Perfect tour for adventure bikes as an introduction to South Africa
We have put together this fantastic 10 day tour of the most stunningly beautiful parts of South Africa. We have ridden and carefully planned this route to ensure you will have an absolutely awesome experience. This quite a long tour with many hours in the saddle each day. Some sections will be a little challenging, but the rewards are well worth the effort. You will leave with memories, videos and photos that will last a lifetime!
Tankwa & Baviaans 10 Day (11 night) Adventure Bike Tour
Day 0 – Arrival in Cape Town
Arrive in Cape Town, South Africa and transfer to your hotel. Spend the day and evening at your leisure and catch up on your sleep. We will meet for welcome drinks in the evening and outline the tour for you.
Day 1 – Peninsula Tour
You will enjoy a leisurely breakfast, after which you will wander outside the hotel to find your Royal Enfield Classic 500 parked up and waiting to greet you. After an introduction to the bikes and a rider’s briefing, we will head off around 10am for a familiarisation ride on the bikes. This will be an all-day ride however, incorporating many of the amazing sights around Cape Town, a stop for lunch and back to the hotel in time to watch the usually stunning sunset over the Atlantic ocean.
We’ll leave the hotel in Blouberg and head off towards Cape Town, then through leafy suburbs, up and over Constantai Nek, then along Boyes Drive until we reach Kalk Bay on the Indian Ocean. We will follow the coastal road in a southerly direction past Fish Hoek and the naval base at Simonstown. We’ll arrive shortly at Millers Point where we will savour lunch whilst enjoying the magnificent views over False Bay.
After lunch we’ll head towards Cape Point before crossing the Peninsula towards the Atlantic Ocean on the West Coast, passing Misty Cliffs and Kommetjie followed by the legendary Chapmans Peak Drive. The quaint but busy fishing village of Hout Bay will greet us followed by the beautiful winding road to Camps Bay which sweeps along the Altantic seaboard. We’ll ride to and stop for a photo opportunity at Signal Hill which overlooks the City Bowl and well as Table Bay and Robben Island. Heading back to the hotel at Big Bay, we’ll ride down Kloof Nek, through central Cape Town and out on to the west Coast Road, arriving in perfect time for a few sundowners!
Day 2 – Big Bay to Gannaga Lodge
The tour begins in earnest today as we head out of Cape Town. We’ll leave the hotel along the west coast road towards Melkbos from where we will head inland and through the farmlands of Philadelphia until we arrive in Wellington where we will stop for refreshments.
As we leave Wellington we will climb the Bain’s Kloof Pass towards Ceres. This is a wonderful and scenic pass that climbs steeply, followed by a long and leisurely winding decent. Just before arriving at Ceres, we will ride the fast and winding Michells Pass. From Ceres onwards we will be on dirt roads as we head towards the Tankwa Karoo.
We will enjoy lunch and perhaps a refreshing beer at the Tankwa Karoo road stall, a remote location that will be a very welcoming sight, particularly if the typical Karoo heat joins us.
After lunch we will head eastwards towards our destination for the evening, and will pass through the flat open plains. We may also encounter some sections of sand to keep us on our toes!
We will end the day climbing the Gannaga Pass and will be staying at the Gannaga Lodge that evening. This pass is often challenging in certain conditions, but will provide and enjoyable ride with stunning views over the Karoo. The perfect place for a photo opportunity. If you are into stargazing, you could be in for an absolute treat at Gannaga Lodge. With virtually no light pollution here, on a clear night you will be dazzled by the night sky! You will undoubtedly enjoy a well earned dinner, probably a few beers or a bottle of wine as you sit outside and enjoy the sky whilst
Day 3 – Gannaga Lodge to Sutherland via Ouberg Pass
Day 3 begins with a hearty breakfast before jumping on the Royal Enfields and setting off for Middlepos where we will refuel. We then head towards the stunning Ouberg Pass, a gravel road pass much revered by adventure travellers. It is an impressive pass with an altitude gain of 820 meters over 10,4 km. The steepest parts are at a gradient 1:5 – which is very steep!
It traverses a ridge of the Roggeveld Mountains north-west of the Verlatenkloof Pass and summits at 1401m on the upper Karoo plateau. From there it’s a 40 km drive into Sutherland where we will probably enjoy an amazing lamb shank for dinner.
Day 4 – Sutherland to Prince Albert
We head south east towards Merweville, passing through the Rammelkop and Allemanshoek Passes, both of which offer stunning views of the area. We head in towards Prince Albert, a small town nestling at the foot of the Swartberg mountains, where we will spend the night before tackling the Swartberg Pass the next morning. After a visit to the local gin bar, we will enjoy the local cuisine and hospitality.
Day 5 – Prince Albert to Willowmore via Die Hel (‘The Hell”)
Today will be a long and interesting day! As we leave Prince Albert we will be dwarfed by the stunning Swartberg Pass, which is for many South Africans, the pinnacle of gravel road passes. We climb up through many S bends before we turn off into Die Hel. Literally translated, the means ‘Road to Hell’ and is known as one of the most iconic dirt roads in South Africa. This is a 48km road that is challenging yet absolutely beautiful.
After descending into and returning out of Die Hel, we continue the climb to the top of Swartberg pass and over the other side.
We will stop in the charming town of De Rust for lunch before travelling through the tarred Meiringspoort Pass. From there we have a lovely dirt road all the way to Willowmore, a bustling town where we will spend the night.
Day 6 – Willowmore to Patensie via Baviaanskloof
A short day at only 200km, you will not want this day to end as we travel through the Baviaanskloof nature reserve, a vast wild kingdom offering rugged mountainous terrain with lush green valleys .
The word Baviaanskloof, although derived from the Dutch “valley of baboons”, is associated with pristine nature, narrow gorges with flowing streams, steep mountain passes, vast plains with waving grasslands and views of unspoilt wilderness. Nature has taken its course over thousands of years to create what is today universally recognised as the Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site.
For many, this section will be the highlight of the tour. It will be a day of great photographic opportunity and we will stop many times to enjoy the amazing scenery. We end the day in Patensie where we will likely enjoy a fantastic steak!
Day 7 – Patensie to Uniondale
Today will be a more relaxed day after the Baviaans. Starting with a hearty breakfast, we’ll follow the R330 past Hankey, up the R332 before we turn off onto the dirt, following this road before we eventually hit the tar on the R62. We will cruise on this relaxing road before turning off to complete the last section on dirt before arriving at the small town of Uniondale, a quaint country village on the R62 in the Little Karoo.
Day 8 – Uniondale to Oudtshoorn via 7 Passes
Almost immediately after leaving Uniondale, we will enjoy the short but windy Prins Alfred Pass before soon hitting the dirt again. We will enjoy stunning scenery and winding forest roads, passing through the Kammanassie Nature Reserve, continuing along the Prins Alfred Pass as it heads south. We’ll likely stop at the famous Angie’s G-Spot for coffee.
We pass the Knysna lagoon as we head west towards the Phantom pass, the first of the famous Seven Passes between Knysna and George. This 75km stretch of road takes many twists and turn through indigenous forests and gorges.
And it still gets better! After heading out of George we will take the dirt road towards Oudtshoorn via the Montagu Pass which opened in 1848. It lays claim to being the oldest, unaltered pass still in use in South Africa and covers 17,1 kms of magnificently scenic narrow, gravel road. We will overnight in Oudtshoorn, a town famous for the Cango Caves and ostrich farms!
Day 9 – Oudtshoorn to Matjiesfontein via Seweweekspoort Pass
We will enjoy a leisurely breakfast before leaving Oudtshoorn, we again hit the dirt on a long a andwinding road towards Calitzdorp. We will border on a few game reserves during this section and could well spot a number of species of buck, as well as perhaps giraffe if we are lucky.
Calitzdorp is our next stop and is known as the ‘Port Capital” of South Africa. We may be forced to stop and sample some award winning port. From Calitzdorp it is tar as we ride along the Huisrivier Pass with it’s 39 bends, corners and curves packed into only 14km. The perfectly banked corners will be a joy to ride on the Royal Enfields.
Shortly after, we turn off the R62 towards the Seweweekspoort Pass, which is arguably most beautiful 18 km stretch of gravel road anywhere in South Africa. You will be blown away by the stunning scenery and contorted rock formations. All whilst riding through the base of the pass.
After this, we still have the Koueveld, Witnekke and Rooinek passes to enjoy as we head towards to Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein where we will enjoy karoo lamb and a good red wine over dinner.
Day 10 – Matjiesfontein to Big Bay via Franschhoek Pass
On the final day, we cover the longest distance on the tour at nearly 400km but this is nearly all tar as we make our way back to Cape Town. The enjoyment is far from over however. We have a very scenic and relaxing ride home as we travel along the famous R62 past Montagu, Robertson and Worcester before heading south towards Villiersdorp.
We will pass the Theewaterskloof dam, the primary source of water for Cape Town before heading towards the Franschhoek Pass. This long, steep and dramatic pass with its variety of scenery was South Africa’s first properly engineered road and we will enjoy its sheer magnificence.
From there it’s back through the winelands and the farmlands before we arrive back at Big Bay for our farewell dinner and debrief. You will fly home the next day.
Approx. Distance 2,670 km | Approx. Travel time 49h:00m
