14 days Cycling & Hiking through Cape Town, Cederberg and the Winelands
14 days Cycling & Hiking through Cape Town, Cederberg and the Winelands
OVERVIEW
14 days Cycling & Hiking through Cape Town, Cederberg and the Winelands
This trip has a slow pace at night but is certainly active during the day!
We have designed the perfect trip to combine biking or hiking, with the thrilling vibes of the Mother City and the award-winning food and wine of Stellenbosch.
Not many know that the Western Cape in South Africa is a mountain bike heaven, not to mention a delight on foot. We have scoured the best cycling and hiking routes through the mountain range of the Cederberg and Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, we found the best natural crystal-clear mountain pools for you to dip into and the most beautiful accommodations that give you a real sense of tranquillity and relaxation after an active day out.
Price from EUR 1100 per person - ZAR 19.500 per person
HIGHLIGHTS
Trip highlights
- Discover Cape Town on a bike
- Magnificent Table Mountain
- Bokaap cooking class and tour
- Goedverwacht Homestay
- Adventurous Cederberg
- Whale watching
- Fantastic food and wine tastings
- Mountain biking
INCLUSIONS
What’s included
- 14 nights accommodation
- 11 bed & breakfasts & 2 dinner
- Car hire
- Personal welcome Meet & Greet
- Guided bicycle tour of Cape Town
- Cape Malay class & Bo-Kaap tour
- Table Mountain aerial cableway
- Guided Stellenbosch vineyard walk
INCLUSIONS
Carbon footprint
256 kg CO2 e
Day 1
On arrival at the airport in Cape Town, one of our team members will meet you, answer any questions you might have and assist with picking up your rental car. Too tired after a long flight, not to worry, we can come meet you tomorrow morning during breakfast. Your rental car can also be delivered if you prefer a lazy morning. Your bikes will be ready and waiting for you
Day 2 & 3
Embrace Cape Town’s urban heartbeat and experience the soul and creativity of the Mother City with our Discover Cape Town bike tour. A four-hour urban bike tour, that weaves you through a network of backroads to show off the city’s iconic street art and graffiti and tasting some of the local culture. Visit the historically significant District Six, the colourful Bo Kaap and cruise through the Company’s Garden, stopping at the National Gallery on route to round off your art tour.
Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, the Bo-Kaap’s origins date back to the 1760s when numerous “huurhuisjes” (rental houses) were built and leased to slaves. The people were known as Cape Malays, and were brought here from Malaysia, Indonesia and the rest of Africa to work in the Cape. A local lady will take you on a walking tour of the neighbourhood, taking you into one of the spice shops of the area. She will show you the huge selection of fragrant spices that the Malay people use in their traditional cuisine. After working up an appetite for all these delicious treats, you can join her in the kitchen as she demonstrates how she prepares some traditional dishes. You might be asked to give her a hand mixing spices or folding samosas. The visit ends with lunch, where you can enjoy the meal that has just been prepared.
No Cape Town visit is complete without a trip up our beloved Table Mountain. Of course, the best way to travel up is on foot, but you can also take the cable car to the top. The views are indescribable and the unique fynbos vegetation you will find up there, does not grow anywhere else on earth, except in the areas around Cape Town! Why not hang around on top, watch the glorious sunset show off all its beautiful colours, while the sun sets above the ocean. You might see some whales swim if you are lucky.
Day 4
On your way to Goedverwacht, there any many stops worth visiting while on your way.
Desert Rose Padstal, with homemade, fresh products and a selection of souvenirs, the Malmesbury Museum, the Wheat Industry Museum in Moorreesburg or Org de Rac wineries for organic wine & olive tasting.
After arrival in Goedverwacht around 13h00, you can follow the main road to the Goedverwacht Tourism Office, where you find a selection of brochures and information about what to see and do in the area. A friendly face will give you the directions to your homestay, where you can meet your host family and discover your surroundings. After a cup of tea or coffee, your host would like to take you along an informal village walk, to welcome you in the village they call home. Goedverwacht village is situated in a fertile and well-watered valley and is characterised by gardens full of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The church and parsonage were built by the villagers and are constructed of local stone. Tonight you can enjoy a home cooked meal and share stories with your host family before waking up refreshed and ready to go the next morning.
Day 5
There is lots to see in the area and many trails to discover. The Raaswater trail will show you the bushmen rock paintings. There are also two longer routes, the Peerboom trail to Piketberg 11km or the Klok se Poort trail of 15km. Animals that you might encounter include baboons, rock dassies, grysbuck, klipspringer and rhebuck.
For dinner you may have again a home cooked meal together with either your host family or take a drive to one of the restaurants in the surrounding villages.
Day 6 & 7 & 8
After saying goodbye this morning, your trip wanders on towards the Cederberg Mountains for a wonderful two-night wilderness camping experience. The Cederberg are much loved by nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. The rugged terrain of the mountain, crystal-clear natural pools and spectacular star-filled nights, make this the perfect destination. There is so much to do, you could go for a swim, have a picnic, hop on your bike (mountain bikes are available for rental at reception), go for a hike or go canoeing. Explore the inside of the many caves and dramatic rock formations, visit multiple ancient rock art sites and enjoy many viewpoints into Rietrivier Canyon.
Day 9 & 10
2000 hectares of spectacular mountain fynbos with streams, mountain dams, birdlife and various animals such as bucks, fallow deer, Nguni cows and even a very shy leopard, all for you to discover and enjoy! Pat Busch Mountain Reserve is also home to a rare Protea flower that was thought extinct for almost 50 years and is now under protection of Cape Nature. The glamping tents are tucked away in the Cape fynbos and look out over a folded green valley with the Langeberg as a gorgeous backdrop. Situated alongside the longest wine route in the world – the Route 62, there are many activities in and around the town of Robertson and the reserve. You could rent a mountain bike at the property and cycle through the surrounding valleys, hike through the reserve, have a picnic on the river boat cruise, play golf, have a massage at the spa, take a swim, take a boat onto the dam, or do absolutely nothing!
Day 11 & 12
A beautiful route meanders towards a small town called Hermanus. In whale season, this is the perfect spot to watch the whales play or relax, just there close to shore. It is magical to watch these giant creatures from so close by. You could be so lucky, to see one jump out of the water and show off their size and sheer strength, while you sit on the beach, watching the sun set.
When you wake up the next morning, refreshed after a good night’s sleep on the sound of the waves, there is a beautiful valley to explore on your bike. A 19th century missionary once described this valley as “so high are the hills which closely embrace the valley all round, that they seem to touch the sky and you cannot see anything but heaven and earth”. That is where the name ‘Hemel-en-Aarde Valley’ comes from and it is still as beautiful today, as it was described back then. The valley is a short distance from Hermanus with many treats for you in store.
Today you can follow the Onrus River up the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and sample some of her beauty. There are numerous mountain biking routes that require varying ability. A 7km, 30m ascent novice route / 12km, 188m novice to intermediate route and a 28km, 544m advanced route.
There are also many hiking trails, or you could go canoeing and fishing in the dam. Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has many great wines and restaurants, perfect to finish off an active day out in nature.
Day 13 & 14
Cycle amongst the historic vineyards of the Stellenbosch wine region and under sunny skies.
Stellenbosch, founded in 1679 and named after its founder Simon van der Stel, then Governor of the Cape, has a rich and diverse history. Stellenbosch is a heaven for keen mountain bikers, with many cycle paths completely off-road and giving you a real sense of the Cape countryside, laid back, warm and friendly. They often meander through the grapevines and over fiercely red coloured dirt. You might see wine farms sprawled either on top of the mountains, or in the valleys below.
After lunch you could stroll through the private vineyards of two of Stellenbosch’s most esteemed wine estates on the guided walking tour. The four-hour tour takes you on a journey from farm to table, whilst allowing you to touch, smell, feel and see the produce of the farm’s labour. Suited to all levels, the walk follows a network of rolling farm roads through the vineyards.
No matter how you choose to spend your days in this valley between the majestic and rugged mountains, this fertile valley produces some of the best wines in the world. And where there are food wines, soon the best restaurants follow, and the Cape Wine region is no exception! The very best of the South African culinary stars call this place their home and you will be welcomed into one of the beautifully restored authentic homesteads or award-winning newly designed modern restaurants.
