This adventure bike tour is mapped to take in some of the greatest and little-known big gravel passes KwaZulu Natal has to offer. The tour is mostly staged in very remote backcountry and mostly on exceptionally good gravel with little to no motor vehicle traffic. Amidst the great gravel passes and long carving gravel roads, there is some thrilling as well as challenging single-track riding. The northern rim of the middle Tugela Valley is the home of the greatest vistas in KwaZulu Natal.

Price from R11490 includes:

- SA Dept. of Tourism Registered Guide
- Public liability insurance
- Bike insurance for claims >ZAR 10'000
- Dinner, Bed, and Breakfast
- Fuel with hire bikes
- Booking & Administration Fees

Itinerary:

Day 1
Departing from Durban and staying briefly on the motorway, in order to quickly reach the gravel, then through scenic midlands agricultural country and up over the Karkloof Range. This is all on non-technical and good gravel, as an ideal warm-up for some challenges ahead. The day culminates in an exciting technical climb up over ‘Little Sani’ and the final 5kms descent into camp. This is a delightfully technical trail with diverse surfaces and even with a giraffe or two to be seen if you are lucky.

Day 2
This is the big day, starting immediately with the climb out of Zingela, then joining some easy riding big gravel roads to Colenso, where you cross a vintage steel girder bridge over the Tugela River, through some farmlands and then along a stunning single track and then interacting with the Dbn/Jhb main rail line for many km.

Whilst not an intended Battlefields historical ride, it passes a few battle sites and monuments and one cannot help but be moved by the magnitude of the Anglo/Boer War battles. Pause for a brief look at some of the history. Then some exciting riding ‘freestyle’ using cattle tracks to the wet crossing of the Klip River. This is not a big deal, being just deep enough to wet the boots, but a little daunting from point of view of the river’s width. Within a kilometre downstream of the crossing is a short walk amongst the aloes, to the awe-inspiring sight of the Klip Falls.

An adventure biking outing would not be complete without a visit to a dinkum African trading store and the treasures which lie within. The balance of the afternoon is spent riding the most beautiful big country passes and back into camp via the same Little Sani.

Day 3
The ride home takes in the beautiful Middelrus territory, with its aloes, enormous space, sparsely vegetated paperbark trees, making this a beautifully scenic ride and all on gravel which is as good as a tar road. Then up and over/through the Karkloof to reach the John Goodman Household memorial of flight. A brief stop at the local country club and finally on to the home base.

Accommodation:

The accommodation selections are specifically selected as being biker-friendly in order to augment your adventure experience. The chosen accommodation for this tour, for both nights is Zingela, a rustic but comfortable river camp situated on the banks of the Tugela River. This is a very special place indeed, utterly unique and run by the most amiable family, the Calverlys, who have owned and operated camps through KwaZulu Natal for over 30 years.

The cuisine is scrumptious and hearty, usually accompanied by great fireside tales by the owners. The setting is unrivaled and the ambiance is more restful than you can imagine, perfect for winding down and relaxing after a challenging day of adventure riding.