Gourmet Motorcycle Tour - Detailed Itinerary

You usually arrive at Cape Town International Airport terminal early in the morning after an overnight flight from Europe. We meet you at the airport and convey you by bus to your luxury hotel at Cape Town´s famous "Waterfront" area.

After a rest and lunch we collect you and convey you to our Cape Town base to issue the motorcycles and instruct in their use. We then take you on a guided tour of the picturesque Cape Peninsular visiting Cape Point where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet and Boulders to view a penguin colony. The short tour includes the truly spectacular Chapmans Peak Drive with magnificent photo opportunities.

This evening you can either dine in the hotel or at any of the more than 30 restaurants within walking distance in the Waterfront area.

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Today the tour leaves Cape Town via the up-market southern suburbs, arrives at the False Bay coast at Muizenberg and then travels round the bay, first on a road right next to the mile upon mile of pristine beach and then between mountain and sea with views to match any in the world. We lunch at the coastal resort of Hermanus.

During the afternoon we strike inland through rolling wheat fields with fast, sweeping bends and reach the sea again at the picturesque fishing village of Struis Baai, just a few kilometres from our destination at Cape L'Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa.

  
click for more info on Agulhas Guest House

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Re-crossing the wheat fields we arrive at the historic town of Swellendam with beautiful Cape Dutch style buildings. Farther along, a quick stop at the aloe factory shop in Alberton is worth while. Aloe extracts for every conceivable use from facial beauty to rheumatic joints are available.

After Mossel Bay the truly picturesque "Garden Route" really starts. We pass beautiful lakes just inland from magnificent beaches, huge forest plantations and fertile agricultural land. Possibly the highlight is Knysna's tranquil lagoon which spills into the Indian Ocean through "The Heads" and shortly after this we reach our destination of Plettenberg Bay.

  
click for more info on Lairds Lodge

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Continuing on the N2 highway we soon divert off onto the original old road which twists over sinuous little passes through ancient indigenous stink and yellow wood forests where you are likely to see monkeys but unlikely to see a small herd of elephants last sighted many years ago.

After passing through the industrial city of Port Elizabeth we turn north and for the first time enter the typically "African" environment of rolling hills, huge thorn bushes and distant horizons. This is big game country and our overnight destination is within minutes of the Addo Elephant Park.

  
click for more info on Woodall Country Lodge

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Woodall Country Lodge is such a charming place to stay and we have built in a 'rest day' here thus enabling you to do a leisurely game drive in the Addo National Elephant Park only 12 Kilometers from the lodge. For the less energetic the lodge has a health spar and beauty salon for the ladies.
Overnight at Wooddall Country Lodge & Spa, Addo

  
click for more info on Andries Stockenström Guest House

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Today we pass through the Eastern Cape where bitter wars were fought between the Africans arriving from the North East and the British settlers arriving from the South West. Basically they met at the Fish River not far from your route and towns such as Cradock, which you pass through, were made famous at the time.

Prior to arriving in Graaf-Reinet we ascend and descend the Sneeuberg (snow) mountains via the Wapadsberg and Naudeberg passes which are often snow bound in winter. Graaf-Reinet is a beautiful and historic frontier town well worth a walk around.

For the energetic, ride into the mountains via the "Valley of Desolation" to watch the sun set over the vast Karoo is well worth the ride!.

  
click for more info on Andries Stockenström Guest House

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You will get a feeling for the enormity of Africa today. At times the topography is so open, the road stretches so far into the distance and the sky is so huge that you may feel as if you were driving across an ocean. For one stretch of 105 kilometres there are literally no towns and at the end of it we have to take lunch at the one and only habitation of Willowmore.

As we approach the destination of Oudtshoorn which is the ostrich capital of the world, we see literally hundreds and hundreds of these weird birds.

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After a week on the road most people appreciate a day off the saddle and there being so much of unusual interest around Oudtshoorn, we decided this would be the best place for a rest day.

Should you opt to explore locally on your bikes, a round trip over the huge Swartberg pass (gravel) and back via Meirings Poort makes a truly spectacular days ride. More local activities could be:

1. A visit to the Cango Caves - suggest the medium tour
2. See an ostrich show farm, - suggest either Highgate or Safari farms
3. Tour the Wild Life Park where they have leopard, lion and crocodiles

Your hosts at Montana Lodge will be pleased to arrange any of these trips for you and before tackling the Swartberg pass you must seek their advice because should it have rained recently this pass is NOT for motorcycles. Also we must remind you that ONLY the GS model bikes may be operated on gravel roads.

  
click for more info on Montana Lodge

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Departing Oudtshhorn via the "Little Karoo", your route then follows a quite superb road through really wild, rugged and mountainous country with few habitations. After Calitzdorp you climb the Huisrivier Pass, pass the German mission station of Zoar, Ladysmith and Barrydale where we suggest you lunch at the last restaurant on your right hand side where motorcyclists are given a great reception. Just before Barrydale a quick stop at "Ronnie's *** Shop" is a laugh!

After Barrydale and the beautiful Tradouw Pass you suddenly enter the more fertile side of the mountains and rich fruit and grape growing regions of Robertson and Worcester. Just before your destination of Paarl you do the last big pass of the tour, Du Toits Kloof Pass and far better to go over the top on the original road and not through the tunnel. On this pass watch out for baboons on the road, never feed them and if stopping for photos, do not go too close to them.

  
click for more info on Cathbert Country Inn

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An easy hour's drive along the N1 will take you directly to Cape Town and the Waterfront area. A few suggestions for today are:-

1. For those still wishing to ride, a two hour drive via the R27 will take you to Saldanha Bay on which Langeban with its yacht marina at Club Mikinos and Churchhaven with pristine beaches are worth visiting.

2. A visit to Robben Island and (political) tour of ex President Mandela's old prison. This takes at least a half day and the ferry leaves from near the Old Clock Tower on the Waterfront.

3. Via bike to Kloof Nek and thence the lower cable way station on Table Mountain and a trip up the mountain. There is a small restaurant on the top and for those intent on walking down the only safe way is via Platterkloof gorge and this takes about two and a half hours.

4. Via bike to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Kirstenbosch suburb. This is about 15 minutes from the Waterfront. These gardens are truly beautiful and even for the non botanically inclined, quite fascinating.

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Depending on the time of your departing flight, in the morning last minute shopping and then return the bikes and we bus you to the airport to be there 3 hours before the departure of international flights and one hour before internal flights.