| Hela Hela Pass | |
| Elevation M: | 1199 |
| Location: | Between Richmond and Donnybrook, South Africa |
| Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal |
| Coords: | -29.9096°N 30.0772°W |
Hela Hela Pass, also known as Helehele Pass, is situated in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, on the road between Richmond and Donnybrook.
Access to the pass is by a fairly steep dirt road into the Umkomaas Valley that continues to a bridge that crosses the Umkomaas River at an altitude of 548m. The pass rises by 651m over 7,19 km to reach the summit at an altitude of 1199m.[1] There are gradients of 1:6 on certain sections of the pass which make it treacherous when wet. In dry conditions though, the pass can be driven with an ordinary road vehicle as the hard-packed gravel - although rough - provides good grip.[2]
There are several versions of the origins of the name of the pass, the most plausible being that due to thick impenetrable bush in the area, the local herders cut a pathway to the grasslands at the top, but this pathway was so narrow that they had to walk in single file. The Zulu word for single file is "ihela ihela".