Cycling Holiday Garden Route

Your Itinerary and abbreviations:
KM = distance cycled by bike, AM = altitude climbed by bike, B/L/D = meals included (Breakfast/ Lunch/ Dinner)

We collect you from the George airport, once the formalities are done, we do a short 30-minute drive to the intrinsic coastal town of Wilderness. Known for the peace and tranquillity.  Ideally situated with a wide-open white sand beach and a safe warm water lagoon. The rest of the day is yours, time to swim, walk on the beach or hire a canoe and explore the serpentine. We spend two nights in comfortable family-friendly accommodation.

After a delicious breakfast, we cycle together and explore narrow country roads, tucked away beneath indigenous woodland. Our cycle route crosses the Touws River and meanders around three freshwater lakes. With luck, we can see the elusive Knysna Turaco, a large green bird with brilliant red wings, found in this sort of riverine forest. The afternoon is free to explore. You can hike the Half Collared Kingfisher Trail, an easy walk of 7 kilometres return and a hand-pulled pont to cross the river. It’s a great walk to take a picnic lunch and spend some time at the waterfall.
B/L ± 20 KM

Suggest a relatively early start.  Today is something special. We transfer to an old gold mine (1888) and visit the interesting museum. For the adventurous amongst you, explore the tunnels and go back in time. (optional extra) – don’t forget your headlamps. For the next 25 kilometres, we cycle on good gravel roads and pass dairy farms, lush green pastures, ferns and magnificent views before we descend the Phantom Pass into Knysna. For the next two nights, we stay in this picturesque lagoon town. B/L ± 25 KM/ 180m

We do a short transfer after breakfast and head for the forests of Knysna. You have four marked routes to choose from, they all offer their different levels of difficulty, enjoyment and views. Your guide can advise at the start: RED – The hardest of the routes but offers the most spectacular coastal views and takes you through deep indigenous forest and fynbos, with more than 10km of single track +-23km/ 3-5hours. YELLOW – This route follows gravel service roads through the plantations and ideal for the novice cyclist ± 13km/ 1-2hours. GREEN – Takes the rider along the different gravel roads within this coastal vegetation and forest, a bit more technical than it’s yellow counterpart. You get to experience some of the coastal views as well as some exciting single track to finish with ± 14km/ 2-3hours. After a fun morning out, we then head back into Knysna and visit the well known Knysna Heads, a pair of sandstone cliffs that separate the Knysna Lagoon from the sea. A famous landmark and one not to be missed. The afternoon can be spent exploring the lagoon waterfront with the many shops and bistros. B/L

The joy of leaving early is that the air is crisp and the view can be enormous. We leave straight after breakfast and do a short drive to Plettenberg Bay. We then enjoy a ± 6km hike to view the seal colony as they go about their business on the rocks below.  One of our highlights is to take off your shoes and run down a sand dune. If your brave enough, put your feet in the Azur coloured waters of the Indian Ocean while walking along the beach. We pass a cave dating back to the Stone Age and rock formations from as far back as 120 million years. Getting back to our car, we then transfer to the start of our cycle route. For the next 20km, we cycle on an old tarmac road which winds its way down a pass covered with massive trees and natural forest, you also get to see the highest bungee jump in the world (from below that is). We load our bikes and 10minutes later, we check into our comfortable accommodation in the heart of the Garden Route. B/L ± 20km/ 300m

Today is a day of contrasts. We drive to the Tsitsikamma National Park and do a short walk to see the suspension bridge over the Storms River Mouth. With luck, you may see some dolphin playing in the waves or the friendly hyrax or rock rabbit/ dassie as they are called locally. We then do our longest drive for this tour. We cross into the Langkloof ( meaning long valley) which runs between the peaks of the Tsitsikamma and Kouga Mountains. Overlooked by peak Formosa (1675m), the highest point in the Tsitsikamma. This fertile valley known for its fruit and blossoms will charm all that pass through. The closer we get to Uniondale, the more arid the vegetation becomes, wide-open spaces, diversity and stunning scenery, magical flora and incredible geology. Our cycle route takes us on a very good gravel road through this picturesque landscape. We may see some springbok or even oryx antelope while we cycle. The closer we get to Oudtshoorn, the more chance we have of seeing ostrich in the fields and along the road. Once we hit the tarmac road, we load our bikes and do a short transfer to our home away from home, a lovely lodge with great views of the Swartberg Mountains. We spend two nights here. B/L +-20km/ 250m

I visit to Oudtshoorn is not complete if you do not explore the caves. A guided 1hour tour of these caverns will reveal all sorts of geological and historical facts, a tour not to be missed. We then transfer to the start of our cycle. Following a good gravel country road, we pass fields of tobacco, friendly farmworkers and with luck, see some wildlife. Our cycle route ends at an ostrich farm where you once again go on a 45 minute guided tour to learn about this fascinating bird. 
B/L ± 23km/80m

Today we take a break from cycling and go on a safari in an open jeep. This afternoon activity is a highlight in the area. There are a few optional things to do beforehand, like visit the local wildlife park and get close to the big cats, crocodiles, birds and primates. You can discuss this with your guide or you can relax in the lodge or go for a walk. B/L

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Depending on your flight time, we take you to the George airport for your flight to either Cape Town or Johannesburg. It was a please to have had you on tour with us. Should you wish to add an extension to the trip or add a pre-trip extension, please do not hesitate to mention this at the time of contact. B