The South Africa Cape to Kruger Tour explores the absolute best of South Africa and its unique wildlife through 2,200 miles, with the tour departing Cape Town and taking in the breathtaking:
An inclusive early morning game drive in Kruger Park will be provided as the finale of this tour as we seek out the Big 5 Game and the abundant wildlife of the African bush on this 13-day lifetime bucket-list motorcycle adventure.
In-keeping with the tour experience, all hotel nights are very comfortable and relaxing 3-star lodges, where we spend the evenings eating and drinking together, and which includes breakfast.
A complimentary welcome meal on the first evening, a mid-tour complimentary BBQ, and a complimentary departure meal are all included.
The tour includes motorbike rental, enhanced motorcycle insurance, and all fuel is included.
Motorcycle Options During Check-Out Process
Come and join Polaris for this experience of a lifetime, and leave with lifelong amazing memories and newfound friends.
Please see the day-by-day tour schedule below for the full details of this tour.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss this tour further, please contact Polaris today.
*Please note that the following map graphic only displays a rough guideline of the route for display purposes.
Day 1 starts the tour from Cape Town and making our way to south along the shores of False Bay via a Penguin colony and an optional mountain pass to Grabouw through some beautiful fruit farms and a coffee break.
We then head towards Theewaterskloof Dam and the spectacular Franschhoek Pass, after which we ride to Wellington and up and over the tight and twisting Bainskloof Pass before heading to our destination of Tulbach, and a well-deserved evening rest at our first lodge.
The first evening we will enjoy a complimentary evening group meal to talk about the highlights of the day and to get to know each other.
Day 2 begins with a ride up Michell's Pass into the town of Ceres, and riding the great R46 road we make our way for a short distance on the N1 highway before turning off onto the amazing R318 Burgers Pass road, which is also affectionately known as the Koo Valley road and toward Montagu.
Riding out of Montagu we pass under the old English fort which was built in 1899 to hold the river and mountain thoroughfare, at which we head towards Swellendam before riding the picturesque Tradouw Pass to Barrydale and an obligatory ice-cold milkshake stop (the best you've ever tasted - we promise).
Leaving Barrydale, we finally take in some amazing roads to our overnight rest stop just outside the very pretty town of Ladismith.
There are options to eat and to drink within Ladismith, although safety/security advice will be given.
Day 3 leaves Ladismith and heads toward and through the Huisriver Pass and onto Calitzdorp.
The tour then heads straight to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world, before taking a left turn towards the mighty Swartberg mountains for a bucket list mountain crossing, and you will definitely thank yourself for booking this tour just after this single experience.
With a short piece of gravel riding, we then hit smooth tarmac towards Meiringspoort which has a waterfall that is just too beautiful for words and which we use as a great photo opportunity.
We then head south towards the coast over the Outeniqua Pass and on to a natural phenomenon called the 'Map of Africa' just outside of Wilderness.
We head back to the main road and wind our way to Knysna, taking time to see the Knysna heads, before we finally head to our lodge and relax with a cold beer or a glass of wine.
Day 4 is a busy and great day, and it's packed with things to see along the way.
We'll remain on backroads almost the entire days route, taking the winding passes through the Tsitsikamma region and into Nature's Valley, through Bloukrans pass and down to the mouth of Storms River.
It's a really magnificent and scenic ride, while exploring the infamous and very beautiful Garden Route.
The tour continues east, enjoying the coastal scenery and lush farmland before arriving at our overnight stop in St Francis Bay.
Day 5 is a fantastic one, with the possibility of seeing different wild game as we make our way along the tour route.
Heading towards Jeffreys Bay via Paradise Beach, we then start heading inland via a local wildlife sanctuary.
As we continue riding north, we ride below the Van Stadens River bridge and use the time well to stop for a picture or two.
During this day's ride, we pass numerous vistas of beauty on either side of the road, and with our final destination being the small town of Graaf Reinet.
Day 6 and the tour will initially ride through a short bit of Camdeboo National Park with its desertlike landscape, before continuing north where we come up to Middelberg, and where we ride past the old Grootfontein Anglo Boer War Cemetery.
The remainder of this tour day is about smooth and easy riding, and we head northeast and through the eastern part of the Karoo, passing numerous quaint little towns, hot thermal springs, and mile after mile of natural unspoilt beauty.
Day 7 takes the tour along some lovely scenic roads as we descend and then reascend the mountain escarpments around the Drakensberg Mountains as we ride through rural Xhosa villages.
The tour group has quite a few route options depending on how much we’d like to explore the great riding roads in the area, which we discuss the previous evening.
However, we use the time in this beautiful area well, and we spend the next two nights on a tranquil guest farm at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains.
Day 8 is formally a rest day from the bike, although we do provide tour participants with an option to visit the spectacular Sani Pass on a 4x4 tour (additional cost at time of decision).
During this tour (if chosen), participants can take lunch in the highest pub in South Africa and enjoy spectacular views into the island country of Lesotho and the lowlands to the east.
Day 9 takes the tour toward Clarens, a picturesque little town nestled in the mountains bordering Lesotho.
Riding through small hilltop villages and through numerous valleys, we skirt past the Midmar Dam on our left as we head north again.
The ever-present Drakensberg mountains - otherwise known as the Dragon Mountains, remain on our left and will mark our route for the entirety of the day.
We will ultimately head towards the Sterkfontein Dam, vastly impressive with its huge body of water, and with high mountains to our left and rolling hills and valleys to our right, we enter the Golden Gate National Park for a great stop to potentially see some wildlife.
During the afternoon we arrive into the town of Clarens, famous for having a great brewery and gin distillery, which we're sure that you might be tempted to try.
Day 10 and the tour leaves Clarens and to Titanic Rock, which sticks out like its namesake.
Bethlehem is our destination town, famous for being the wheat and sunflower capital of the Orange Free State.
With huge wide open spaces, we ride on great roads and enjoy the time to admire the farmlands and small villages that we continue to pass through.
We cross the provincial border 3 times through the day as the roads twist and wind us to our final days destination of Piet Retief in Mpumalanga.
Day 11 takes us through spectacular scenery as we ride through climbing mountains and numerous pine plantations.
After descending into the lowlands along a winding pass with spectacular views towards the Kruger Park, we take lunch in the historic gold-mining town of Barberton which will be our base for the next 3 nights.
Day 12 sees that we swap the motorcycles for a Land Cruiser as we enjoy a guided safari into the Kruger National Park, and we offer the option of a half (included) and full-day (extra on request) experience of the largest game reserve in Southern Africa.
You can absolutely expect to see at least some if not all of the Big 5 game animals, along with a rich variety of birdlife, antelope and other animals.
Day 13 and we depart the Kruger National Park area and take one of the most scenic routes in South Africa.
We’ll leave our bags at the base and we'll take a loop up the escarpment to stunning view points over the lowlands at God’s Window, and the Three Rondawels.
The riding here is just the way to finish off our tour, and is amazing and a great deal of fun, encompassing twisting tarmac roads with some magnificent mountain and forest scenery.
We’ll finally lunch in the another historic gold-mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest and enjoy a final dramatic ride over the mountains on Robber’s Pass.
Day 14 brings a sad farewell to new friends and the greatest of time that we've shared together.
Transfers are provided to Mbombela airport, and with a shake of hands and hugs, we bid farewell until the next tour.