Can You Use the Malgas Ferry on a De Hoop Road Trip?

The Malgas pont can link a De Hoop trip with the lower Breede River. Plan the crossing as a separate part of the drive. If your main goal is a full day at De Hoop, ask your host for the ferry-free approach to your booked entrance before deciding whether to add Malgas.

Featured photograph: approach to the Malgas ferry, 2023. Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0. Archival view. Featured framing may be cropped.

What the latest Malgas pont notice says

Overberg District Municipality's July 2026 notice announced that full operations would resume on 23 July after flood damage. That notice gives a dated reopening. Check whether the pont is running on your travel day, which hours apply and whether the approach on your side of the river is open. The current pont is motorised. Older travel accounts may describe the previous hand-operated crossing.

Check whether your exact vehicle can be carried, especially if you are towing. Ask when the last crossing leaves and whether there are any temporary changes to loading or service. Build time for a wait on the day instead of scheduling a crossing against a tight check-in.

Which De Hoop entrance are you heading for?

CapeNature's De Hoop reserve page links to a day-visitor guide that distinguishes the main entrance and the Potberg entrance. Confirm which one serves your accommodation or chosen activity. Seeing Malgas or Infanta in a road name on the reserve's directions does not mean that every approach crosses the river on the pont.

Before leaving a town with reliable connectivity, save the directions supplied by the reserve or your accommodation. Ask which gravel approach they currently advise for your vehicle and when you need to reach the gate. When coming from the Bredasdorp side for a reserve visit, compare that advised approach with the ferry route before adding a crossing. A pin for De Hoop can leave too much ambiguity when your booking names a particular gate.

When to build the day around the crossing

Include the pont if you want the lower Breede River as part of the trip and can give the crossing some slack. Recheck the service and your onward route before setting out. If it is suspended or the approach is unsuitable, use the ferry-free route that your reserve contact confirms for your entrance.

Use the more direct approach if you have a single day for the reserve or a fixed activity time. Our De Hoop guide to dunes, fynbos and the vlei can help you decide how to spend the reserve time you save.

Continuing to the Cape Peninsula after the Overberg? Aqua Terra in Simon's Town welcomes guests aged 12 and over. Check Aqua Terra availability.

Editorial review by Aqua Terra. Municipal and reserve sources checked 3 November 2026. Confirm pont service, vehicle requirements and gate access on your travel day.