Day 1: Sunday: Cape Town - arrival
All the participants are to arrive in the Mother City today. Let us know your flight details in advance and we will arrange for your transfer from the airport to your BB. Should you prefer to make your own travel arrangements or be in the city prior to the tour, then the following will apply. Take the day to relax and find your way around the city. We have no formal plans for today but plan to meet early morning on Monday to collect our motorcycles and get to know one another. A tour briefing is scheduled for tomorrow to discuss the domestics on the tour.

Day 2: Monday: Cape Town - Peninsula Route – Cape Town - 150kms
After breakfast, you meet Ludwig at the BB at 08h30 and head off to collect your motorcycles. Once done here you head off to explore the well-known Cape Peninsula Tour. Our route for the day takes us in a southerly direction, away from the city centre along the False Bay coastline towards Simons Town. This route is the most popular tourist route around the Cape if not South Africa. We visit Cape Point Reserve where we also find the Cape of Good Hope. This reserve forms part of the Table Mountain National Park which is part of the well-known Cape Floral Kingdom. Not only is the Cape Floral Kingdom being one of SA’s listed World Heritage Sites, but also one of the most diverse plant biomes on the planet. The afternoon will be spent travelling along the Atlantic seaboard enjoying the scenic Chapman’s Peak route and back to the hotel via Camps Bay and Sea Point. Our program also includes a trip up Table Mountain in the late afternoon – if not done yet. From here can one appreciate what was once described as “the fairest Cape in all the circumference of the world”?

Day 3: Tuesday: Cape Town – L’ Agulhas - Struisbaai - 280km
After breakfast we follow Route 44 (Clarence Drive) to Hermanus via Betty’s Bay. Other than Chapman’s Peak Drive which you did yesterday, Clarence Drive is the 2nd most scenic coastal route in South Africa. Along the way enjoy plenty of opportunities to do photo stops. In Betty’s Bay we visit Stony Point penguin reserve. This protected reserve is unique and one of only two penguin breeding colonies on the African mainland. November still falls within the annual whale migration season and we might spot a few whales in the waters around Walker Bay and False Bay. Hermanus is rated as one of the top whale-watching destinations internationally. After lunch, we follow a slight detour along the Walker Bay coast before heading inland via Elim. This former missionary station tends to take visitors back in time when visiting the settlement. The road via Elim takes us to L’Agulhas. The peaceful little town of Agulhas is where we find the southernmost tip of Africa, aka the place where the two oceans meet. Our accommodation is a few kilometres back in Struisbaai.

Day 4: Wednesday: L’ Agulhas – Knysna - 390km
We continue along the rolling plains of the Overberg region and head towards Knysna – located in the heart of the Garden Route. We cross the spread-out wheat and barley fields of the Overberg and stop in the historic town of Swellendam on the N2 before making our way to Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay is normally a good lunch stop. En route we enjoy frequent stops to indulge in the scenery and the coastal towns along the Garden Route. After lunch, we continue to Knysna, famous for its quality oysters and tranquil scenery. Knysna is a favourite destination with tourists because of its scenic location at the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains. The mirror-like Knysna estuary, which is central to the town, adds to the laid-back atmosphere visitor’s love. It offers us a variety of places to visit amongst other the impressive “Knysna heads”. Dinner can be enjoyed at a local restaurant.

Day 5: Thursday: Knysna - 100km
After a well-deserved night’s rest, we enjoy a relaxing day in and around the George/Knysna/Plettenberg Bay area. Today you can choose between a few optional activities such as riding the well-known Outeniqua Pass or visiting the well-known Monkey Land and Birds of Eden sanctuaries on the outside Plettenberg Bay. You should also consider the afternoon sundowner cruise on the John Benn paddle cruiser. There is also the smaller, but equally enjoyable Knysna Waterfront complex down the road from the hotel. Please ensure you include a ride up the Knysna Heads to enjoy the views from the top for a panoramic view of Knysna and the coastline. A newly established motorcycle museum called the Motorcycle Room recently opened in Knysna on Thesen’s Island. This will be a first for our Garden route tours and we included the entrance in your tour price. We recommend an afternoon visit and to stay afterwards for dinner at one of the restaurants on the island.

Day 6: Friday: Knysna – Addo via Port Elizabeth: 340km
After yet another good night’s sleep, we enjoy a relaxing day in the saddle following the rural back roads where possible. Our journey re-joins the N2 through what is described as the heart of the Garden Route. We ride through parts of the indigenous Tsitsikamma Forests and stop at the impressive Bloukrans Bridge. Some might be tempted to jump at the world’s highest commercial bungee jump - 216m. After enjoying lunch at the Storms River National Park, we continue to Port Elizabeth. During the early days of SA as we know it today, the city was known as Algoa Bay and today locals still refer to it as the friendly city. This is where the 1820 British Settlers first landed when they arrived in Southern Africa – all 4500 of them. We enjoy a brief city tour before we head to Addo near to the Addo Elephant National Park. Tonight, dinner will be enjoyed at the lodge and is included.

Day 7: Saturday: Addo - 0km
After breakfast around 10h00 you will be picked up for your full-day safari into the Addo Elephant National Park. You will be in the capable hands of an experienced ranger to tell you more about the fauna and the flora found here in Addo Park. The park is home to the Big 5 and today might be your lucky day to spot some or all of the Big Five – lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant and the elusive leopard. Addo is the only reserve in SA, if not the world, which is home to the Big Seven as it incorporates a huge marine reserve where the Southern Right whale and the great white shark is to be found. You should be back at the lodge by 18h00 or latest 18h30. Dinner will be enjoyed at the lodge and is again included.

Day 8: Sunday: Addo – Oudtshoorn: 480km
This morning after breakfast, we experience our first glimpses of the endless plains of the Great Karoo region. We ride through the remote frontier towns of Steytlerville, Willowmore and Uniondale before entering the Little Karoo region nestled at the foot of the Swartberg Mountain Massif. The mountainous horizon will be all we see for most of the morning as the kilometres roll by. With the sun behind us, the distant mountains and Karoo plains subtly change colour with the solitary passing car or truck reminding us of the world out there. After 300km of open Karoo roads and fynbos (fine bush) we reach Meiring’s Poort. This scenic pass through the mountain massif is one of only two natural passageways to the north and a popular ride with local riders. After exploring the twists and curves of this narrow gorge, we finally reach Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. During our stay in the Little Karoo we need to make time to visit the Cango Caves and ostrich show farm. Climatic conditions can be extreme in the Karoo and the swimming pool at the resort might bring welcome relief to tired limbs. Dinner can be enjoyed at the lodge, try their ostrich steak!

Day 9: Monday: Oudtshoorn – Robertson: 300km
After breakfast, we join the R62 to explore the famous and ever-popular Route 62 as we travel to Robertson. Riding along the R62 we do a photo stop at the infamous Ronnie’s Sex Shop where they sell plenty of beer but no sex. Next is coffee in Barrydale and then stopping in or around Montagu for lunch. The R62 and Little Karoo valley comes to an end as we enter the Breede River Wine Region meandering through the endless vineyards at the foot of the Langeberge (Long Mountains). The impressive rock formations of the Cape Fold Mountains at Cogman’s Kloof indicate the end of the Karoo region as we have seen it for the last two days. This “natural rock-arch” with a historic English Fort on top, welcomes you to the Breede River Valley. A pleasant farm stay awaits us outside of Robertson on a wine farm in the Breede River Valley. You will also be treated to a wine tasting covering some of the farms history and wines before enjoying dinner.

Day 10: Tuesday: Robertson – Cape Town: 170km
After breakfast we head to the touristy town of Franschhoek (French Glen) nestled in the Drakenstein Valley. Our journey follows the back roads via the vineyards and farms around Villiersdorp. The French Huguenots settled in Franschhoek when they arrived in 1688. Their contribution to the success of the Cape wine industry as we know it today is huge. They did so through their knowledge and expertise and the then energetic Dutch Governor Simon van der Stel knew this. The town still annually celebrates Bastille Day in typical French tradition. As avid motorcycle enthusiasts, we endeavour to travel every mountain pass possible before reaching our destination. The Franschhoek and Hellshoogte Passes are favourites with local rider’s and we will add both to our “bucket list” for the day. We stop in both Franschhoek for coffee and enjoy lunch in Stellenbosch. The latter is South Africa’s second-oldest town and a prime example of typical of Cape Dutch architecture with tangible influences from old Europe to be seen everywhere. Table Mountain beckons as we make our way back to Cape Town. Late afternoon we return our motorcycles before we head to our hotel in the heart of Cape Town. Tonight is the last night of the tour.

Day 11: Wednesday: Travel back home
Today we say our goodbye’s, and some might enjoy a full day of leisure in preparation to head back home. Ask your guide about what there is to do in and around the city if you have some time to kill before you are transferred to the airport – Bon Voyage!