Luxury Southern African Travel

Nuwe Kloof Pass

After three days in the Baviaanskloof Wilderness area, we bid a sad farewell to an extremely beautiful region. Same time as I say this, some of the hardest riding that I do look forward to tackling again even if just to enjoy the beauty and hopefully be accident free.

The track was plain and easy with a consistant climb out of the valley. We managed to maintain a good and made easy pickings of the day’s trip. Our day ended in Willowmore, a sleepy little town that seems to have been forgotten about with time. There were public announcements made on a loud speaker carried on a fire dept vehicle that the municipal electricity was to be cut for an hour. This proved to be a comedy of error. Our accommodation was The Willow Historical Guest House.

Ascent Today	Traveled Today
Ascent: 496m	Time Traveled: 3hrs12min
Overall Trail
	Legend:      Yellow is today’s route Black is the overall route
Distance Traveled: 49km

Tags: Mountain Bike Trips by Admin
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Mountain Pass

I’m back on the road and bouncing like a rabbit to get going. I feel good and ready. Day three was hard not being on the road but after watching Jaco climb out the two passes; I don’t feel so bad anymore.

After a little bit of research and  avery keen host, we decided to depart a little later than usual, 09h00. After breakfast we got started and said farewell to meow-meow – a very affectionate cat that ate everything we ate. The Baviaanskloof is full of affectionate cats.

With ideal conditions we set about making quick sticks of the 39km ahead. At the halfway mark there’s a nice place known as The Sandwich Bar, which came in highly recommended. Unfortunately for us it was closed.

In no time we reached Makkedaat Grot. After a little confusion we discovered that Makkedaat Grot is in fact five caves in which you can stay. Thus far the accommodations have been simple but very nice with breakfast and dinners all being top notch.

For the better part Jaco and I are doing and feeling well if you don’t count the fact that we need to find soft items to sit on.

Ascent Today	Traveled Today
Ascent: 424m	Time Traveled: 2hrs47min
Overall Trail
	Legend       Yellow is today’s routeBlack is the overall route
Distance Traveled: 39km

Tags: Mountain Bike Trips by Admin
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One of two steep passes

It was decided that I would take a rest day to allow my injuries to heal and leave Jaco to do day three, “Man alone”. Jaco got a short head start on the support vehicle. It wasn’t long into the trip and the day started with a climb imagined in some freakish Hollywood adventure movie, approx 500m in the first 13km.

Just being in the vehicle made me feel tired. We headed down thinking a valley would sort things out. Sadly to no avail, just another serious climb. Gradually things eased off. After the two initial downhills the rest was all gradual uphill until Damsedrif.

Whilest Jaco was grinding away at the steep climbs, I got to take in the beauty of the Baviaanskloof. It’s beautiful and the wildlife is spectacular. If one is to follow our route, a 4×4 would be required. I will certainly return to this region again. You can’t go wrong with friendly folks and true beauty all around.

Ascent Today	Traveled Today
Ascent: 1357m	Time Traveled: 5hrs28min
Overall Trail
	Legend   Yellow is today’s routeBlack is the overall route
Distance Traveled: 77.7km

Tags: Mountain Bike Trips by Admin
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We do apologise for the delays in the posts. We are at the mercy of internet availability and are doing our best to keep things as up to date as possible.

After having great winds blowing from behind on Day 1, we are now ready to tackle our second day on the road.

Our day started with a climb to the top of the valley and then some ups and downs as we passed through Mount Ingwe. After passing through a few farm gates we arrived at the entrance of the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve and the start of the Osseberg jeep track. This is quite a daunting track, both very steep and very technical.

We set about the process of making our way down to the Groot River. The scenery was breathtaking to the point of distraction costing me yet another accident just before the Groot River. This would cause me to skip day three.

The valley ride was spectacular and hard. With about eleven river crossings our speed was greatly reduced providing for opportunity to take in the wilderness. After navigating the river crossings we were set for the gate - 3m high and locked - and a short exit from the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve. With day one and almost all off day two behind the back, I started experiencing some serious pain in the butt; this now added to the injuries from the accident. Finally we made it to Die Skoolhuis where we stayed for the night.

Ascent Today	Traveled Today
Ascent: 1119m	Time Traveled: 4hrs45min
Overall Trail
	Legend  Yellow is today’s route Black is the overall route
Distance Traveled: 47.8km

Tags: Mountain Bike Trips by Admin
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After breakfast at Beachview Country Guest House we set off to start our journey from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. I opted for the shorter route starting at a further weigh point (WP2) and Jaco departing from Beachview. In hindsight, this was a good choice for me. Jaco’s climb to WP2 was approx 200m. From WP2 we rode together towards the Baviaanskloof Wilderness. Our greatest concerns were the weather and it put us to the test. The steepest downhill required us to peddle hard. Despite this we attained speeds of up to 57km.

I was not to make the full journey today as my preparations were way inadequate. I completed 49km of the 82km for day one with a few pains in the butt and one small accident. I seem to be prone to accidents. I’d advise that if you are going to do this trail, you do more than what I did to prepare.

We ended our day staying at Middlewater Guest House on a farm called Mount Ingwe (www.mountingwe.co.za) which operates an eco-tourism business quad bikes, 4×4 trails, hiking and accommodation. This is the home of Ben (seen in the picture above), a lively and fun dog.

Ascent Today	Traveled Today
Ascent: 1590m	Time Traveled: 6hrs38min
Overall Trail
	Legend Yellow is today’s routeBlack is the overall route
Distance Traveled: 82.8km

Tags: Mountain Bike Trips by Admin
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