Cycling

The roads often surprise first time visitors to South Africa as there are many miles of very well surfaced roads across the country.

There are a few challenges for cyclists - the heat, the hills and the help.

Heat

South Africa is a hot country and that can really be an extra challenge for even strong cyclists. There is only so much water you can carry. It is one reason that the more even temperatures of the Garden Route make that a popular cycling area.

Hills

There's no avoiding hills and steep tracks in much of the country, it's what gives so many great landscapes. And it's another reason the Garden Route is so popular for cycling. Help

Sometimes it really is a very long way to the next place. It can be many, many miles of nothing. That's great to look at but not so good if you have mechanical issues, an incident or just get tired. Guess where is popular for that reason? The Garden Route again has a lot more settlement along its coastal roads.

The Garden Route, Cape Peninsular and Cape Winelands all feature in many of the itineraries offered by companies and for lots of great reasons. There is a lot to see and do, nothing is ever too far, the temperature is fairly steady and not too extreme, and it is easily reached.

One popular route is to follow the route of the Cape Argus, an annual cycle race sponsored by the newspaper of the same name. It heads south down the east side of Table Mountain (albeit some way to the east) then drops down to the south of Simons Town before coming back up the west side of Table Mountain. It's about 110 km (68 miles) and does have some tough climbs along the way. Another popular route is to head from Hermanus back towards Cape Town, using the R43 then the R44. The latter keeps to the coast and the route is about 90 km (55 miles). A further option might be to head from the top of Cape Town near Bloubergstrand and head into the winelands of Stellenbosch. It's about 50 km (31 miles) so you could put that up to 83 km (51 miles) and go on to Franschhoek.

Of course there are lots of shorter rides available - basing yourself in Cape Town can easily offer lots of different options. George, at the heart of the Garden Route, is another great base for cycling. The Seven Passes offers a mixture of tarmac and gravel routes between George and Knysna. Or you could try the Montagu Pass route all the way to Oudtshoorn. It's also worth noting that there is a Cross Cape route all the way from Plettenberg Bay to Stellenbosch. It's 739 km (459 miles) so will take a week to do but it does go through some stunning country, mostly on well graded gravel. Cycling tends to be something most visitors want to do for either all or much or their trip - just get in touch for more information.