Cycling trip along the Garden Route to Cape Town | 12 days – individual trip

After a stopover in Johannesburg, you will arrive in Port Elizabeth. After being greeted by your tour guide, you will be transferred briefly to your lodge. You will spend 2 nights there. The afternoon is for relaxation. If you like, you can take a short bike ride from the lodge with the tour guide.

Dungbeetle River Lodge 4*

Bus distance 40 km, duration 0.75 h

A very special experience of the trip! After breakfast, you go on safari in an open Land Rover. You can see elephants, plains zebras and various antelope species and, with a bit of luck, buffalo, black rhinos and lions. The rich bird life, including ostriches, is equally impressive. On the way, you stop at viewpoints and sometimes go on a short game drive in the bush with the rangers. You are back at your accommodation at lunchtime. You can relax by the pool, go on another short bike ride or take a boat trip from the lodge and enjoy a sundowner on the highest sand dunes in the area (optional). (B,L)

Dungbeetle River Lodge 4*

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

A transfer takes you via Humansdorp to the start of the Garden Route. You cycle along a quiet side road along the coastal plateau before descending on forest paths into the Storms River Valley. With a bit of luck you might see the Knysna Loerie, a native species of parrot. You will spend the night in the charming Tsitsikamma Village Inn 3*. (B)

Tsitsikamma Village Inn 3*

Cycling route 58 km, 470 hm, tarmac/track

Bus distance 175 km, duration 2 h

The tour continues by bike to the nearby Tsitsikamma National Park. There you will take a one-hour hike to the mouth of the Storms River. Then you will return to the coastal plateau. A little later you will explore the jungle in the Bloukrans Valley and reach a viewpoint above Nature's Valley. One of the most beautiful and secluded beaches on the Garden Route invites you to swim. Overnight stay in Plettenberg Bay in the comfortable Cornerway Guesthouse 4* (B,L)

Cornerway Guesthouse 4*

Cycling route 59 km, 715 hm, tarmac

Bus distance 50 km, duration 0.75 h

In the morning, you will go on a beautiful hike on the geologically interesting Robberg Peninsula near Plettenberg Bay with impressive views of the Tsitsikamma Mountains and the sea (2 hours). At lunchtime, you will visit the town of Knysna, beautifully situated on the lagoon of the same name. You will cycle along the old Cape Road to the Homtini River. You will cycle back up the other side under the shady canopy of the jungle trees. Green meadows offer ideal conditions for dairy farming. There are impressive views of the Outeniqua Mountains, which are up to 1,600 m high. In the late afternoon, you will be staying in a stylish 4* guesthouse in George. (B)

Acorn Guest House 4*

Cycling route 35 km, 387 hm, tarmac/track

Bus distance 50 km, duration 0.75 h

After the transfer over the Montagu Pass (745 m), the cycle route leads inland. Fantastic views back to the coast and a wonderful variety of protea and heather species reward the ride. The landscape quickly takes on a different appearance. From the evergreen coast, you head to the Little Karoo (dry expanse) covered in succulents. You cycle through the "Horse Gorge" before arriving at an ostrich farm at lunchtime. After lunch and a guided tour, during which you learn more about the breeding of these birds, which can grow up to 2 m tall, you arrive at a beautiful guest house. The pool invites you to relax. In the evening, the host organizes a traditional barbecue. Tender ostrich steaks are a must. (B, D)

Adley Guest House 4*

Cycling route 60 km, 340 hm, tarmac/track

Bus distance 30 km, duration 0.5 h

Short transfer to the impressive Kango stalactite caves. After the tour, you cycle first on asphalt and then on dirt roads past fertile fruit, ostrich and tobacco farms. After lunch in Oudtshoorn, you travel in the afternoon by car through the vastness of the Little Karoo to Montagu, a small town with charming colonial-style houses. Your 4* hotel today is built in the 1950s style, and if you like, you can explore the town and the surrounding area on a ride in an original Cadillac. (F)

Montagu Country Hotel 4*

Cycling route 29 km, 180 hm, tarmac/track

Bus route 270 km, duration 3.5 h

The narrow Kogmanskloof Gorge cuts through the Langeberg Mountains and you reach the wine region in the Breede Valley. The blooming jacaranda trees, roses and bougainvillea are a colorful splendor between the vineyards. With a picnic basket you go on a relaxing boat trip on the Breede River, where you can enjoy the delicious wine. Then it is only 15 km to the beautiful guesthouse in Robertson. (B,L)

Gubas De Hoek Guest House 4*

Cycling route 61 km, 405 hm, tarmac

Bus route 0 km, duration 0 h

A two-hour drive takes you back to the sea, to the holiday resort of Kleinmond. The good road leads along the foot of the Kogelberg massif to Betty's Bay. Here you can visit a colony of African penguins. These and the rock hyraxes that live there are not shy. The cycle route along the Atlantic Ocean along False Bay offers fantastic views as far as Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope. Southern right whales (October & November) and Cape eared seals can often be seen. The sheltered beach is opposite the Manor on the Bay 4* guesthouse. (F)

Manor on the Bay Guest House 4*

Cycling route 51 km, 560 hm, tarmac

Bus distance 150 km, duration 2 hours

On the way to the Cape Peninsula, you have the unique opportunity to visit a kindergarten project supported by AFRICAN BIKERS in the Khayelitsha district as part of a tour through several townships. This gives you a deeper insight into the social structures and the challenges of Cape Town. The tour continues along False Bay to the Cape of Good Hope. You get on your bikes and cycle back to Cape Town on the west side of the Cape Peninsula, stopping for a picnic on the way. The coastal road via Chapman's Peak and Hout Bay is rightly considered one of the most breathtaking routes in South Africa, and it is not for nothing that the popular Cape Town Cycle Tour cycling race takes place here every year with over 35,000 participants from all over the world. (B,L) Bantry Bay Suites Hotel 4* Cycling route 52 km, 600 m elevation, tarmac Bus route 90 km, duration 2 hours

Bantry Bay Suites Hotel 4*

Cycling route 52 km, 600 hm, tarmac

Bus distance 90 km, duration 2 h

In the morning you will visit Kirstenbosch Garden, one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world. Then, weather permitting, you will hike up the city's landmark, Table Mountain (4 hours). The view of Cape Town, 1000 m below, is breathtaking. You go back down by cable car. If the climb is too strenuous, you can also take the train up. An exploration tour on foot will take you to the main sights: Parade Square, Castle, City Hall, Greenmarket Square, Parliament Garden, Natural History and Art History Museum and the Malay Quarter. (B)

Bantry Bay Suites Hotel 4*

Hike approx. 4h (1000m elevation)

Bus distance 30 km, duration 0.5 h

Depending on your departure time, you may still have the opportunity to go shopping at one of the many markets. A visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium or Robben Island is also worthwhile before you head to Cape Town Airport, where this wonderful trip ends. (F)

Bus distance 20 km, duration 0.5 h