South Africa Motorcycle Tour

*This tour is for Custom Tour Groups Only. If you have 8 riders or more, please contact us regarding pricing.

This South Africa motorcycle tour mixes paved roads, easy dirt roads and challenging jeep trail riding with elegant accommodations. This IS the Ultimate Backroads Adventure in South Africa. You will not only ride the most scenic roads in South Africa, but discover the vastness and beauty of this amazing country from the back roads. Ride with a local guide who can show you out-of-the-way places, learn about the culture and the history of this vibrant country. Half of the itinerary huggs the rugged and scenic South African coast and the rest features through mountain range after mountain range. Stand at the Cape of Good Hope, ride to the very southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas, experience a human powered ferry when you cross the cross the Breede River at Malgas, watch sufers and dolphins cut waves at the surfers paradise of South Africa at Jeffreys Bay, spend an afternoon on a Land Cruiser safari at Addo Elephant National Park, explore the Baviaanskloof – a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the most biodiverse areas on the planet, tour through the Big and Little Karoo, taste the wines of Franchhoek, and enjoy the open spaces of the Cedarberg Mountains. You will have taken a cable car to the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, visited an Ostrich Farm, and seen Baboons, Zebras, Kudus and more from the seat of your motorcycle. It’s South Africa, and you are going to ride the best of it!

Road Conditions: Your motorcycle adventure will feature 40% dirt surfaces ranging from smoothly grated roads to jeep trail. 60% is world-class pavement with great curves and no traffic. This is a GREAT COUPLES trip for accomplished riders. There is one day that features water crossings and jeep trails.

TOUR PRICING

Arrival	Departure	*Double Occupancy	*Single Occupancy	*Couples Package
		Ask for Custom Group pricing

*Double Occupancy - Base Bike with a Shared Room
*Single Occupancy - Base Bike with Your Own Room
*Couples Package - Two Participants on One Base Bike in One Private Room

UPGRADE PRICING

BMW G 650 GS	BMW F700GS	BMW F800GS	BMW R1200GS
$0	$375	$525	$1,100

ARRIVAL DAY

DAY 1 - Arrival in Cape Town: Your motorcycle trip starts upon arrival of your international flight in Cape Town. You will be met by the MotoQuest team and transferred downtown Cape Town. After checking in at the hotel, your day is at leisure to unwind after the long flight. In the evening, over “sundowners”, meet the participants and guides while we run through the logistics of our planned adventure. This will be followed by a Welcome Dinner. After dinner, feel free to explore some of the watering holes around the city, or return to your hotel for a well-deserved rest! Stay in Cape Town.

DAY 2 - Day in Cape Town: This day is dedicated to getting acclimated after jet lag and exploring Cape Town. After breakfast, we head out on an orientation tour of the “Mother City” as she is affectionately known. This includes a cable car ride to the top of Cape Town’s famous 1,000-meter (3,000 feet) backdrop, Table Mountain. For those who are interested, take a trip to Robben Island, which is best known internationally as the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 19 of his 27 years of incarceration. Spend the rest of the day and evening at leisure. Stay in Cape Town.

DAY 3 - Cape Town to Grabouw: Pick up your motorcycle and ease into our first days riding with a trip down the visually stunning Cape Peninsula. This is an unforgettable journey to the mythical meeting place of the two great oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. Breathtaking scenic beauty contrasts with the harsh rugged conditions of the most south-westerly edge of the African Continent. After a visit to the Cape of Good Hope, we continue along the coast and over sir Lowries Pass to Grabouw area where we spend the night. Dinner is included this evening. Stay in Grabouw.

DAY 4 - Grabouw to Breede River Region: Travel by motorcycle east to a point overlooking the town of Hermanus, which amongst other things is considered to be one of the best land based whale viewing areas in the world. Hopefully, you will spot a whale or two from the top of the mountain, then down into the town we go to get up close and personal with these gentle giants. Continue east, mostly on dirt, to the Breede River region. Dinner is included this evening. Stay in Breede River Region.

DAY 5 - Breed River to Knysna: After bidding this beautiful fishing village farewell we continue by good quality dirt roads through wheat fields, sheep farms and unusually large flocks of blue cranes. After stopping en route for breakfast, we cross the Breede River at Malgas, a truly unique river crossing powered by locals. Continue riding via Heidelberg and Mossel Bay, along the Garden Route to Knysna. Stay in Knysna.

DAY 6 - Free day in and around Knysna: The Garden Route region is a perfect base from which to explore the Garden Route. Take outrides to the surrounding hot spots like Plettenberg Bay, the Outeniqua Forest, Montegu Pass etc or simply relax and enjoy activities in and around Knysna. Discover the galleries and flea markets, workshops and buskers on foot. The Knysna lagoon attracts with cruises to the Heads and Featherbed Nature Reserve - a natural heritage site. Visit the beautiful private beach of Noetzie with its magnificent Page 5 castles, located just east of Knysna. Or, how about an ocean safari to view the diverse and plentiful sea life just beyond the breakers. Other adventurous activities include abseiling, canoeing, creeking, deep-sea fishing, diving, hiking, horse riding, whale watching, quad biking, paint balling and much more. Stay in Knysna.

DAY 7 - Knysna to Jeffrey’s Bay: Continue along an extremely picturesque part of the Garden Route taking in Natures Valley and the Tsitsikamma National Park. Our destination this evening is the world renown surf spot, Jeffrey's Bay, considered by many to be the home of the perfect wave. Enjoy the sunset as surfer and dolphins share play time in the waves. Stay in Jeffrey's Bay.

DAY 8 - Jeffry’s Bay to Zuurberg: This is part of the motorcycle trip where you search of Africa's Big 5 wild animals. Heading north east from Jeffrey's bay, we bypass Port Elizabeth en route to the Addo Elephant National Park. Addo lies deep within the shadows of the dense valley of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape. We head for the high ground through the old pass to the spectacular location of the Zuurberg Mountain Village. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area. This afternoon we will join a qualified ranger for a safari game drive into the national park. Today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 420 elephants, 450 Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. Even more exciting is that for the first time in over 100 years, lion and spotted hyena were reintroduced to the park recently. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal. A game drive and dinner are included. Stay at Zuurberg Mountain Villiage.

DAY 9 - Zuurberg to the Baviaanskloof: Riding south west, this is where the backcountry comes into its own as we head into an area known as the Baviaanskloof, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The road leads through the rugged beauty of the "Grootrivier" Gorge on its winding path through this pristine conservancy. It rises and descends very steeply in places and encompasses a number of passes including the Combrinks, Holgat, Grasnek and Nuwekloos. These were some of the last mountain passes constructed by Thomas Bain, between 1880 and 1890. The Baviaanskloof is the longest of the 24 roads he built. The road has concrete causeways in places to keep the road in place during flash floods. In other places it just follows the river. The area is characterized by extremely diverse landscape due to the region's high geological, topographic and climatic diversity. The colorful cliffs and rock formations are characteristic of the predominant hard sandstone, which is part of the Table Mountain group of sediments. The beauty of the Baviaanskloof is hard to describe. For the adventurous, this vast mountain kingdom offers a unique wilderness experience through stunningly beautiful landscapes found only in the Eastern Cape. Stay at the Sederkloof Lodge.

DAY 10 - Baviaanskloof to The Great Karoo: Head your motorcycles west, exiting the Baviaanskloof via Willowmore along the northern edge of the Groot Swartberg mountains. Continue through the Great Karoo via Klaarstroom and Meiringspoort and on to the charming town of Prince Albert. Prince Albert lies 650 metres above sea level and has approximately 8000 inhabitants. It is both, relaxed and lively, with many beautifully restored Cape Dutch and Victorian houses lining the streets. The main commercial activity is Merino sheep farming, however, fruit and olives are also cultivated on the mountain slopes. Today, the Mohair produced in Prince Albert is known to be of the highest quality and is very much in demand. Stay in Prince Albert.

DAY 11 - Prince Albert down to the Little Karoo: Start your ride with a journey through the last of Thomas Bains creations, the Swartberg Pass, which leads us down into the ostrich capital of the world, the town of Oudtshoorn. En route we stop for lunch (included) and then continuefor a visit to the magnificent Cango Caves. After the caves, spend a bit of time in the town and visit an ostrich farm, before proceeding to our accommodation for the evening in Oudtshoorn. Stay in Oudtshoorn.

DAY 12 - Oudtshoorn to Montagu: Depart Oudtshoorn and head along the Route 62 via Calitzdorp and Barrydale to Montagu. There are similarities between Route 62 and America's Route 66. Both were developed to link rural towns and villages to major centres and both were replaced by highways diverting traffic along more direct roads. Route 62 is now emerging from hibernation to delight the discerning visitor wanting to explore the best of the Western Cape. No motorcycle trip would be complete without a visit to Ronnie's Sex Shop. Ronnie painted the name "Ronnie's Shop" on this cottage next to the R62, planning to open a farm stall to sell fresh produce and fruit. His friends played a prank on him by changing the name to "Ronnie's Sex Shop". Initially angry about the involuntary name change, Ronnie left the name and continued fixing the dilapidated building. His friends would stop by for a chat, having a few beers. During one of these evenings, someone suggested: "Why don't you just open a pub?" Ronnie's Sex Shop has had visitors from all over the world, judging by the graffiti and business cards, it has also become a regular pitstop for bikers, the local farmers and the many travelers who choose to drive the R62. Stay in Montegu.

DAY 13- Montague to Ceres : Continue riding along the Route 62 to Ceres, which nestles in a fertile valley at the base of the Witzenberg mountains on the edge of the Warm Bokkeveld. Ceres is the perfect base from which to explore the Cedarberg area. Dinner included at the lodge this evening. Stay in Ceres.

DAY 14 - Ceres to Cedarberg Mountains: Travel North into the Cedarberg Mountains which stretch for approximately 100 km. The highest peaks are around 2000 metres (6000 feet). Of special interest are the many weathered sandstone formations, which create a spectacular stage. The Cedarberg derives its name from a species of cedar trees, which grows at an altitude of between 1067 and 1372 meters. Today the mountain range is a proclaimed wilderness area. It is a superb recreational area with caves, bushman painting, waterfalls, stunning view sites and astonishing formations such as the Wolfberg Arch and Maltese Cross. This is some of the best riding terrain in the country. A real treat for those who love uninhibited wilderness riding and awesome views. Stay in Mount Cedar.

DAY 15 - Mount Cedar to Franschhoek: Travel by motorcycle south through scenic citrus country as you move closer to Cape Town. Leave the rustic wilderness feel of the country and enter the equally beautiful Winelands of South Africa. Pass through many small farming towns and heavily cultivated areas as we travel en route to Franschhoek or the French Glen as it was originally referred to. More than three centuries ago about 200 French Huguenots, having escaped religious persecution, settled in the Berg River Valley and founded the community of Franschhoek. With its fine balmy summers and the majority of its rainfall in winter, the French Huguenots recognized the potential of the region for wine production and fruit growing. Today it is considered the food and wine capital of the Cape. Stay in Franschhoek.

DAY 16 - Franschhoek to Cape Town: As the end of our trip approaches we take the day to explore the area at a leisurely pace. There is something for everyone in and around these Winelands towns. Apart from the natural beauty and host of activities on offer, the region is also steeped in history and museums and art galleries abound. It also has a great café culture where you can sit out on the street corner and watch the town go by. After a relaxing day we return to Cape Town and deliver your motorcycle back. Tonight is our Farewell Dinner. Stay at the Cape Town.

DAY 17 - Fly Home or keep the dream alive. The next motorcycle adventure vacation awaits.