12 Days Cycling Drakensberg & Kruger National Park.
12 Days Cycling Drakensberg & Kruger National Park: This two-wheeled excursion takes us through breathtaking mountain landscapes, past impressive rock formations, abandoned gold mines, baboon-infested jungles, and peaceful natural waterfalls. We dismount our bikes halfway through the journey and spend two days on safari in Kruger National Park, where we may see lions, rhinoceros, elephants, giraffes, and other exotic species. From Kruger, we continue our pedal-powered trek through the scenic path until we reach the massive Blyde River Canyon. There is no better way to enjoy eastern South Africa than by bike, with its superb road conditions and lovely sunlight.
Highlights for 12 Days Cycling Drakensberg & Kruger National Park.
Day 1: Start in Johannesburg and Transfer to Golden Gate National Park.
Day 2: Ride over a spectacular mountain pass and Transfer to Northern Drakensberg
Day 3: Cycle to the Northern Berg before hiking and later swim at a beautiful waterfall.
Day 4: Transfer to Dundee & Afternoon Ride to Rorke’s Drift Museum.
Day 5: Transfer to Badplaas
Day 6: Ride to the Songimvelo Game Reserve and to your lodge.
Day 7: Cycle to Kruger National Park via the Kaaprivier Valley.
Day 8: Full Day Game Drives in Kruger National Park.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Transfer to Hazyview.
Day 10: Ride from Sabie to Graskop and Visit Mac Mac Pools.
Day 11: Cycle along the Panorama Route to God’s Window via Bourke’s Luck and Afternoon Ride to Blyde River Canyon.
Day 12: Transfer Back to Johannesburg and Departure.
Detailed Itinerary 12 Days Cycling Drakensberg & Kruger National Park.
Day 1: Start in Johannesburg and Transfer to Golden Gate National Park.
Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we travel immediately to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the Northern Free State’s Maluti Mountains. This transfer will take around 5 hours, but will be broken up with pauses along the way to stretch the legs and use the restroom. The Golden Gate National Park receives its name from the golden tint that the sun casts on the park’s sandstone cliffs. The national park, with 11,600 hectares of highland environment, is home to a variety of wildlife, including springbok, mountain zebra, and wildebeest, as well as the uncommon bearded vulture and bald ibis. We will either put up the bikes this afternoon or tomorrow early, depending on the timing of the group flights. Before we start cycling, we’ll have an opportunity to test them out around the grounds of the hotel. Overnight at Glen Reenen Rest Camp.
Day 2: Ride over a spectacular mountain pass and Transfer to Northern Drakensberg
Start your day early and pedal 25 kilometers through the national park on highways. Before descending a lengthy winding mountain pass, you begin with a short hike up to a viewpoint where mountain zebra are sometimes observed. Later in the ride, there are a couple brief steep up and down parts to get your heart rate up before the trip levels out. There are several opportunities to spot animals from the saddle along this road, so bring your camera! We travel to the Northern Drakensberg (60km) from the park exit, pausing at the ‘Vulture restaurant’ for views of the Sterkfontein Dam and an early picnic lunch. We then go back on our bikes and travel down the Oliviers Hoek pass to the Sungbala lodge, where you will spend the night.
Day 3: Cycle to the Northern Berg before hiking and later swim at a beautiful waterfall.
We ride towards the Drakensberg Mountains in the morning, using a back road route through the Royal Natal National Park in the Northern Berg. The vistas of the Drakensberg amphitheatre at the top of each peak are definitely worth the effort on this trip. After entering the park, we ride our bikes for about 2 kilometers to our picnic location – before lunch, we may change into swimsuits and stroll the short distance to the cascading waterfall for a well-deserved dip in the cold waters. After lunch, we will have time to explore the park and its hiking paths or simply rest before returning to our lodging at Sungbala Lodge.
Day 4: Transfer to Dundee & Afternoon Ride to Rorke’s Drift Museum.
After breakfast, we depart the Drakensberg for a 210km (about 3 hour) road journey to Dundee. Before going on to Rorke’s Drift, there will be time for some shopping and replenishment. We offer a guided tour of Rorke’s Drift, where 150 British and Colonial forces defended a tiny fortress against approximately 5000 Zulu warriors. After a substantial meal and a change of clothes, we’re back on our bikes for the 45-kilometer ride from Rorke’s Drift to our overnight hotel. This is a beautiful ride through cow country; the first 17 kilometers are on a good quality compact dirt road where we frequently see many different varieties of vulture and eagle swooping overhead; once back on the asphalt road, we have a flat ride to our hotel where we can rest in the pool. Battlefields Country Lodge or anything similar.
Day 5: Transfer to Badplaas
We have an early morning trip (300km, around 4 hours) to the Mpumalanga province’s hot springs town of Badplaas. After lunch, we hop on our bikes and begin our journey with a wonderful 17km downhill before an undulating ride all the way to our hotel, which is located just outside of town and offers beautiful panoramic views of the Hlumu mountain range. Dinner and overnight at Badplaas Forever Resort.
Day 6: Ride to the Songimvelo Game Reserve and to your lodge.
Today begins with a short transfer to Maanhaar, near to the Swaziland border. From here, we hop on our bikes and ride down a beautiful gravel road that connects the Songimvelo Game Reserve to the base of the Hlumu Mountains. We’ll pass an abandoned mine that’s now home to Vervet monkeys, so make sure you have your camera ready. As the road begins to climb, we board the bus and travel to the top of a mountain range overlooking the Songimvelo Game Reserve. We stop on this road for a quick photo stop at a breathtaking viewpoint overlooking the valley below before getting back on the bikes and cycling into Barberton town and to your lodge at African Rest Lodge or anything similar.
Day 7: Cycle to Kruger National Park via the Kaaprivier Valley.
We hop on our bikes after breakfast and begin our ride along the Kaap River Valley, which twists its way towards Kaapmuiden. After around 50 kilometers, we arrive at our destination and board the van for a short ride to a shopping center where we can change out of our cycling gear and fill up on cool beverages and food for Kruger. We take a short transfer from here to the Malelane Gate, where we enter the Kruger National Park and begin our safari. To arrive to Skukuza Camp, we’ll take a two-hour game drive across the southern point of Kruger. Keep your eyes alert and cameras ready, as the southern area of Kruger is noted for its abundance of big cats. Dinner and overnight at Kruger National Park Camp.
Day 8: Full Day Game Drives in Kruger National Park.
This morning, we’ll get an early start to beat the heat and increase our chances of spotting a predator. We will only have a light breakfast at the camp due to the early start, which will consist of a South African ‘rusk’ and a coffee. After many hours of searching for wildlife, we arrive at one of the planned lunch places, where our guides prepare a delectable breakfast. We continue our game drive back to camp and spend the rest of the day relaxing in the pool or at the bar overlooking the Sabi River. Tonight, you may take a night safari drive in the park in one of the official safari cars; this is an optional extra that must be paid for locally. Prices and other information may be found in the optional activities section of the trip notes. Dinner and overnight at Kruger National Park Camp.
Day 9: Morning Game Drive and Transfer to Hazyview.
Today, we want to spend the majority of the day in the national park looking for animals, and we will begin with a morning game drive, but in the opposite direction as yesterday. We return to camp for brunch and to collect our baggage before embarking on our final game drive in Kruger as we exit the park through the Numbi gate. We’ll take a short ride from here to our overnight hotel at Hazyview, where we may take a walk down to the Hippo River or simply rest by the pool. Dinner and overnight at Gecko Lodge.
Day 10: Ride from Sabie to Graskop and Visit Mac Mac Pools.
After a few days of well-deserved relaxation, we’re back on the bikes today for the most difficult ride of the trip. We ride from our lodge up the escarpment and towards Sabie after a great breakfast in Hazzyview. This first section of the ride is breathtaking and unlike anything we’ve seen so far on the journey, as it takes us past Avocado plantations and lush woods before arriving at Sabie, where we can stop for a muffin and coffee milkshake. We continue climbing from Sabie until we reach Mac Mac Pools, where we pause for a dip in the natural pools while our guides prepare lunch. After lunch, our ride descends to Mac Mac Falls before continuing on to Graskop and our hotel, which overlooks the escarpment. Dinner and overnight at Mogodi Lodge.
Day 11: Cycle along the Panorama Route to God’s Window via Bourke’s Luck and Afternoon Ride to Blyde River Canyon.
Our final day of riding will take us through even more breathtaking landscapes as we follow the Panorama Route. We visit God’s Window in the morning to soak in the beautiful landscape vista before riding via ‘Wonder View’ and on to Bourke’s Luck Potholes. We stop here for lunch and have a look around the strange rock formations before getting back on our bikes for the last time and cycling to the stunning viewpoint over the Blyde River Canyon and on to our lodgings. On our final night in South Africa, we will eat as a large group at the hotel restaurant, which offers a spectacular view of the three Rondavels and the canyon. Dinner and overnight at Blyde River Canyon Forever Resort.
Day 12: Transfer Back to Johannesburg and Departure.
After a leisurely breakfast and a brief stroll to the private viewpoint inside the grounds of our hotel, we board the bus and travel back to Johannesburg Airport through the little villages of Ohrigstad, Lyndenburg, and Dullstroom. This transfer is around 420 kilometers long, however we break it up with many small breaks and a longer lunch break. Please keep in mind that, due to the frequently high levels of traffic in the Johannesburg area, we leave our hotel with plenty of time to complete this transfer. This does imply that if the roads are clear, we may get at the airport early and have a longer wait until the return aircraft departs. End of Tour.