Cape Town to Victoria Falls

The Best of Southern Africa

Starting in Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities, the Ayres Adventures Cape Town to Victoria Falls tour takes you on an incredible ride along some of the most beautiful and scenic roads in South Africa. The tour ends with a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the world, the impressive Victoria Falls, also known as the Smoke that Thunders.

In addition to the iconic start and end locations, this 18-day tour features invigorating mountain passes, sweeping coastal highways, and roads that lead through wine country, fertile valleys and along rural landscapes dotted with traditional African villages. To complete the African experience, a full day’s safari in Kruger National Park and a wildlife cruise on the Chobe River are included.

Cape Town is a great place to spend a few extra days before the start of the tour. If you decide to arrive early, some of the activities you might enjoy include a hike up Table Mountain, a city tour, a visit to Robben Island or simply enjoying the numerous cafes, restaurants and shopping diversions that the waterfront has to offer.

Highlights of this Adventure include:

• A night in the beautiful city of Cape Town
• Tradouw Pass, South Africa’s wine route, The Klein Karoo (semi-arid region), Oudtshoorn (ostrich capital of the world)
• Overnight accommodations in an upscale lodge at the southernmost point of the African continent – where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet
• Full-day game drive in Kruger National Park – home of the African Big Five
• A river boat safari on the Chobe River in northern Botswana
• A visit to Victoria Falls – “The Smoke that Thunders”

At a Glance Your Cape Town to Victoria Falls Adventure

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL IN CAPE TOWN

The tour leaders will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel where you can spend the day relaxing or exploring the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Later in the afternoon, the tour leaders will hand over the bikes before hosting a group briefing providing more detailed information about the tour. After the briefing we will enjoy our first dinner together at a wonderful local restaurant.

DAY 2 – CAPE TOWN TO CAPE AGULHAS ~170 MILES

Our first riding day will take us along beautiful coastal roads and through the small seaside towns of Gordon’s Bay, Betty’s Bay and Hermanus to our destination at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. We will stay at a boutique oceanfront lodge and enjoy a wonderful gourmet dinner.

DAY 3 – CAPE AGULHAS TO OUDTSHOORN ~200 MILES

The route to Oudtshoorn offers beautiful sweeping roads through rugged mountains and fertile valleys. We will enjoy a scenic ride over the stark and semi-arid Tradouw Pass and into the picturesque Tradouw Valley before stopping in the friendly village of Barrydale. From Barrydale we will ride Route 62 – the longest wine route in the world. Tonight, we will stay at a small, privately-owned Cape Dutch country house in the heart of the world’s ostrich capital, Oudtshoorn.

DAY 4 – OUDTSHOORN TO KNYSNA ~90 TO 200 MILES

Oudtshoorn lies in the Klein Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains. Taking the direct route to Knysna makes for a short but beautiful ride over the Outeniqua Pass, Four Passes and numerous smaller mountain passes. A short riding day allows us to enjoy a late, relaxing breakfast.

For those who wish to add more miles, we will take you over the stunning Swartberg Pass toward the small farming town of Prince Albert. The Swartberg Pass is hard-packed gravel and offers breathtaking views of the valley below. The route continues through the beautiful Meiringspoort valley as you make your way back towards Oudtshoorn and on to Knysna via the Outeniqua Pass.

DAY 5 – KNYSNA TO MAKHANDA ~240 MILES

Today we will ride into the Eastern Cape province of South Africa as we make our way towards Makhanda. An early departure from Knysna will allow time for an enjoyable full day’s ride as we make our way to tonight’s destination. We’ll ride through the Tsitsikamma National Park and over the Bloukrans Bridge. For the brave and fearless there will be a chance to do the world’s highest bungee jump (710ft/216m) off the Bloukrans Bridge.

DAY 6 – FREE DAY

By staying at a lodge inside the game reserve, we can enjoy early morning and late afternoon game drives. Sunrise and sunset are the perfect times to enjoy game viewing from an open-top safari vehicle. The lodge is beautiful and the perfect place to sit back and enjoy a true African wildlife experience.

DAY 7 – MAKHANDA TO PORT ST. JOHNS ~285 MILES

Our route today takes us through rural areas of the country where we will get a glimpse of traditional African life. We will pass through the former Transkei and Ciskei areas, two of the former African homelands during the apartheid years. These rural areas include beautiful landscapes with deep valleys and many scenic overlooks.

DAY 8 – PORT ST. JOHNS TO HIMEVILLE ~175 MILES

Today we will ride inland through the province of KwaZulu-Natal, home to the Zulu people. We will have opportunities to observe the traditional ways of life as we pass through several small Zulu villages. From Kokstad we will ride through rural farmland as we head towards the foot hills of the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains. Our destination is just outside the village of Himeville, where we will stay at a beautifully converted farm manor.

DAY 9 – HIMEVILLE TO DUNDEE ~210 MILES

A full day of riding through several African towns lies ahead as we make our way to Dundee where we will spend the night. On our way, we will pass through the town where Nelson Mandela was captured by the police in 1962 and where a monument and museum have been built in his honor. If time allows, we will also visit a some of the battle sites where the Zulus and Boers fought.

DAY 10 – DUNDEE TO BARBERTON ~260 MILES

We will ride through the picturesque farming country before stopping for lunch in the town of Piet Retief. After lunch we will skirt around Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) to tonight’s lodge located south of Barberton.

DAY 11 – BARBERTON TO KRUGER NATIONAL PARK ~110 MILES

Leaving the lodge, we will head north and ride through the town of Barberton, White River, and into the bustling town of Hazyview before making our way to our hotel for the next two nights. It’s a fun and scenic ride as we make our way to Kruger National Park.

DAY 12 – FREE DAY IN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

We’ll board our open-air safari vehicle for an all-day game drive in Kruger National Park, including lunch inside the park. Kruger National Park is South Africa’s flagship national park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. Teeming with wildlife, this diverse game park is home to numerous species of mammals and reptiles, and hundreds of bird species! The African Big Five – elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo – are found here, as well as a dazzling array of other mammals such as giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, hippos, hyenas and numerous antelope species.

DAY 13 – KRUGER NATIONAL PARK TO POLOKWANE ~210 MILES

We will have a great day of riding through man-made forests, past fruit farms and waterfalls, and into rugged country with mountain passes. Our ride will include such popular and iconic destinations as God’s Window, the artsy town of Graskop, and the historic mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest. Be prepared for a great day of riding on very twisty and scenic roads.

DAY 14 – POLOKWANE TO PALAPYE ~210 MILES

It will be a full day of riding as we make our way to the border and cross from South Africa into Botswana. Tonight, we will stay just outside the bustling town of Palapye, a popular stop for visitors heading to northern Botswana.

DAY 15 – PALAPYE TO NATA ~225 MILES

Today’s route is on paved two-lane roads through the Botswana countryside. We’ll enjoy rural landscapes and picturesque native villages along the way. There is a good chance of observing wildlife crossing the road, including elephants, giraffes and ostriches.

DAY 16 – NATA TO KASANE ~195 MILES

We will have an early departure from Nata to ensure that we arrive in Kasane by lunch time. In the afternoon we have scheduled a game-viewing sunset cruise on the Chobe River where we will observe the wildlife up close, including hippos, crocodiles, and elephants.

DAY 17 – KASANE TO VICTORIA FALLS ~70 MILES

We won’t be taking the bikes into Zambia. Instead, we will take a private transfer to the Botswana border, where we will cross the border into Zambia and take a second private transfer from the Zambian border to Livingstone. This will save us several hours of paperwork to get the bikes across the border and we will have more time to enjoy Victoria Falls. The Falls are a short walk from our luxury hotel. We will arrive early enough for a walk around Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. In the evening we will enjoy a wonderful final dinner together.

DAY 18 – DEPARTURE FROM LIVINGSTONE

After a relaxing breakfast, the tour leaders will arrange your transfer to the airport for your flight home.

TOTAL MILES: ~2760 MILES