All our Motorcycle Adventure Tours are tailor made and can vary from a day to a two week trip. Depending on your requirements we can organize a mainly riding tour or mainly sightseeing tour. We incorporate activities such as hot Air ballooning, river rafting, bungee jumping and many more. When you fill in our enquiry form on a specific tour, we will suggest the various options, depending on your interests. Our rates are based on staying at comfortable 3 star accommodations. Is money tight? Do you want a budget holiday with mainly camping, we will quote you accordingly. All Great South motorcycle adventure tours start from Johannesburg, Gauteng. A shuttle service will collect guests from the O R Tambo Airport in Johannesburg to the chosen guest house / hotel and to collect motorcycles.
Gossip Update Motorcycle Adventure Tour Namibia...A picture speaks a thousand words!!!!
Annual Toy run – 2009
What a day!
Doing what you love and spreading the Christmas spirit.
Here are some more interesting facts about our Great South Motorcycle Adventure Tour No 3
This is one of our most scenic and awe inspiring motorcycle adventure tours. HERE WE HAVE IT ALL, beautiful mountain passes, grasslands, natural rain forests, immense plantations, awesome waterfalls, some good old South African history and of course, distance and plenty of twisties on our BMW motorcycles.
Our trip starts in Johannesburg early morning (lets miss the traffic)and on our way to cover the first 258 km to the stunning scenery and warm local hospitality of the little town of Dullstroom in Mpumalanga. Dullstroom is situated on the Steenkampsberg plateau 2076 m asl. Grasslands and wetlands support an interesting variety of fauna, wildlife and birds. Like many tours in the region, Dullstroom’s history and existence is linked to the Boer war. Dullstroom was burned to the ground in 1901 and all the women and children were send to the British concentration camps. A memorial monument and garden of remembrance can be visited to remember these tumultuous times. To the explorer and adventurer Dullstroom offer some of the best fly fishing, a birds of prey rehab centre and the Verloren Valley Nature Reserve which is the breeding ground for all three of the worlds endangered crane.
We now travel for the next 56km through beautiful scenery over many small rivers and streams and past numerous trout fishing farms to the historic town of Lydenburg. This little town was found in 1850 by the company of voortrekker leader Andries Potgieter who had abandoned their first settlement, Origstad. It was the capitol of its own independent republic and still boast some of the best preserved Zuid Afrikaans and old Transvaalse architecture in the country. Lydenburg which means town of suffering was founded by these pioneering voortrekkers fleeing malaria and the debilitating heat of the lower lying areas. Lydenburg was healthier but marauding Bapedi armies fought a series of bloody pitched battles with the settlers, monuments of which can still be seen in the area. Lydenburg is an important centre for farming and home to one of Mpumalanga’s best museums detailing the mysterious history of the famed Lydenburg heads. These are unique pottery masks made by a vanished people thousands of years ago. It is believed that these masks have served a ritual or religious purpose and date to the 5th century. Six of the heads are human and a seventh some kind of a animal replica.
Now we get to real motorcycle riding and this is where the BMW motorcycle comes to its own. To get to Sabie we have to navigate the 55km over the beautiful Long Tom pass. Twisties more twisties and some more twisties, awesome. The Long Tom pass was named after the cannon which the Boers used to try and dislodge the British from Lydenburg. This happened in the battle between the Boers and the British in the Anglo Boer war (1899-1902) in the Lydenburg area. The Long Tom pass is so awesome some guys spend a whole day riding Long Tom pass up and down.
Sabie is a small country town in a deep valley on the escarpment of the Drakensberg mountain range. The local Shangaan people called the river Ulusaba “the river of fear” because it was often in flood and teemed with crocodiles. It was from this Shangaan word that the town’s name Sabie was derived. In 1880 Henry Glynn bought this farm for 600 British pounds and he and his son became famed big game hunters. Gold was found at the Klein Sabie falls and a gold rush ensued. The town of Sabie was born. Soon many indigenous forests were destroyed to supply firewood and later mine props. The mining was the actual start of the huge timber industry in the area around Sabie. The first commercial trees was planted in Sabie in 1876 and today Sabie is surrounded by one of the largest man made forests in the world. Sabie is also home to spectacular waterfalls such as the Sabie falls, Bridal falls and Horseshoe falls.
From Sabie it is a mere 15km to the Mac Mac pools. When gold was discovered along the Mac Mac river in 1873 a frenzied gold rush ensued. Many of the miners were Scottish and therefore the camp was named Mac Mac. In a attempt to divert the river, the miners placed dynamite at the crest of the Mac Mac falls. The explosion split the 64m high waterfall into two splendid streams witch plunge into the forested gorge below. There is a viewing platform which overlooks the Mac Mac falls and visitors can walk down a 2km hiking trail to the Mac Mac pools for a refreshing swim.
Graskop is purged on a spur of the Mauchsberg at an altitude of 1492m. And date back to 1837. This is the best place to make your home base as this is the most centrally situated to do your “to see and to do “ things. Of these there are plenty i.e. Graskop gorge, the pinnacle, gods window, Bourke’s luck potholes, Blyde river canyon and Pilgrims rest. If you are of the more adventurist type you can do abseiling, fly fishing, gold panning, gorge swinging, helicopter flips, hot air ballooning and many more.
From Graskop on our way to the Blyderivier canyon. This is 128 km of pure fun and joy, a real motorcycle adventure. Long lazy corners offset by sharp hairpin bends with very little straight road on one of the most beautiful places for motorcycle riding in the world. The scenic beauty of the Blyderivier canyon, the world’s 3rd largest gorge is awe inspiring magnificent. The canyon cuts a zig- zag passage 16km long at a depth of 750m in the midst of dense vegetation below towering buttresses cupped by cliffs of the most remarkable shapes. There are some magnificent viewpoints along this route including Gods window and the three rondawels. The canyon forms part of the 27000 ha Blyderivierspoort Nature Reserve.
Gods window is a viewpoint at an altitude of 1829m/ 6000ft extending northwards over the Blyderivier canyon. On a clear day the view extends across the lowveld, past the Kruger National Park into Mozambique. A footpath lead from the parking area to other viewpoints. One particular rewarding trip is on a path which winds its way through evergreen tropical rainforest to the most awesome view of the canyon. The three rondawels made from scale and quartzite are well known landmarks in the aria. The sheer rock walls tower 720m above the surrounding landscape.
Must see on our motorcycle trip is Pilgrims Rest named by a digger who found gold there. He believed that this would be his last stop to fortune and once he is rich he can stop and rest. He did find gold and prospectors flooded the area in one of the biggest and most insane gold rushes ever. Fine nuggets of alluvial gold were found daily in the stream that was named pilgrims creek. Today the whole town is proclaimed a national historic monument and has been restored to its original splendour. The most noticeable building is the Royal Hotel. It used to be part of a church in Mozambique and was brought to Pilgrims rest on a ox wagon. Many a story of gold and riches has been told in this hotel.
About 17 km from Pilgrims Rest you will find Robbers pass. The Zeederberg coach company used this route to transport gold from the diggings to Lydenburg. This coach was robbed only twice in its 30 plus years of negotiating these steep and twisting assents. It was robbed the first time in 1899 by two mounted men wearing masks, they made off with bullion worth 100 pound sterling. Tommy Dennyson was the second robber, laying his hands on a mere 129 pounds. He was caught in Pilgrims Rest and spend the next 5 years in the Pretoria Central jail. He later returned to Pilgrims Rest where he opened a business by the name of “The Highwayman’s Garage”
The triangle Graskop Hazyview, Sabie and back to Graskop is a must for all BMW motorcycle adventure riders because this route includes the “22”......100 corners.(This is also one of the rides that you can spend a day on. Up and down, up and down.) Hazyview derives its name from the haze that forms over the bushveld in hot summer days. This little town is situated very close to the Kruger National Park. The Kruger gate is the closest and many people use it as a luxury and convenient overnight when they venture into the Kruger National Park.
Places to go , things to see. From Graskop we slowly turn the bikes noses in the direction of Johannesburg but the journey is far from over. Steenkampsberg pass is the highest pass in the region and joins Lydenburg and Roossenekal. This pass naturally forms part of our motorcycle adventure as it is part of a longer drive across some of the most tranquil scenic landscapes in the eastern Transvaal (Limpopo). After negotiating the high speed twisties of Steenkampsberg we head home through Stofberg and Middelburg.
Another day another journey
Till then.
Open the throttle
Like all motorcycle enthusiasts, we have our quick runs too. In Johannesburg we are fortunate to have so many beautiful routes on our doorstep. The most famous motorcycle route is without a doubt the road to the Hartbeespoort dam. This route has many entrances, the one as great as the other. The superbikes usually takes the shortest route with lots of twisties. We, on the BMW motorcycles tends to make the road as long as possible. It is not possible for any BMW rider to get on his or her motorcycle and take the shortest route. We include the twisties as well as the scenic stretches where we can open the throttle, but still are able to take in the awesome surroundings.
On the long route we pass through the quaint little town of Magaliesburg, then through the Hekpoort twisties and on to the satellite road. This road is a firm favourite with all motorcycle riders because it allows for great speeds. On this whole route we are surrounded by the mountains.
At the Hartbeespoort dam we always stop at the lookout point for some breathtaking views and then through the tunnel for a ride next to the to the dam. On the one side you have the dam and on the other the mountain. Great inspiration for the soul.
Leaving early in the morning allows us to get all the fresh morning smells as well as see the sun come up over the mountains. Over the weekend we always encounter the hot air balloons drifting across the mountains and the dam. Hartbeespoort dam has a culture of its own. From weekend markets with live music to the African markets. At the African markets you’ll find anything from masks to life size animal carvings. The area also hosts a wide variety of restaurants and pubs.
This route does justice to superb motorcycle riding.
Are you visiting South Africa between June and July 2010?
At Great South Motorcycle Adventure Tours we have lots of trips planned over this period.
We have day trips to the following areas.
Day trip one: Maropeng / Vredefort Dome.
We’ll leave Johannesburg and surrounding areas at 7H00. Our first stop will be at the Hartebeespoort dam wall. From there we’ll head to Maropeng, the cradle of humankind.
It is only a
short trip off about 20 kms through beautiful country side. On arrival at Maropeng we’ll have breakfast and then take a tour through the history of mankind.
At midday we’ll be on our way to the Vredefort Dome. Carletonville, one of the towns with numerous gold mines, will be on our route.
From here our travels will take us to Parys, a quaint little town next to the Vaal river.
The Vredefort Dome is a mere 11kms from Parys. This has the largest verified impact crater in the world.
The meteor that hit this site was 10km in diameter. After exploring this site we’ll head to Parys and its old world charm for a late lunch. After lunch we’ll make the trip back to Johannesburg
which will only take us an hour.
300kms round trip – 4 hours riding
Day trip two: Sun City
We’ll leave Johannesburg at 7H00. Our route will be through Magaliesburg to the Hartebeespoort dam where we’ll stop at the dam wall. From here we’ll be on the road to Rustenburg and
on towards Sun City.
On arrival at Sun City everybody will be able to plan their own day.
Sun City offers a wide range of activities, from gambling to their manmade wave pool with a real beach to game viewing at one of the nearby game parks.
After a day of fun in the sun, we’ll head home at 15H00.
400kms round trip – 5.5 hours riding
