Malgas Pont

The original ( old ) Malgas Pont was the last man-powered ferry in South Africa. The service began in 1860 and continues to this day however with an updated boat. The ferry was commissioned because the amount of traffic did not justify the expense of building a bridge. The Breede river is navigable 50 Km inland up to Malgas. Malgas was the inland port /trading post serving the Swellendam district. In December 2020 the ferry was replaced with a new one. The old one despite its historical interest was becoming too dangerous and also, a bigger and faster one became necessary due to farmers needing to move their large farming vehicles.

The pont operates from sunrise to sunset every day and for a ride over the river, it costs you nothing on condition that a vehicle needs to be transported. ( the pont will not operate for just one person even if they have a bicycle, they need to wait for a vehicle to arrive. While waiting for one get some refreshment at the Malgas shop.  call 066 572 4652 to check if the ferry is running

themalgaspont@gmail.com         34.302297, 20.590639

​This ferry forms part of the route for the  Around the Pot 100 miler Gravel/MTB race held in July.

During the 1900s Malagas was an inland harbour for steamboats that transported provisions from Cape Town to Swellendam. A lot of the small town’s early character remains. The birdwatching opportunities are good and the river is ideally suited for watersports.