South Africa · Garden Route High and Coast

A 634 km loop from Outeniqua Pass

Open this ride in the planner →

Why this ride

Forest, passes and sea towns stitched into a touring week. A one-way ride of 634 km, George to George - roughly 12 h 12 in the saddle. On the way it passes Wilderness beach, Knysna lagoon, Tsitsikamma forest and back through Knysna lagoon. It is a high-mountain day.

Roadbook

1. Outeniqua Pass start

   The Outeniqua Pass is the quick way from the coast to the Karoo, and a motorcyclist's first lesson that South Africa's mountains come in a hurry. On the coast, George sits among green hills with the Indian Ocean on the horizon. Twenty minutes inland, the N12 climbs the face of the Outeniqua range in a series of well-engineered bends, crests at roughly eight hundred metres, and drops into the dry, rocky country of the Little Karoo toward Oudtshoorn. The pass was opened in the early 1950s, replacing the older Montagu Pass, which still exists as a gravel road a short distance away.

   The riding is a joy. The surface is smooth, the bends are broad and well banked, and the views, back to the sea or forward over the brown folds of the interior, are wide. In the morning the coastal side is often wrapped in mist, while the northern slopes are bright and dry. The climate changes with the altitude: the coast is humid and mild, and the top of the pass can be cool and windy. Look out for heavy trucks crawling uphill, and for baboons near the roadside, which are best left alone. Rain turns the surface slick, and fog on the upper slopes reduces visibility without warning.

   The mountains are a wall for weather as well as for traffic. The Outeniquas catch the moisture off the sea, so the coastal side supports forests of yellowwood and stinkwood, while the northern side, in the rain shadow, is semi-desert with aloes and succulents. This is the border between the Garden Route and the Karoo, and crossing it in a few minutes is a real pleasure. The old Montagu Pass, built in the 1840s by the engineer Henry Fancourt White, is worth a detour for those with a bike that suits gravel, a fine example of Victorian road building with dry-stone walls and a gentle gradient.

   George, just six kilometres away, is the place for fuel, a decent lunch and supplies. It is the largest town on this part of the coast, with petrol stations on its main roads, and in South Africa an attendant will fill the tank for you. On the way up, there is a viewpoint with space to stop and look. Once over the top, Oudtshoorn, the ostrich-farming capital, is about sixty kilometres on, with the Cango Caves nearby, and a cold drink is welcome after the climb.

2. Wilderness beach swim

   Wilderness beach is a wide, pale curve of sand that runs east from the mouth of the Touw River toward Sedgefield, backed by dunes, lakes and wooded hills, and on a calm morning it is among the loveliest places on the Garden Route. The Indian Ocean rolls in with long, slow breakers, and the horizon is clean and blue, with the dark green flank of the Outeniqua mountains behind. The beach stretches for many kilometres, so you can walk for as long as you like and meet nobody but a few dog walkers and the odd fisherman casting a line from the shore.

   It is also a place to take care. The surf here can be powerful, and rip currents are common along this coast, so swim only where lifeguards are on duty, in the busy summer season from about December to January, and stay in sight of the flags. At other times, the water is cold and the surf unpredictable. Walking along the beach is safer, and low tide reveals shells, rock pools and the long, curved lines of the dunes. The lagoon at the Touw river mouth is calmer and good for paddling, though the water can be brackish and tea-coloured from the forest.

   The wildlife is a main attraction. Between July and November, southern right whales come into the bays here to calve, and you can often see them from the dunes, with their broad backs breaking the surface and their huge tails slapping the water. Dolphins patrol the surf line throughout the year, and in the lakes behind the beach, kingfishers, herons and fish eagles hunt in the reeds. The coastal forest and fynbos behind the dunes are full of birds and sunbirds, with the scent of wild sage and sea air.

   Riding to the beach is easy, along the N2 and the quiet road down to the sand, with only a small stretch of loose sand at the parking area, so be careful with a heavy bike. The weather changes quickly, with morning mist often burning away to hot sunshine, and sudden showers are normal. The best months are February to April, when the sea is warm and the crowds have gone. George, about eleven kilometres away, has fuel, supermarkets and every service, while the village has a few cafes and a small shop, so bring water and sun protection.

3. Knysna lagoon food

   Knysna sits on the edge of a lagoon, a broad, sheltered stretch of water that almost seems like a lake until you notice the tide running in and out through a narrow gap in the sandstone cliffs. These are the Knysna Heads, two great cliffs that guard the entrance, and the passage between them is one of the most dangerous harbour mouths in South Africa, with many ships lost over the years. A viewpoint on the eastern Head offers a spectacular look at the channel and the surf breaking on the rocks. The lagoon itself is a protected estuary, home to the rare Knysna seahorse, found nowhere else, and a variety of fish and birds.

   The town has a long and colourful history. It was founded in the early nineteenth century by George Rex, a settler of mysterious origins whom local legend claimed to be the illegitimate son of King George III, and who built up a timber and shipbuilding business here. Timber from the surrounding forests, yellowwood and stinkwood, built the town's wealth, and the great Knysna forest still stands in the hills behind, a remnant of the ancient forest with a handful of shy elephants, the last in the region. The Knysna loerie, a bright green forest bird, flashes crimson wings among the trees.

   The waterfront is lively, with restaurants, boat tours and craft shops, and the town is known for oysters, grown in the lagoon and celebrated in the Knysna Oyster Festival each July. Eat them fresh with lemon, with a glass of local white wine. A few kilometres outside town, the Featherbed nature reserve on the western Head can be reached by a ferry across the lagoon and offers walks and views.

   For riders, the N2 here is a spectacular road, running along the coast and across the lagoon on a causeway and bridge, with the forest-covered hills on one side and the sea on the other. The surface is excellent, the curves long and sweeping, but traffic can be heavy, particularly in the holiday season from December to January, with trucks, buses and tourists. Rain falls throughout the year, so be ready for showers and wet roads. Knysna is a town of nearly seventy thousand people, with fuel, supermarkets, motorcycle shops and a wide range of accommodation. Plettenberg Bay, thirty kilometres east, is the next larger stop along the coast.

4. Tsitsikamma forest turn

   The Tsitsikamma coast is one of the few places in South Africa where the forest comes down to the sea. The name is thought to come from the Khoi for a place of much water, and the description fits, with rivers cutting deep gorges through the mountains and dropping into the Indian Ocean through rocky mouths. Between the sea and the Tsitsikamma mountains grows an old, damp forest of yellowwood, stinkwood and ironwood, draped in lichen and ferns, which forms part of the Garden Route National Park. Some of the trees here are hundreds of years old, and the biggest yellowwoods are said to be well over six hundred years.

   The forest is full of life, though much of it hides. Knysna turacos, with their crimson wings, call from the canopy, and bushbuck move through the undergrowth. Samango monkeys live in the trees, and the rivers are stained the color of tea by tannins from the vegetation. At Storms River Mouth, a suspension bridge crosses the gorge just above the sea, and the Otter Trail, a famous five-day walk, begins nearby. The smell of damp earth and salt is strong, and the sound of surf mixes with birdsong.

   The N2 crosses this landscape on high bridges, including the Bloukrans Bridge, where bungee jumpers throw themselves off the highest commercial bridge bungee in the world, about two hundred and sixteen meters above the river. The old road, the R102, winds through the forest at lower speed and gives a much more intimate feel, with tight bends, tunnels of trees and the chance to stop at small craft stalls and tea gardens. It is a good motorcycle road for a relaxed day, with moderate traffic and fine scenery.

   Weather matters. Rain can come in at any time of year, and the forest road is slippery when wet, with leaf litter and moss on the surface. Mist drifts in from the sea, and in winter the temperature can drop quickly. The best season is from late spring to autumn, though holiday periods bring crowds.

   Fuel is sparse inside the forest. Stations are available in Storms River village and in Plettenberg Bay and Humansdorp, but they are not frequent, so keep the tank topped up. There are good places for coffee, cake and breakfast along the route, and the old forest, with its green light, is a calming place to stop.

5. back through Knysna lagoon stop

   back through Knysna lagoon sits at 423 km, about halfway.

6. back through Wilderness beach stop

   back through Wilderness beach comes up 528 km in.

7. Outeniqua Pass finish

   Outeniqua Pass closes the day.

Where this sits

Rides near here