South Africa Tour 2024 - SAT2402
South Africa, we are on our way. We started out easy, as most of us were not used to riding on the left side of the road. But after the first 80 kilometers, everybody was used the new bikes and the left hand traffic and we started to enjoy our ride. After passing many mines (gold maybe, but definitely coal), we started to climb up into the mountains. After a very tasty coffee stop in Dullstroom we rode up Long Toms Pass - 30 kilometers of motorcycle paradise.
A long day lay ahead of us, many kilometers and almost as many sights. We enjoyed another run on Long Toms Pass, passed Mashishing and Robbers Pass on our way to the old gold town of Pilgrims Rest. The next stop was the Blyde River Canyon, where we had wonderful views and a great picnic! Then we looped around the canyon, hit the 40° temperature mark and then continued to the famous Kruger Park, where we plan to stay for two nights - the game drive is waiting for us tomorrow!
Rest day! We still had to get up early, as we were picked up by our guide at 6:00. But it was definitely worth to get up this early, as a great game drive full of beautiful scenery and spectacular animals lay ahead of us. We got to see the Big 5 up close - and many, many other animals!
We could have stayed in Kruger Park for a while - but our next destination was tempting as well: Eswatini. We left Kruger Park under a cloudy sky with very pleasant temperatures, but unfortunately after a few kilometers we even had to put on a bit of rain gear. Fortunately the rain stopped after our first coffee break in the middle of large banana plantations. We continued to Eswatini after we stocked up with some fresh fruit. After crossing the border we enjoyed the mountains of Eswatini - what a beautiful ride, even though the temperatures had dropped from 35° yesterday to 12° today!
Our time in Eswatini was way too short, after only one night in this scenic country we were already heading back to South Africa. We started the day with a visit to the Swazi Candle Factory, where we could see the impressive skills of the local candle makers. The following ride through southern Eswatini was just as beautiful as the ride yesterday - green landscape and lots of mountains! After crossing the border to South Africa again we stopped in Pietretief for an excellent lunch. The road that followed was probably one of the worst on the whole trip so far - but we made it and can now enjoy our wonderful hotel in KwaZulu-Natal.
Today was the longest day so far, more than 400 kilometers. In the morning we just covered some distance by using the N2 motorway, but as soon as possible we turned off and followed the small country roads again. Through countless sugar cane fields and over an incredible amount of speed bumps we reached the Indian Ocean. After a tasty lunch at a German restaurant we turned inland again and climbed into the mountains. In the late afternoon we reached Pietermaritzburg, where we visited the Gandhi statue and the tallest brick building in the southern hemisphere.
We started our day with sightseeing. The impressive waterfalls in Howick were our first stop today, immediately followed by the even more impressive Nelson Mandela Capture Site. And then it was time to ride towards the Drakensberge mountains. Unfortunately after lunch the weather changed... On our way to Mthata we had it all: a large construction site, a thunderstorm, very heavy rain, temperatures around 12°C and finally even darkness. We have never been so happy to arrive at our hotel - we have really earned our drinks and dinner tonight!
Fortunately the rain had stopped during the night and the temperatures had risen to a pleasant 18°C. It was still cloudy but in comparison to yesterday afternoon the weather was brilliant! Today we had one big goal: arrive at our wonderful hotel right on the Indian Ocean as early as possible. We enjoyed a great ride to East London, visited the German Settlers Monument there and had a light lunch. An hour later, we arrived at our beach hotel - what a view!
Everybody slept very well tonight, the only sound were the waves of the Ocean. We started a bit later today, as it was a shorter day to Gqeberha, the former Port Elizabeth. Through large pineapple fields we rode to Grahamstown, where the British heritage was clearly visible. Then we went back to the Indian Ocean for lunch. From here we followed the coast line to our destination today, Gqeberha - quite a difference from tranquility in dunes of Mpekweni.
From Gqeberha to Oudtshoorn - a day full of new impressions! We started out with a short visit of the city center before we followed the Indian Ocean towards the west. After a very special coffee stop in Humansdorp we entered the famous Garden Route. Of course we stopped at the 216m high Bloukrans Bungy Bridge, but unfortunately we couldn't find any volunteers for the jump. But the picnic provided by Lenro war just as impressive! Afterwards we continued to Knysna, famous for its Oysters. Then we left the ocean behind and crossed the twisty Outeniqua Pass to get to Oudtshoorn, where the day ended with a very tasty ostrich steak!
This morning we could see clouds and a few rain showers over the Swartberg mountains. But a bit more than half of the group decided to try to ride the Swartberg Pass, if it was dry, while the other half went to visit an Ostrich farm. Both groups had a wonderful time - everything worked out as planned. After one of the best lunches of the whole tour in Oudtshoorn we then rode all together to Montagu - where we were in for another treat: wine tasting! What a wonderful day!
Today we planned to ride as far south on the African continent as possible. We left Montagu and went straight down to Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean meet and where the land ends. From there we continued to Hermanus. Unfortunately there were no whales in the bay while we were there, but the views and lunch were still outstanding! Our destination today was Franschhoek, the beautiful wine town in the middle of the mountains. Here we have the pleasure to stay for two days, as tomorrow is a rest day!
Rest day again! Our last rest day started early, with a game drive into Kruger Park. Today we took it a bit easier, starting out at 10:00 with a short 150km ride into the surrounding mountains. We got back to Franschhoek early enough, so that we could still enjoy this beautiful city. Some of us decided to really rest today, there is plenty to do in town - a perfect place to spend a relaxed day.
The last day of riding has arrived—hard to believe how quickly time has gone by! Today, we only had 200 km ahead of us, but plenty of highlights along the way. Before reaching the Cape of Good Hope, we made a quick stop to admire the South African penguins. And then we arrived at the southwesternmost point of Africa! From here, it was just a few, but breathtakingly beautiful, kilometers to Cape Town. Via Chapman’s Peak Drive we reached our destination—what an incredibly beautiful city! We ended the day with our farewell dinner at the Waterfront—the perfect place to say goodbye to a wonderful country and many new friends.