Outeniqua Adventure Tours, George, Garden Route, South Africa

The cycling safaris we offer give you, the participant, a unique opportunity to enjoy the countryside from the seat of a bicycle instead of from the confines of a vehicle. The duration of a cycle tour can vary from a weekend to as long as 18 days, and the group size from six to about twenty (we have had groups over thirty!).

The area we cover includes mountain passes, (eg Swartberg Pass, Montagu Pass, Rooiberg Pass, Huisrivier Pass, and others), the semi-desert of the Little Karoo, coastal forests of Knysna and Tsitsikamma, and beautiful coastline. The roads we use are usually secondary roads, with very little traffic, in sparsely populated areas. This is a safe region to cycle, regarding security, and the climate is kind.

We overnight in guesthouses (of which we have found some real treasures along our routes!) and also in National Parks, which generally provide very comfortable chalets. We provide full backup, with a vehicle and trailer, should you at any time want/need to have a rest from the bicycle. Refreshments are provided en route, with tasty picnic lunches in interesting places!

The daily distance covered by bike varies, usually from fifty to eighty km (30 -50 miles), depending on the ability of the group, and the terrain to be ridden.
We have found that this system works very well, as groups of varying abilities can all enjoy this type of holiday.

We took up cycling about twenty five years ago, and have explored this beautiful country extensively, both in a vehicle and on bicycles. The tours we plan are generally tailor-made to suit the groups’ interests and abilities (and budget), and the routes thus vary accordingly. We do, however, have a number of ‘standard’ tours, an example of which follows:

The Swartberg Circle

Day one
Start cycling at Herold, just on the inland side of the Outeniqua Mountains, and ride through some interesting semi-desert rural areas to the village of de Rust, situated at the entrance to Meiringspoort. We overnight in De Rust. Cycling distance is approx 55 kms ( 35 miles)

Day two
Cycle through the spectacular Meiringspoort, a very dramatic gorge which cuts through the Swartberg mountains, and then along the beautiful Prince Albert Valley to the charming village of Prince Albert. Cycling distance is 95 kms.(60 miles)

Day three
The BIG CLIMB over the Swartberg Pass. This is a spectacular crossing , travelling over the Swartberg range on a road that was built more than 120 years ago.. All who conquer this pass (either on the bike, or on foot) experience a great sense of achievement.
A wonderful downhill ride gets you to one of our special stopovers, in Schoemanspoort. Cycling distance 60km (37 miles)

Day four
The route back to George usually takes us through beautiful, isolated, farmlands, with a spectacular ride down either the Outeniqua or Montagu Pass, into the town.