MOTORCYCLE-TRIPS · SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa: Route 62 Motorcycle Tour & Garden Route
This Route 62 motorcycle tour covers around 2,320 km on the finest tarmac in the Western Cape. You set off from Cape Town beneath Table Mountain, ride out to the Cape of Good Hope and carry on south to L’Agulhas, the last point of land on the continent.
The Journey
Garden Route & Route 62
Your Garden Route ride opens with a full day in Cape Town, a city that rarely gives you a dull hour. From Table Mountain the road runs south to Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa. You pass through Betty’s Bay on the way, where the colony at Stony Point Penguin Sanctuary is worth the stop, and reach Hermanus, arguably the best place in the country to watch whales from dry land.
Turning east along the Cape south coast, you pick up the forests and mountains of the Garden Route. A night in Knysna and a stop on the Tsitsikamma shoreline lead to Port Elizabeth, the largest city in the Eastern Cape and one of South Africa’s major ports. Worth pulling over on the way: the Bloukrans Bridge, where a 216 metre drop makes the world’s highest commercial bungee jump.
A full day of game viewing follows in Addo Elephant National Park, picnic included, with a real chance of the Big Five: lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo.
From there the road climbs inland to Oudtshoorn, capital of the Little Karoo and of the world’s ostrich trade. You meet the birds, walk the Cango Caves and ride the Swartberg Pass, one of the great mountain roads of the Cape. Route 62 takes over next, billed as the longest wine route on earth, threading along the northern slopes of the Langeberg to Robertson in the Breede River Valley. Ronnie’s Sex Shop makes an obligatory stop along the way. The name is a joke that got out of hand: what they actually sell is beer.
Few tours string together this many good roads in one loop. Total distance is roughly 2,320 km, averaging about 290 km a day.
Key Highlights of the Trip
Key Highlights of the Trip
South Africa
This Route 62 ride covers around 2,320 km of the Western and Eastern Cape: out of Cape Town, along the Garden Route and through Addo, then inland to the Little Karoo and back through the winelands.
Arrival in Cape Town
Everyone gathers in Cape Town, the Mother City. Send your flight details ahead of time and we will arrange the transfer from the airport to the hotel. The day is yours to explore the city as you please. Next morning we collect the motorcycles and open the tour with a riders’ briefing. Overnight with breakfast at the City Lodge V&A Waterfront.
Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain
After breakfast you take charge of your bike and head out on the Cape Peninsula loop. The road follows False Bay through Simon’s Town to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope inside Table Mountain National Park. The afternoon brings Chapman’s Peak Drive and Camps Bay on the return to the city, followed by the cable car up Table Mountain. Overnight with breakfast in Cape Town.
Cape Town → L’Agulhas
Route 44, better known as Clarence Drive, carries you past Betty’s Bay to Hermanus. Stony Point Penguin Reserve at Betty’s Bay holds one of the few mainland colonies in the country. In whale season the odds of a sighting in Walker Bay are good. From there the route runs through Elim to L’Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa. Overnight at the Agulhas Ocean House.
L’Agulhas → Mossel Bay
East today towards Mossel Bay, past wheat fields and over the rolling hills of the Overberg. Swellendam, the fifth oldest town in South Africa, makes a good coffee stop. Mossel Bay marks the unofficial start of the Garden Route and sits between the sea and the Outeniqua Mountains. Anyone keen can add the Robinson Pass. Overnight at the Protea Hotel Mossel Bay, with a view over the bay.
Mossel Bay → Knysna
The morning belongs to the Robinson and Outeniqua passes before you drop into George. From there the road runs to Knysna, its lagoon and the famous Knysna Heads. A ride up to the viewpoint gives you the coast and the open sea in one sweep. In the evening the waterfront and Thesen Island are worth a wander. Overnight with breakfast at the Knysna Log Inn Hotel.
_1024_1024.jpg "Vier Fahrer auf Offroad-Motorrädern mit Blick auf eine Wüstenschlucht")
Knysna → Addo via Port Elizabeth
An easy day in the saddle on back roads through the Tsitsikamma forests. You stop at the Bloukrans Bridge, home to a 216 metre commercial bungee jump, the highest anywhere. After lunch at Storms River the route continues to Port Elizabeth, the Friendly City, and on to Addo Elephant National Park. Dinner at the lodge. Overnight at the Elephant Footprint Lodge.
Questions about the tour itinerary?
Our tour guide is happy to answer any questions about the day-by-day route, stops, and details.
Safari in Addo Elephant Park
After breakfast you are collected for a full day of game viewing in Addo Elephant National Park with an experienced ranger. Addo holds all of the Big Five: lion, buffalo, rhino, elephant and leopard. With its marine reserve attached, the park can even claim the Big Seven. Dinner included, overnight at the Elephant Footprint Lodge.
Addo → Oudtshoorn, Cango Caves
Today the Great Karoo opens up. The route runs through Steytlerville, Willowmore and Uniondale into the Little Karoo, below the Swartberg range. Meiringspoort delivers you to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world. Here you tour the Cango Caves, ride the pass road over the Swartberg and visit an ostrich farm. Dinner is ostrich steak. Overnight at the Berluda Guest Farm.
Oudtshoorn → Robertson
After breakfast the famous wine road takes you towards Robertson. Ronnie’s Sex Shop is the stop everyone makes, and the stock is beer rather than anything the sign implies. Barrydale and Montagu follow. The route crosses the Breede River Valley wine country and passes the rock arch at Cogmans Kloof. Wine tasting and dinner, overnight at the Leipzig Country Lodge.
Robertson → winelands → Cape Town
Through the vineyards to Franschhoek, founded by French Huguenots in 1688. The Franschhoek and Hellshoogte passes lead on to Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in the country and full of Cape Dutch architecture. In the afternoon you ride back into Cape Town and hand the bike back. Farewell dinner together, overnight at the City Lodge V&A Waterfront.
Farewell in Cape Town
Time to say goodbye. Some use the day for one more look around Cape Town before heading to the airport. Ask your guide for suggestions if you have hours to fill. Overnight with breakfast. Safe travels, and see you on the next ride.
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Trip includes
- Suzuki DL800DE rental motorcycle with top case and panniers
- Comprehensive insurance for the motorcycle
- Unlimited mileage
- 10 nights in 3 and 4 star accommodation
- Meals: 10x breakfast and 4x dinner
- Road map and personalised souvenir cap
- Toll fees
- Registered local guide riding with the group
- Airport transfers
- National park entry: Tsitsikamma National Park, Stony Point Penguin Reserve, Table Mountain National Park with Cape Point
- Activities: Table Mountain cable car ticket, wine tasting, Cango Caves tour, ostrich farm tour, full day safari in Addo Elephant National Park
- Travel security certificate (insolvency protection under BGB §651r), mandatory on all OVERCROSS tours.
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Yes. Breakfast is served every morning, and dinner is included on four evenings.
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No, you book your own flight to Cape Town. Send us your flight details and we will arrange the transfer between the airport and your accommodation.
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The tour is built as an on-road ride and runs almost entirely on tarmac, including Route 62 and the Robinson and Outeniqua passes. The one exception is the Swartberg Pass, which is a gravel road and is ridden at an easy pace.
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You stay in hand-picked 3 and 4 star properties with some character to them. Individual hotels can change at short notice depending on local conditions and the guide’s call, but the standard stays the same.
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No. A support vehicle with driver is not part of the price on this tour.
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Yes. A refundable deposit of ZAR 25,000 is held against the motorcycle and is paid in advance through a secure payment link. A refundable equipment deposit applies on top of that.
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You collect it in Cape Town on the second day of the tour. Nothing needs to be shipped or arranged by you.
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Yes. Alongside the Suzuki DL800DE there are BMW, Honda and Yamaha models to choose from, each at its own supplement.
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