For several years, I’ve had the privilege of riding through some of the most beautiful roads of North America and Europe on a motorcycle. But I had never envisioned pursuing my passion as far as South Africa. This new destination totally captivated me with its rich wildlife, flora, and diverse landscapes! Sure, the travel time to get there is particularly long: a flight of over 18 hours! It’s almost located at the other end of the world, in the southern hemisphere, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.
South Africa turned out to be a place with great surprises and several magical moments… Let me pour a cup of red rooibos tea (a local specialty bought at Cape Town airport) and I’ll tell you…
For this motorcycle adventure, we are 10 riders (including the guide and myself), along with a support vehicle and a small filming crew who will produce a promotional video for Road2Luxe. It’s worth noting that I’m not the guide for this group; I’m here as an observer in order to lead this same tour as a professional guide in 2025. I know most of the participants as they have travelled with me in the past.
So, it’s on an Air France plane that we take off for a “Montréal-Paris-Cape Town” flight…
Upon our arrival in Cape Town in the evening, helmets in hand, the shuttle awaits us at the airport to take us to our downtown hotel. We are all pretty tired but light-hearted and so happy to finally reach our destination. First on-site observation: vehicles drive on the left side here! This “small” detail had been on my mind before departure, and I am now looking at this aspect of our trip with a bit of apprehension…
But for now, it’s time to go to bed and a good rest because tomorrow we’ll be picking up our motorcycles from the rental shop early in the morning. Most participants opted for dual-purpose machines; essentially BMW 1250 GS and 750 GS bikes. A Harley Davidson Electra Glide will also be part of the group for this great adventure.
With the rental formalities completed, it’s time to go! We begin our journey riding out of the city, towards the coast. While getting accustomed to driving on the left (following a guide makes things a bit easier at the beginning!), the panorama unfolds before our eyes as we ride. We pass through the Tokai Forest Reserve along the Atlantic Ocean and take a moment to pause and enjoy the moment. The weather is beautiful, it’s warm, smiles abound, and it’s absolutely stunning!
Continuing along this fine road, we stop at Boulders Beach to admire and observe a colony of penguins. Yes, indeed, you can find penguins in South Africa! A colony of 1000 breeding pairs of Cape penguins nests on this beach. Unlike their distant cousins, the auks, they cannot fly and they are in great danger of extinction. These tuxedo-wearing birds are just too adorable! I bid them farewell, and we then have lunch by the ocean together: a dream come true!
We continue our journey on a perfectly paved road, like a black ribbon unfolding beneath our tires. There are road signs indicating the possible presence of leopards, and a few curious baboons watch us pass by, reminding us that we are in another world! Here, of course, all the road signs are on the left side: we must be careful not to miss the Stop signs!
The sky is blue and cloudless. The road goes through tunnels carved into the mountains, skirts steep cliffs, and breathtaking views enhance the scenery. We stop in Franschhoek for the night. South African cuisine exceeds my expectations! The food is really excellent, and the prices are reasonable, I would even say more than reasonable when considering the quality-price ratio.
The next morning, strangely enough, the landscape begins to resemble the American West… It’s no wonder South Africa is called “The Rainbow Nation” because the landscapes vary greatly from one end of the country to the other. It feels like we’re circling the globe in just a few days, much like in the United States where from east to west, you find mountains, deserts, unique topography, plains, forests, and oceans!
We cross the Bainskloof Pass and take a break at the summit to admire the landscape. We seek shade, with smiles on our faces. A few dozen kilometres further, it’s time for lunch. Later, we reach a stretch of road heavily covered in sand, requiring caution. Strong winds have blown sand from the surrounding dunes onto the pavement. Continuing, we see a few free-roaming cows, houses featuring Dutch colonial architecture (thatched roofs, white adobe siding, ornate gables), and then arrive in Swellendam where we will spend the night. But first, it’s time to relax by the pool with some drinks: it’s aperitif time!
In the morning, the daylight shines in an exceptional way on the surrounding mountains. We hop on our motorcycles and head east, with the sun directly ahead. One of the participants actually ended up with a sunburned nose… You don’t mess around with sun protection here!
After traversing a nice winding canyon, we reach the pretty straight, but absolutely picturesque road R62. Very popular among motorcyclists, it offers a grandiose panorama that’s a pure delight! This road will take us to the legendary Ronnies Sex Shop… This is a quirky and eclectic place, a bar in the middle of nowhere, with “international” t-shirts and bras decorating the premises. Refreshments and restrooms are available.
In the distance, we see a forest fire on the mountain. Up ahead, our guide Alexis seems worried. When we stop further down the road, he tells me that the hotel where we’re supposed to stay tonight is located in the same area as the fire… We later realized that the fire was further away, and it was contained by the end of the day.
What a better way to end a hot day than in cool, damp caves! We reach the Cango Caves to explore this historic network, including large mineral formations. Since there was a large group of French tourists there, I improvised as an interpreter for the tour. It’s worth noting that in South Africa, Afrikaans and English are mainly spoken, along with several African dialects. We opt for the “easy” tour (for those interested, an expert circuit is also offered, with tight passages, possible water accumulations, ladders, etc…!)
Here, people walk a lot: it’s a slow means of transportation, but economical. We actually saw very few bicycles. A widely used means of transportation is hitchhiking and paying a few rands. What impressed me the most was the quantity of Toyota minibus taxis; we literally crossed hundreds of them. Some 19,000,000 South Africans use them daily. With a capacity of about fifteen people, it’s not uncommon for that limit to be exceeded.
Tonight, we sleep on the site of an ostrich breeding farm. Those interested visit the different areas (hatching, maternity, etc.). It’s beautiful and very interesting!
The next day, we ride our bikes through the Karoo desert, a long day that leads us to the impressive Valley of Desolation. What a wonderful sight with rocky walls sculpted by nature and breathtaking views! We reach the panoramic viewpoint on a small, narrow, winding path that’s particularly enjoyable on a motorcycle! We take several photos of this magical place as a souvenir of our visit. What a fine way to crown the day! We settle in Graaff-Reinet for the night, where an exceptional dinner awaits us.
The next day, a little detour allows us to discover Nieu-Bethestda, a charming village typical of South Africa. We take the time to wander around and immerse ourselves in South African culture.
We then arrive in the Eastern Cape and head to Cradock for some good pizza. Afterward, we ride towards Queenstown for the night. Along the way, we encountered several baboons, antelopes, gazelles, an African squirrel, a large tortoise, and Impalas!
Oh, and concerning driving on the left side, after all, it isn’t that bad! It’s all about being cautious!
In the next issue, we’re heading to Lesotho!
