called Molimo Nthuse, which means ?God Help me?. From here it?s more or less a continuous mountain pass. You need time to admire the soaring sandstone cliffs and the patchwork of fields below, so stop along the way.

Spreetshoogte Pass, Namibia Between Rehoboth and Solitaire the D1275 cuts through the red Naukluft Mountains. It?s a steep road, with a gradient of between 1:4,5 and 1:6 on the way up to 1 780m above sea level it offers a long, wide view down to the soft tones of the Namib Desert.

Tashinga Road, Chizarira National Park, Zimbabwe This daunting but rewarding route leads through the valleys of the Senwa and Luizilukulu rivers (don?t be fooled by the lazy sounding names) and up the barrier of the Zimbabwe Escarpment close to the highest point.

The Seneto Descent, Ngorongoro Crater, Kenya One good thing about a steep, slow road, which hugs the mountainside, is that it gives you the opportunity to look around ? but not for long because the road is very narrow. On the way you pass euphorbia clusters and magnificently dressed Masai at close range, while in the distance teeming game is visible.

The Aberdare Mountain Road, Kenya The magic of this road from its highest point down to the gate at Mutubio West lies in its immediate surroundings rather than in any distant view. You drive through a succession of habitats, from open moorland to moist, montane forest and down to bamboo forest.