The last day of our motorcycle tour through South Africa has arrived - as usual, time was flying!

But we ended our adventure with a wonderful ride to the famous Cape of Good Hope!

The scenery was spectacular all day, the food good as usual and the riding fun...a typical day in South Africa!

Now everybody is back at the hotel, getting ready for our farewell dinner. It’s time to say goodbye to the new friends, which we got to know so well during the last two weeks!

After more than 4000km we were about to reach our destination today: Cape Town!

But enroute, South Afrixa had added a few major highlights: Africa‘s southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas, the whale city Hermanus, a few penguins and last but not least the gorgeous False Bay!

And then we entered the stunningly beautiful city of Cape Town - our home for the next two days!

After more than 4000km we were about to reach our destination today: Cape Town!

But enroute, South Africa had added a few major highlights: Africa‘s southernmost tip, Cape Agulhas, the whale city Hermanus, a few penguins and last but not least the gorgeous False Bay!

And then we entered the stunningly beautiful city of Cape Town - our home for the next two days!

Sunshine - this morning looks just like a South African morning should look like! Crystal blue skies, pleasant temperatures - exactly what we needed for our Swartberg Pass off-road adventure! A scenic loop in the morning took us to Prince Albert and from there up to the top of this magnificent pass!

After this little workout we enjoyed Stephen‘s picnic even more. A final stop for coffee in Oudtshoorn, and then the Route 62 led us through desert scenery all the way to Montagu.

But the day wasn’t over yet - we had the opportunity for a wine-tasting of great wines from the region!

Carol and Dane go shopping

IAnother long day full of highlights lay ahead of us: PE, Bungee jumping, the Garden Route, Knysna and its oysters, and finally the ostrich in Oudtshoorn.

Nobody volunteered for the Bungee jump, but some of us dared at least to try some fresh oystetin Knysna...

And in the evening we could try the first ostrich steak, fresh from the barbecue!

IAnother long day full of highlights lay ahead of us: PE, Bungee jumping, the Garden Route, Knysna and its oysters, and finally the ostrich in Oudtshoorn.

Nobody volunteered for the Bungee jump, but some of us dared at least to try some fresh oystetin Knysna...

And in the evening we could try the first ostrich steak, fresh from the barbecue!

Even though everybody would have loved to spend an extra day at this remarkable spot, we had to leave our little paradise...

But our destination for the day was also worth a visit: Port Elizabeth!

On the way we visited the Big Pineapple, stopped for coffee in Grahamstown, for lunch in Kenton - and then we were there: PE!

This day was just as multi-faceted as South Africa! We rode through mountains, large cities and sand dune regions, we had 34 degrees and sunshine at 9:30 in the morning and 14 degrees and rain in the afternoon - welcome to South Africa

Our morning ride through the southern Transkei was scenic and very warm, and we reached East London in time for a quick lunch. While we were waiting, we could watch two whales play in the ocean, just a few 100 meters from the shore.

And then we continued to our big destination today: our magnificent hotel on the beach of the Indian Ocean. We caught a bit of rain upon our arrival - but soon the last cloud disappeared and everybody could enjoy the seemingly endless beach!

A long day was ahead of us - with many highlights and once again amazing landscape.

Under blue skies we started the day with visits to Howick Falls and the Nelson Mandela Capture Site. Then it was time for Mother Nature and the stunning landscape of the Drakensberge.

Just as beautiful was the former homeland of the Transkei, even though all the towns enroute were a sad example of the results of the Apartheid government...

Umtata was our destination today, where a good buffet and a well stocked bar waited for us!

A long day was ahead of us - with many highlights and once again amazing landscape.

Under blue skies we started the day with visits to Howick Falls and the Nelson Mandela Capture Site. Then it was time for Mother Nature and the stunning landscape of the Drakensberge.

Just as beautiful was the former homeland of the Transkei, even though all the towns enroute were a sad example of the results of the Apartheid government...

Umtata was our destination today, where a good buffet and a well stocked bar waited for us!

After learning a bit more about the Zulu traditions we continued our motorcycle tour southbound.

After riding through endless sugarcane fields we arrived at the Indian Ocean again. It was a bit too cool for swimming, so we went for lunch at a German restaurant for a change- many Germans have settled in the area north of Durban.

Afterwards we rode back into the mountains, until we reached Pietermaritzburg. We visited the Gandhi statue and the famous city hall, and then continued to Hilton, our destination for today.

Today held two main highlights for us: iSimangaliso National Park and the Zulu village Shakaland.

First we rode to the Indian Ocean to look for a few more wild animals - and we found a family of Hippos, about 15, and a crocodile which was at least 4 meters long!

Lunch with a view over the lagoon followed, great seafood, and then we returned into the hills of the Zulus.

Our hotel tonight was a bit different then your average Holiday Inn: traditional Zulu huts for everyone!

There is a reason why Swaziland and South Africa are so green: it rains every once in a while. Unfortunately today was one of those days... But fortunately the rain only hit us after lunchtime. Until then we had a great riding day in Swaziland, including a visit to the Swazi Candle factory, where we could see how the candles were hand crafted!

Then we returned to South Africa, where we had another exceptional lunch. And then the rain finally caught up with us, accompanying us all the way to our destination...

Well rested after our rest day we continued south. Today we were to leave South Africa and to visit the Kingdom of Eswatini - a.k.a. Swaziland!

A beautiful ride took us through banana plantations up into the Swazi mountains. Our lunch stop offered fantastic views over the hilly landscape.

Afterwards we headed towards the Ezulwini valley,  where our „royal“ hotel waited for us!

Thomas is happy

Rest day! Sleeping in, late breakfast, taking it easy...? No, not today!

Our alarm clocks set off at 4:15 in the morning - today was the day for our game drive, one of the many highlights of this tour. And a highlight it was - we saw the Big Five, and a lot more! Even two cheetahs took the time to show up for a photo!

Now we‘re back at our cozy little boutique hotel, catching up on sleep and preparing fir another great South African dinner!

Today‘s ride was an incredible mix of great, twisty roads, majestic scenery and good food - thanks to Stephen‘s picnic

The day started with a ride down on Long Tom‘s Pass, followed by sightseeing and Macadamia-nut eating in Pilgrims Rest. The next highlight was God‘s Window, looking down over the majestic Blyde River Canyon.

We followed the canyon all the way to the eastern side, until we finally arrived at today’s destination, Hazyview - on the doorstep of the famous Kruger Park!

And off we go! Our group with riders from America, Canada and Germany has started the discovery of South Africa! We left Jo’burg behind and headed straight east towards the mountains.

Beautiful scenery, blue skies, a great lunch - now we were ready for Long Tom Pass, the final highlight of the day. Individually we rode the 30 km to the famous cannon.

Now we have definitely earned our first beer of the day!

Just when the weather turns ugly in the northern hemisphere, we’ll start our discovery of South Africa!

Blue skies, temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees C, ten BMW GS motorcycles, mixed with South African scenery and hospitality - what a great way to end the riding season!