Good Hope Tour (South Africa) - Motorbike tour

Arriving in the late morning at completely modernised International airport in Cape Town, we meet and greet you. The way to our hotel already provides a great view of dreamlike setting of Cape Town. Table Mountain, city center and the harbour allow pretty impressions before reaching the Winchester Mansions Hotel, one of the best adresses that South Africa has to offer located at Beach road in Seapoint. Once you’re booked in we have a short welcoming meet up. The afternoon then is yours to relax and perfect to acclimatise or discover Cape Town. Take the „Hop on and hop off“ double-decker bus, or visit the amazingly restored Waterfront at the harbour nearby, or the Green Market Square with its many African street traders/hawkers – or Robben Island, the prison island where Nelson Mandela was held captive for more than twenty years - there is a lot to discover… until we meet up again to visit an interesting restaurant all together.

The today's stage leads us through well known wine growing areas around Stellenbosch to Paarl. As it is so stunning, we leave Cape Town once again via Chapman's Peak Drive and "Ou Kaapse Weg" towards the Falsebay heading Sommerset West and Strand following the N2 up onto Sir Lowry`s Pass. After that we turn into the inlands and along Eucalyptus- and fruit plantations via Elgin and Grabouw. From Theewaterskloofdam and Theewaters Nature Reserve we come through Hottentots Holland Natur Reserve across La Rochelle Pass into the picturesque Franschhoek, an old french style winery village. Various small street cafés and boutiques invite to stop. From there you follow Helshoogte Pass until we pass Stellenbosch and finally reach the tranquil wine village of Paarl. – 100% Good tar road

We leave this wonderful valley same way back over Blinkbergpass and along the striking sandstone formations until it takes eastern direction onto Katbakkies Pass which runs through the Kouebokkeveld, a plateau on 1000m ASL with breathtaking outviews. The Peerboomskloof Pass leads downhill before we turn onto R355, the longest gravel road in South Africa at all. The 40km in absolute monotony is soon forgotten when relaxing tar roads connect us to Nationalroute N1. But not for long as we soon turn off again to wonderful gravel routes towards the south. Ahead of us are the amazing Rooihoogte Pass and Burger's Pass and eventually we come through lovely sceneries of agricultural and fruit-growing landscapes of Koo Valley. Montagu is our next destination, we stay in a picturesque antique hotel in town. – 40% Tar / 60% Gravel

"Die Hel" or translated as "The Hell", is also known as the fertile valley of Gamkaskloof – the inhabitants had been isolated for nearly 130 years. The ‚kloof‘ is reached via the scenic Swartberg pass (Thomas Bain, 1888) before turning off. The enchanted road meanders along mountain vistas, incredible rock formations through wonderful fynbos vegetation and finally descends through a series of hairpins a 1000 meters down to the valley floor. Here you can take in the history and enjoy a light lunch before returning via the same route – there is no thoroughfare through the kloof. Road conditions 100% gravel – all moderate gravel, but the trip to ‘The Hell’ will need some negotiating for everyone. Although ‘The Hell’ is certainly an unforgettable adventure ...

... alternatively for those who like to have a resting day – you may stay at the hotel and/or enjoy lot of sightseeing in an around the artist's town of Prince Albert. Visit an olive or fig farm, see well preserved architecture in town, have a cheese tasting from the local Guernsey dairy or take a mountain bike for a ride.

For those who like to experience African jungle out of birds eye view may join a "Canopy Tree Tour" in the Tsitsikamma's rain forest in the morning time, before we then start off for Knysna. The route first leads on the Gardenroute N2 to the west passing by world highest bridge Bungee Jump – the Bloukrans Rivier's Bridge. We then head for Grootriver Pass (Thomas Bain, 1880) through dense primeval forest of Nature Valley where a view point will reward us with a gorgeous outlook over the turqouise Indian Ocean. We rejoin the Gardenroute up to Plettenberg Bay, where we turn off to coastal hinterland. Lonely passes meander through farmland, mountaineous landscape and fascinating dense forests until we emerge from this green hell on the hillside of Knysna. In this little tropical green town, we round off the day with a famous local Mitchells beer and best seafood in a very unique jungle-like guesthouse. – 50%Tar / 70% Gravel

From the guestfarm we set off for today’s destination De Hoop. Off the beaten track of worlds longest wine route R62 that runs parallely, we follow the lonesome relaxing tracks through Karoo landscape up to the spectacular Rooiberg Pass. Endless views rewards the sometimes quite hot trip in that heights. Only after Vanwyksdorp the gravel road turns to tarred R62 again, reaching Ladiesmith and Barrydale, where we turn off for Tradouw Pass that leads to idyllic village of Swellendam for a great lunch break. Finally a gravel road towards south takes us through smooth grazing lands and we come across the Breede River using the only manual operated ferry/pont at Malagas and eventually turn off to Africa's most southern "De Hoop" Nature Reserve. Riding along Zebras and Bonteboks in unique fynbos vegetation, our next accommodation is found under giant fig trees at a very romantic scenery ... – 50% Tar / 50% Gravel

The last stage of this tour leads back to Stellenbosch, Sout Africa's oldest university town. But before we're going to join the wonderful coastal passes we first head inland on Hemel en Aarde-Pass meandering through farmland to the picturesque artists village of Greyton close to forest reserve Riviersonderend for a lunch under shady oaks. Following gravel roads we head back to the coast at Kleinmond and further to Betty's Bay where we may see world-famous colony of threatened jackass penguins from quite close. The scenic coastal road goes along Falsebay with its amazing clear colours of turquoise blue where dolphins are to be seen. Further along the promenade of Strand we turn inland towards Summerset West and via Stellenbosch back to Cape Town. Our last evening will surely take place in another interesting restaurant.