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Destination: Lesotho, South Africa
Duration: 14 Day(s)
Group Size: 8
Pillion Friendly: Mostly – see 'Terrain.' Support vehicle can offer breaks
Terrain: Mostly fantastic tar. Moderately difficult dirt at top of Sani Pass and one very bumpy dirt road
Support: Tour leader / First-Aider / Support Vehicle
Distance: 2800
Our journey to the ‘Roof of Africa’ commences in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, before heading inland and upwards toward the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. As a participant, you’ll fly to Port Elizabeth, to be met by Blazing Trails staff and transferred to your accommodation, where you will enjoy a traditional ‘Braai’ – a meal cooked over an open fire. There will be some paperwork to complete and we will give you a briefing on the trip ahead.
There will be a maximum of nine bikes available and the machines used will be Suzuki DL650 V-Stroms, or BMW F700 and 800GS models. The riding on this tour is mainly on tarmac, but has some fine dirt riding mixed in, including the legendary (though not so tough as folk make out) Sani Pass.
Lesotho, a safe and friendly country, feels like a land that time did indeed forget. In the highlands, pony-riding Basotho tribesmen outnumber motorised vehicles by some considerable degree and young boys herd their goats among traditonal African ‘beehive’ villages. Vast lakes and spectacular mountain vistas are our daily companions as the tour makes its way between some surprisingly plush overnight destinations in outstanding locations.
During this tour there is the opportunity to ponytrek in the mountains, visit Southern Africa’s highest single-drop waterfall, or relax on a trout stream. When riding there will be a lead rider and a sweeper vehicle travelling at the rear with luggage. If you want to add a safari at the start or end of this trip, then we have this as an optional extra that can be selected when booking.
The 'START DATE' (Day 1) date is the date of arrival at your destination airport. The 'END DATE' is the date on which you fly home.
Please make sure that on booking you select a tour date and bike.
A Wildlife Extra can be selected during the booking process.
Fly to JHB or Cape Town International Airports, to arrive the following morning and meet your internal flight to Port Elizabeth in the Western Cape.
From Port Elizabeth a short road transfer will take you to Blazing HQ in Addo, where you will join us for a briefing and a barbeque at Blazing Base.
Time to explore the rolling hills and swooping passes of the Eastern Cape, skirting many game parks and nature reserves with the opportunity to spot game long the way. The road alongside the Great Fish River Nature Reserve is a particular highlight. To end the ride we climb steeply into the deeply forested Amathole Mountains to reach cool and scenic Hogsback where we spend the night.
We travel north into the scenic Drakensburg Mountains. High above us on the towering escarpment we get our first glimpses of Lesotho. Taking a small diversion on to the dirt we find our comfortable night’s accommodation and home-cooked meal on a remote farmstead in the hills.
Having returned to the tar, there’s more super-swooping tamac that carries us into the impressive hills and mountains of Zulu Land. The views build and build as the high (3000m) mountains come into view. We spend the night at a smart guest house in Underberg, where we will cook up a meal over the fire.
Today we take on the Sani Pass, one of this trip’s many highlights. The pass climbs 1332 vertical metres, from 1544m above sea level to 2876m. The ride can be tricky due to the gravel hairpins, but is not beyond the reach of the average rider, though pillions may opt to ride in the 4X4 support vehicle (two-wheel-drive vehicles are not permitted to climb the pass). In places the climb to Lesotho is 1:3 and the views back down to South Africa stunning. There is ongoing work to tar this classic dirt road, so come and ride it in its full glory while you can! A celebratory drink in Africa’s highest pub is a must, before bedding down in a comfortable guest house.
Through the Maloti Mountians snakes our route, passing Thaban Ntlenyana, which at 3482m is the highest point in Africa south of Kilamanjaro. Bend-after-bend-after-bend, the theme is set for our Lesotho riding… and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we plunge from the highlands on a ribbon of masterfully engineered road to the northern plateau. Soon we are again riding into the mountains and to the small village of Lejone, on the shores of Katse reservoir. The ride to Lejone is glorious, almost obscene in its excellence, featuring a 100km stretch that is so bendy it’s dizzying.
Good morning, breakfast and off. Some brief tarmac bliss and then we’re on a 60km section of dirt. The gravel winds along hillsides and through charming villages, with views into deep, river-carved valleys. A sealed road magically appears and again, the ride is fabulous. Again, when we leave the high country, having crossed many high passes (including the ‘God Help Me Pass’), we descend to the plateau in the most brain-frying fashion. A minor dirt pass takes us to Malealea, where the night is spent in spacious, ensuite rondavell huts, entertainment courtesy of local band and choir.
After dazzling days of intense riding, it’s about time for a break. For those not content to simply chill out and rest the posterior, walks (guided or not) to view ancient cave art and horse treks can be arranged.
Another morning of mixed-surface riding takes us to the smoothly-tarred A5 road and yet more mountain magic. Passes, meandering river valleys and jagged mountain peaks again keep things interesting as riding bliss becomes business as usual. We stop for the night at Ramabanta, another outstanding mountain location.
Smooth twists, turns and corners aplenty. Down the hill a dirt detour will take us to a spectacular cliff-top view at the Maletsunyane Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in Southern Africa. Lunch is had at Semonkong, the ‘Place of Smoke’, in a beautiful river valley. Onwards, the road rolls its way on tar designed by Valentino Rossi, in conjunction with Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Lemmy. Through and over the rocks of the Southern Highlands with big views and big, giddy grins, it gets a bit too blissful to comprehend as we take our last long ride in Lesotho. We end at a lodge near the small town of Mount Morosi, where good local guides can provide battlefield tours. Perhaps one last Maluti beer for the exquisite Lesotho road….
Today we cross back into South Africa, but the experience does not stop here. Oh no. Having crossed the border, we will weave through the quiet and scenic back roads of the Southern Drakensberg. It’s twisites at first, but as we enter the edge of the Great Karoo the roads straighten out, with timely mountain passes to offer some jinks. We are riding through an ancient and beautiful landscape of desert and mountains. A stunning gravel track carries us to our overnight stop in the charming wee village of Nieu Bathesda for an excellent meal in a charming guest house.
There’s more cruising through big desert scenery as we head south on the highway, passing lonesome farms and small agri-towns. The day's end will look familiar, as we’re back at Blazing HQ, Addo, where we will end the tour with with slap-up last-night feasting.
If not indulging in one of our wildlife add-ons, you will be driven to Port Elizabeth and fly to JHB to meet your overnight flight home. Flight timings permitting you may be able to take a morning game drive in Addo National park. On your return, try as you may, you will not be able to explain quite how fabulous a ride you’ve enjoyed, or the unspoiled motorcycling paradise you have experienced.
We are now offering a phenomenal wildlife experience as a ‘bolt-on’ option. This includes a safari drive in Addo Elephant National Park and the opportunity to radio-track cheetah in Mountain Zebra National Park. Two additional night’s accommodation is included, as is all transport and guiding. Click the link AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE for more info and add the tour extra on the bookings page.
The tours can be booked online, by email, or over the phone on: +44 (0) 7494 050404. To secure a place you will be asked to put down a deposit of £500 and payment can be made by card, cheque, or bank transfer.
Yes. We enjoy hosting riders from all countries.
Flights are not included in the price of your tour, but we can provide details of where to book an appropriate flight.
For many nationalities, a tourist visa is issued free of charge at your port of entry. It is, however, your responsibility to check current regulations.
You will need a valid certificate of travel insurance.
We own and manage our own fleet of bikes.
If you damage the bike, you will be charged for the damage up to the amount of your excess. On all our bikes, the excess is £1000, so in the event of a mishap you will not be charged more than this amount. If the damage is less than this amount, then you will only be charged for that damage.
If you have damaged the bike near to this total, we may ask you to place a further deposit before continuing.
Yes, you need travel insurance to cover you for the period of the tour. This insurance must cover you to ride the bike you have booked.
We would advise that you change some money on arrival at the airport. ATMs are widespread and an efficient way to get hold of cash. Credit and debit cards are accepted nearly everywhere.
About 300-£400 should cover food, drink, petrol and sundries.
Yes, unless you pay a supplement. Even then, single rooms may not be available at some stops as the hotels we use are popular, or in some cases small, and we have to book our accommodation some time in advance.
It varies widely (and tour-to-tour), but is always clean and the best we can find in the area for a reasonable price in a suitable setting. We are always in clean, comfortable hotels and guesthouses.
Yes, but you may need a travel plug adaptor.
We would recommend only booking a tour with us if you have a licence to ride your tour bike (compulsory) and have at least a year’s recent riding experience. The main criterion, however, is confidence.
Riding anywhere carries with it a degree of risk, as does riding in South Africa. However, with light traffic and good roads, we would suggest that riding in South Africa is no more dangerous than a tour in Europe. For more information on the riding side of things see ‘Riding’ in the ‘About South Africa’ section of this site. If any rider joining us rides in a manner we suspect will endanger themselves, or others, or indeed displays antisocial behaviour, they will receive one warning. If they continue to display a threat to the safety or enjoyment of others on the tour, they will be excluded from the remainder (with no refund given, see terms and conditions).
We will be riding ‘progressively’, at or around the speed limit and according to conditions. Most South African roads outside built-up areas have a 75mph speed limit – fast enough on the twisties. There are fixed cameras and mobile speed traps in towns…
No, you can’t ride independently of the tour group, sorry.
No fitter than you would have to be to tour Europe.
You are limited by most airlines, so check with the carrier. However, we suggest you pack as lightly and in as compact a form as possible. Bring only soft luggage to be carried on a support truck.
Keep it minimal. One set of riding kit for the tour and a few sets of clothes for the evening. There are usually laundry facilities at two-night stops – check your chosen itinerary. Leave some space for shopping you do in SA.
While South Africa has had some pretty bad press in recent years for violent crime, very little of this nature happens in the tourist areas through which we will be travelling. And, as ever, the media tends to sensationalise the bad and ignore the good. Being guided through the ‘right’ areas in a group greatly mitigates the chances of encountering unpleasantness. Petty crime – pick-pocketing and theft – happens, as it does in virtually all tourist destinations with a wide gulf between rich and poor. A few simple precautions, like keeping your wallet/docs in an inside pocket and leaving nothing unattended on the bike, should mean a trouble-free tour. You will be briefed on sensible measures prior to setting off.
If you’re wet, yes. They are provided throughout the tour.
Only some meals (check your tour for details). We prefer that where there are choices you make your own on what and where we eat. You will find South African food of a very high standard and good value.
It seems not, as we can no longer offer this experience…
They are, but not every night. Check the itinerary of your tour – you will be able to get clothes cleaned at two-night stops, so consider this when packing.
Yes. If your riding kit isn’t waterproof, then bring some light waterproofs.
Maybe, maybe not, but if you take part in a safari at Kruger, St Lucia, or Addo Elephant Reserve you will certainly see some interesting wildlife and landscapes.
Not really. There may be a few around, but you won’t be plagued. Bring some repellent. South Africa is pretty much malaria-free, but for advice on anti-malarials, please consult your doctor (take the itinerary with you).
You can’t paddle a wildebeest.
Depends on whether there are any great whites around. We would advise you to ask locally – and then go and get a beer instead.
Consult your GP/travel clinic for immunisation and malaria advice. Bring enough of any prescribed medication you take regularly. A basic first aid kit is useful (plasters, antiseptic cream, bite/sting relief, plus insect repellent).
Gel or air pads add comfort on long days in the saddle, but are not necessary.
Yes, but you’re going to South Africa.
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