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South Africa - first tour 2020

Sonntag, 2. Februar 2020 | Marko Bauer | Afrika

We made it - Cape of Good Hope

The final riding day of our tour has arrived! We still have to see one of the biggest attractions in South Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.

So we took off as usual, riding through beautiful towns like Camps Bay, all the way south to the cape. We took the mandatory foto, visited Cape Point and had our final picnic on the ocean.

Then we stopped one last time, on top of Signal Hill, before we ended this wonderful and memorable motorcycle tour.

Alfred and Peter on Chapmans Peak Drive.
Picnic with a view
Farewell-dinner in Cape Town

Day 12: Montagu - Cape Town

As far south as possible in Africa: Cape Agulhas

After two weeks of dreaming about the magical city, today is the day when we will finally see it!

After the wine-tasting yesterday we decided to visit the winery and buy some of their excellent wines. From there we rode as far south as you can on the African continent: to Cape Agulhas.

Next stop was Hermanus, where we had a great lunch. We didn't see any whales, but the penguins at Stony Point were there, waiting for us.

And then we rode towards our big destination: Cape Town! The traffic was not too bad, so we reached the waterfront and our hotel as planned. Now it's time to see what's going on in town!

Lucie, Charles, Hennie and Michelle at Ashton Winery
The penguins
Beate, Alfred, Peter and Barbara at False Bay

Day 11: P.E. - Oudtshoorn

Great view from our hotel

400 km of beautiful South African scenery were on our schedule today! We started out with some sightseeing in Port Elizabeth. Then we turned our motorcycles west in direction of the famous Garden Route.

Our first stop here was the Bloukrans Bungee Bridge - but everybody preferred the Edelweiss picnic to jumping.

Next stop was Knysna, where we had to try the famous oysters.

Outeniqua pass was unfortunately hidden in fog, but as soon as we had crossed the coastal mountains, we were greeted with beautiful afternoon sunshine and pleasant 26 degrees C!

Now it's time for an ostrich steak!

Alfred in Port Elizabeth
Hennie, the braai master
Knysna oysters

Day 10: Indian Ocean - P.E.

Life is good!

Waking up to the sound of waves of the Indian Ocean - life is wonderful here in South Africa!

After a good breakfast we continued our journey. We followed the coast for a while before we turned inland again. The Big Pineapple was our first stop, then we visited Grahamstown with its wide alleys and Victorian buildings.

Lunch today was typical South African, on a farm with lots of fresh and organic products!

And then we headed straight for P.E., where our hotel was waiting for us, perfectly located between the beach, shops and cafés!

Peter couldn’t resist...
Barbara finally gets her motorcycle!

Day 9: Mthatha - Indian Ocean 

On the beach!

Blue skies over Mthatha, very pleasant 20 degrees C - the perfect day to go to the beach!

We left Mthatha a little bit before 9 in the morning, everybody was eager to reach today's destination: the Indian Ocean. Before we could jump into the fresh ocean water, we had a few stops on the way: the Kei river, the German Settlers Monument in East London and of course lunch...

At 2 pm we reached our hotel, and a few minutes later we were on the beach, some of us ready for a swim, some ready for a glass of beer or wine...

The Germans - Barbara, Alfred and Beate - at the German Settlers Monument
Beate, Hennie, Peter and Alfred

Day 8: Hilton - Mthatha 

Howick Falls

The Drakensberge were the main attraction today. But the other stops, like Howick Falls and the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, were equally amazing.

Warm and sunny weather for the first two-thirds of the day was later followed by dark clouds and fairly strong winds - but we made it to our hotel in Mthatha without a drop of rain!

Barbara and Alfred at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site
Beate and Peter near the Drakensberge
Barbara and Lucie
Charles enjoying the incredible views

Day 7: Shakaland - Hilton

Alfred‘s stick-fight with the Zulu-warrior

Today we could sleep in a little bit, we started later than usual because we wanted to see some more Zulu traditions. We tried stick-fighting and spear throwing...looks like we're better off riding motorcycles.

Afterwards we rode down to the coast of the Indian Ocean again, for a great German lunch with sausages, schnitzel and good coffee.

In the afternoon we rode into the sugarcane hills near Pietermaritzburg. We visited the Gandhi statue in town and then continued to tonight's destination, Hilton.

The group (- Charles, as usual) in Pietermaritzburg

Day 6: Mkuze - Shakaland 

Charles at the Indian Ocean

Today we had two highlights on our schedule:

In the morning we rode straight to the Indian Ozean. The warnings about sharks, hippos and crocodiles were clear enough, and after seeing some hippos in the river we decided to definitely not go for a swim.

Instead we had a great lunch with a view of the ocean. Afterwards we continued deeper into the Zulu territory. The temperature climbed to more than 30 degrees C when we reached our second highlight of the day: a traditional Zulu village.

We learned about Zulu traditions and their culture - and even had the chance to try some of their beer....now it's time for the bar, thank you, evolution, for Black Label!

The group in Mkuze
Beate and Peter, looking for Hippos
The Indian Ocean

Day 5: Ezulwini valley - Mkuze

Swazi candles

Today was split into two halves: Until lunch we rode through Eswatini, the afternoon was spent in KwaZulu-Natal.

We started the day with a visit to the famous Swazi candle factory, which exports its candles all over the world. Afterwards we enjoyed some more of the twisty Eswatini mountain roads.

After crossing the border, we had a tasty lunch in Pietretief, before we continued to Mkuze, our home for the night. 

Barbara and Alfred filling up in Eswatini

Day 4: Kruger Park - Ezulwini valley

Lucie and Barbara at the Ngwenya glass factory


Eswatini was the big highlight for today. But before we reached this wonderful country, we also had a few remarkable sights and stops. Huge banana plantations lined the way - also a good time for a stop at one of the many fruit stands.

The border crossing was a breeze today, and in the afternoon we could enjoy the curvy roads in Eswatini.

Now we are getting ready for dinner in our royal hotel!

Alfred with (maybe) a future biker
Barbara at the fruit stand
Peter in Eswatini

Day 3: Rest day in Kruger Park

Kruger Park

4:30am and the alarm is ringing - this can't be a rest day!

It is, and as we are at the gate of Kruger Park, we have to get up early for our morning game drive.

Fortunately we did get up early, because we saw lots of animals, including four of the Big Five!

Lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra - you name it.

Now we are back at our hotel, catching up on sleep, e-mails, cold beers,... Yes, it is a rest day

Ready to go!
A rare sight...
Impalas - a.k.a. fast food
That’s a real „Zebra Crossing“

Day 2: Misty Mountain - Kruger Park

The day started like yesterday ended: with mist and a light drizzle. Are we really in South Africa? But as soon as we had ridden down the fantastic Long Toms Pass, the weather had cleared up and the sun came out. We could enjoy our first highlight of the day, Pilgrims Rest.

But the next stop, Gods Window, was hidden in fog again. We discussed if we should shortcut - but fortunately we didn't. We were rewarded with a wonderful view of the Three Rondaveels and pleasant temperatures all the way to our destination, Kruger Park.

Barbara and Alfred buying nuts in Pilgrims Rest
Blyde River Canyon - and Lucie
The group at the Three Rondaveels

Day 1: Johannesburg - Misty Mountain 

Lucie and Charles enjoying South African coffee

Winter blues - time to fly south! South Africa is the perfect spot to get some motorcycle riding time while everybody else is freezing at home!

Three couples from Canada, Germany and Switzerland escaped the cold and are on their way to discover South Africa.

We left Johannesburg today and started our trip. Through mining and farming country we rode east. Now we are high up in the mountains at almost 2000m, halfway to Kruger Park, where we will arrive tomorrow!

It rained during lunch - now it’s clearing up again!
Filling up South African style
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Einen Kommentar hinzufügen Diesen Beitrag bewerten
Hennie du Plessis
Donnerstag, 20. Oktober 2022 um 13:26

One day to go before we do the same trip. Missing the good friends from this one.
Hopefully the weather will allow us to have 2 braais instead of 1.
Marko Bauer
Donnerstag, 20. Oktober 2022 um 18:30

Of course the weather will be good…it’s South Africa!
Montag, 3. Februar 2020 um 10:16

Great Blog Marko! Always good weather there eh?
Thomas Ritt
Montag, 20. Januar 2020 um 15:20

Hey Lucy and Charles, great to see you back on tour! Enjoy the southern summer, guys! And don't hand over your desserts to Marko, he needs to watch his sugar levels!!!
Lucie
Freitag, 31. Januar 2020 um 06:01

Hi Thomas!
Always fun to travel with competent people from your organisation! We appreciate every minute of this trip.
For your information, Marco is taking very good care of his blood sugar levels every time he has a chance ( ah,ah ) It seems to be easy for him, he definitely doesn’t need help for that )
Hope to see you again soon!
Charles et Lucie
Jacky COUZY
Dienstag, 11. Februar 2020 um 13:27

Hello les amis canadiens, je suis Jacky le tour leader du petit groupe de français en Harley (de l'ile de La réunion- Océan pacifique). Nous nous sommes rencontrés à Captown au retour de nos voyages. j"espère que la reprise n'a pas été trop dure.. . Peut-être à un de ces jours sur de nouvelles routes...Cordialement. Jacky
Marko Bauer
Dienstag, 21. Januar 2020 um 11:25

I can guarantee that my sugar levels are just fine - I think even a little low.

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