|
|
|
 Cycling is one of the best ways to explore a country well-endowed with scenic splendour like South Africa. The country has many popular cycling routes that give you sheer cycling pleasure while enjoying some of the world’s most breathtaking views.
Cycling RoutesThere are many routes for cyclists and travel on secondary roads is advised as the National Routes are not designed to cater for cyclists. However, there are short distances between towns along many routes.
Some of the popular routes are mainly along the coast. One can cycle from Cape Town through the Garden Route. Stop over and grab something from the quaint roadside markets or make a pitstop at Bloukrands Bridge for the world’s highest bungee jump.
From there you can do Port Elizabeth, East London, through the Wild Coast up the subtropical Hibiscus coast of Southern Kwazulu Natal to Durban.
Then inland through beautiful central Kwazulu/Natal heading towards the Eastern border with Mozambique. The minor roads are good with light traffic, most people are very friendly, and it is relatively cheap. Distances between major towns average approximately 50km and the hotels and campsites at conveniently spaced.
There are routes in many other areas too which are equally attractive – and you won’t find the crowds here. The mountainous Cedarberg (a gorgeous wilderness area) in the south-western Cape, the Drakensberg in KwaZulu Natal and of course the forests and lakes of the Tsitsikamma, along the Garden Route.
Scenic route of the Cape Peninsula
This is probably the best and most well known cycling route. An almost complete beach tour peppered with camping and caravanning along the way. The scenery that you view from your bicycle while touring this route is unparalleled. This route in intended as a week tour staying within a 150km radius of Cape Town.
• Start at the busy coastal R310 route out of Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs and stop over at Strand, a large satellite town built along a nice stretch of gently shelving beach (enjoy the views of False Bay).
• After this you continue the southerly cycle of Strand for you next stop at Gordon’s Bay where you can enjoy camping close to the beach. The R44 route from Gordon’s Bay has a fantastic coastal view that will remind you of the Cote d’Azur.
• Continue until you reach Kogelbay and enjoy a stop over at Kogelbay Pleasure Resort, a large basic caravan park. The next fantastic stop is Rooiels, a little hamlet with an excellent beach and lagoon to swim off all your sweat. The nearby Drummond Alms offers fabulous lunches and accommodation.
• From here you proceed to Kleinmond, this is a wild and less explored beautiful beach. Enjoy good coastline camping at Palmiet Caravan Park. The next day you can hit off to Onrus. If you would like to rest there is a sheltered caravan park off the main road.
• Next stop is the whale watching capital of the world, Hermanus. There is so much to do at Hermanus you might need to stay for two days to experience some of the best that Hermanus has to offer. Known as the heart of the whale coast, this coastal resort offers the best land based whale watching in the world. Southern Right Whales visit Walker Bay from July until December every year.
• From Hermanus head for Stanford, a large town compared to all the other towns of this tour. You can go past Akkerdibergpas, join the R316 as you head for the flower garden of Caledon. Established in 1899, the garden really ‘bloomed’ in 1933 when Cecil Young and the local community turned the garden into a landscaping masterpiece.
• Join the scenic road through the farms, the R43 until you reach Villiersdorp campsite on hillside where you can dip into the campsite’s large pool before proceeding to Franschoek Pass, a 13km Alpine climb through large mountains.
• Visit Franschoek, a village nestled in the most beautiful valley of the Cape before proceeding to Paarl, a commercial centre surrounded by mountains and vineyards.
Other notable stopovers from here include Du Toitskloof Pass, Rawsonville, Goudini, Slanghoek, Bainskloof Pass, Wellington, Hermon, Malmesbury, Darling and finally Bloubergstrand, a site of the 1806 battle between the Dutch and the British.
Durban, South Coast, Lesotho Route
This is another popular route but you have to be seriously fit to tackle it. You can cycle from Durban along the South Coast, enjoy the magnificent presence of the Drakensberg mountains and cross the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. The roads are hilly but not steep.
When in Lesotho take the eastern side to Thaba Tseka, Katse, Leribe and Butha Buthe before coming back to South Africa and continue through the Golden Gate and enjoy the bird’s eye views from many summits around the Royal Natal National Park via Howick, Pietermaritzburg and then back to Durban.
There are a number of cycle routes in and around South Africa, make sure you do your homework on the websites listed in our Links section.
Links:
|
|
|
|
|