2 Days Guided Midlands Meander Motorcycle Tour in South Africa

Facilities

Itinerary

Day 1

Staying off the motorway wherever possible, you ride the Old Main Road, with a first stop at the interesting and infamous Comrades Marathon Wall of Honour, a mostly unobserved but amazingly interesting feature on your doorstep.

A short run on the motorway passes through Pietermaritzburg with the first stop at an old world “African trading store” which is a treat, a taste of yesteryear and a Picker’s treasure trove. The next stop, only two kilometers further along is the iconic and very well-presented Nelson Mandela capture site where the Nobel Prize winning, first black South African president was captured during the apartheid era for his part in the struggle for freedom and independence of the black people of South Africa. Following the Nelson Mandela capture site is a brief stop at a craft brewery in a delightfully picturesque setting. Within five kilometers, you pass through Nottingham Road village, then taking routes less traveled to the fascinating Crystal Barn at Fort Nottingham for the first overnight stay.

Day 2

After breakfast, it’s up to the Dargle Valley, past Everglades on beautiful high-country back roads to Boston, stopping for a leg stretch and some photos in an old ruin. From Boston, you ride through beautiful forestry country and the charming hamlet of Byrne to Richmond (lunch at either of these) and then, you ride off the mapped routes and through the sugar cane and timber plantations to Eston. From Eston to Camperdown, joining the motorway back to base.

Requirements

• Motorcycle driving license
• 10000 ZAR credit card holding deposit for damages on all bike rentals

Bike information

The fleet is made up of Kawasaki KLR 650 adventure motorcycles, with exceptions being the Triumph Tiger 800XCx and the Triumph Explorer 1200 on special application only. The KLRs are an enormously popular adventure bike due to their reliability and uncomplicated ease of operation. While some might like the high tech aspects of biking, the KLR keeps it simple with no traction control, no ABS, braking, cruise control, etc, and this all means fewer breakdowns.

The KLRs are as comfortable on gravel roads and off-road as what they are on paved roads with safe speeds up to Adventure Bike Safaris' limitation of 110kph on either surface. The bikes have been purpose fitted with tall touring windshields which provide a tremendous comfort on the long haul and electrical points for powering cell and GPS. The KLRs have top bags / boxes and side racks for a fitting of pannier bags if required. The bikes all have fallen over protection bars for the bike with these bars taking the brunt of any incident. All bikes are equipped with a luggage so that a client is able to carry up to 104 liters of luggage.

Skill level

Beginner

• Can ride for 2-3 hours
• Minimal riding experience
• Assistance required
• Comfortable with curves and leans
• Basic experience with unsurfaced roads
• Short distance ascents and descents

This motorcycle tour will take place in South Africa. The covered locations are Kwa-Zulu Natal, Tweedie, Nottingham, and Eston.

+−

During this tour, breakfasts and dinners will be served. The tour exclude a packed lunch for while out riding the trails, however, the guides see to it that clients are taken to a store in order to buy their own preferred snacks before going out on the trails.

• Art galleries
• Pickers delight
• Shopping
• Strawberry picking (seasonal)
• Vineyards and wine tasting

• Bike rental (if you choose 'rental bike' package)
• South African Department of Tourism registered guide
• Bike insurance for claims of 10000 ZAR
• Fuel with hire bikes
• Booking and administration fees
• 1 night's accommodation
• Breakfast and dinner

• All beverages
• Daytime snacks / lunch on trail
• Fuel and insurance when riding own bike

Recommended Airports

• A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 21 days before arrival.