Van Stadens Pass is situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, on the R102 Regional Route, between Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) and Humansdorp. It is a passage through the gorge of the Van Stadens River.
The original pass was named after one of the area’s pioneer farmers – Marthinus van Staden, who was the first person to plot a rudimentary track through the Van Stadens River Gorge. By 1867, the Cape Government decided to rebuild the pass to acceptable standards for wagon traffic. The actual construction was managed by George Apsey from 1865 to 1867.
Over time, the pass was modified and tarred in the 1950’s. When the N2 National Route was rebuilt and improved, a new bridge was built, which would span the Van Stadens River gorge and, in the process, completely remove all aspects of a mountain pass. Similar changes took place at several big bridges along the N2 Highway, such as Storms River, Bloukrans, and Grootrivier.
It takes about 30 seconds to drive over the gorge on the N2 today, which is fine if you’re in a hurry, but the charm of the old pass is still available to those with some extra time to spare. The downside of the tall new bridge is that it saw its first suicide victim soon after being built. One suicide followed another, and soon the new bridge became known as the Bridge of Death – with over 80 suicides as of December 2025. Authorities have subsequently erected cages along both sides, and a call centre is on standby to help desperately depressed people.
Whilst the old pass still holds its charm and allure, the new bridge casts a sombre mood on an otherwise beautiful river gorge.
