Author: MtbApp

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    Hondeklip Bay Diamond Coast Trail

    ByMtbApp

    Hondeklip Bay is one of those places that rewards the effort of getting there enormously — a frontier fishing village on the Namaqualand Diamond Coast, 104km from Springbok on a gravel mountain road that crosses the Messelpad and Wildeperdehoek passes, with no fuel station and no ATM. The village was once the primary copper ore export harbour for the Namaqualand mines, before Port Nolloth’s superior natural harbour and railway connection made it redundant. Today it is a regional holiday destination for Namaqua families, a spot for serious game fishermen and a magnet for travellers who seek out South Africa’s most remote and character-rich coastal communities.

    The Coastal Trails

    The 20km coastal loop follows dirt tracks around the bay and its surrounding koppies — the cold, grey-green Benguela Current Atlantic stretching to the horizon in one direction, the stark Namaqualand coastal scrub in the other. The Aristea Shipwreck (6km return, signposted south of town) is the most visited cycling excursion: the 1945 iron hulk of the Greek cargo ship MV Aristea rests on the rocks 3km outside town, slowly rusting into the sea, its ribs and plates visible through the surf. The English Gravestones cemetery, perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, commemorates the sailors who drowned when their ships met the same fate on this unforgiving coast.

    Messelpad Pass Connection

    The 104km gravel road from Hondeklip Bay to Springbok via Messelpad and Wildeperdehoek passes is one of the great Namaqualand cycling adventures — the passes rise through rocky copper mountain terrain of genuine drama, and the descent to Hondeklip Bay reveals the Atlantic on the horizon from the top. This route requires a full day, total self-sufficiency and a reliable bike — no services for the entire 104km.

    Getting There

    Hondeklip Bay is accessed via the R382 from Port Nolloth (80km south) or via the gravel Messelpad Pass road from Springbok. GPS: -30.3167, 17.2833. Tel: +27 27 651 1177. Confirm access arrangements before travelling — former diamond restricted zone.

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    Concordia Quiver Tree Trail

    ByMtbApp

    Concordia sits in the heart of Namaqualand’s historic copper belt — 5km from Okiep in a landscape that was being actively mined for copper by the Cape Copper Mining Company from 1862, making it one of the oldest industrial mining sites in South Africa. The granite koppies surrounding Concordia carry the legacy of that mining history in rusted infrastructure, rock-cut adits and the quiet ruins of what was once a booming company town. They also host one of the most beautiful natural features of Namaqualand: large colonies of kokerboom (quiver trees, Aloe dichotoma) that root in the granite boulders and grow to 7 metres in height, their distinctive succulent forms silhouetted against the Namaqualand sky in a way that makes the landscape unmistakably unique.

    The MTB Loop

    The 25km Quiver Tree Loop follows jeep tracks and rocky paths through the granite koppies south and east of Concordia, weaving between kokerboom colonies and copper mining remnants with the open Namaqualand valley as a constant backdrop. The terrain is rocky — loose granite on the hillside sections and more settled gravel on the valley floor. The Concordia Hills Scramble extension adds technical koppie riding for experienced riders who want more elevation and challenge.

    Getting There

    Concordia is 5km from Okiep on the R382. GPS: -29.5833, 17.8500. From Springbok: R382 south toward Okiep and Concordia (8km total). No fuel in Concordia — use Okiep or Springbok.

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    Bitterfontein Gravel Grind

    ByMtbApp

    Bitterfontein is one of South Africa’s smallest towns by any measure — a handful of buildings on the N7 between Garies and Kamieskroon, with a general dealer, a church and a school. Its name (Bitter Spring) refers to the brackish water that disappointed the first Trekker farmers who arrived here. For gravel cyclists, it is precisely the unremarkable nature of Bitterfontein that makes it interesting: the flat Namaqualand coastal plain surrounding the town is among the least-travelled cycling terrain in the country, with 60km of farm roads and the N7 corridor linking it to the wildflower destinations on either side.

    The Riding

    The 60km loop to Garies and back follows the N7 south to Garies (35km of quiet two-lane tar road through typical Namaqualand flat coastal scrub) and returns on farm roads to the west of the highway — a relaxed half-day ride through the wildflower corridor. In a good rainfall year the farmland between Bitterfontein and Garies produces wildflower displays that rival anything north of Kamieskroon, with considerably fewer visitors. The route westward toward the Namaqua National Park’s coastal section at the Groen River (30km) reaches an undeveloped stretch of Namaqualand coast within the park boundary — rugged, empty and accessible with a SANParks day permit.

    Getting There

    Bitterfontein is on the N7, 520km from Cape Town. GPS: -31.0167, 18.2500. No fuel available in Bitterfontein itself — fill up in Garies (35km south) or Kamieskroon (35km north). From Cape Town: N7 north through Citrusdal and Vanrhynsdorp.

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    Olifantshoek Rocky Outcrop MTB

    ByMtbApp

    Olifantshoek (Elephant’s Corner) is named for the elephants that once roamed the Kalahari plains in this part of the Northern Cape — a reminder that the landscape has been transformed entirely since human settlement, and that the red dune grassland and camelthorn woodland of today was, within historical memory, elephant country. The town sits in a district between the major Kalahari mining centres of Postmasburg and Kuruman, and its immediate surroundings contain the most dramatic topographic contrast in the area: granite koppie outcrops rising from the flat Kalahari plain with steep, rocky flanks and vegetated summits that support a different suite of flora and fauna to the surrounding grassland.

    The MTB Terrain

    The 35km Rocky Koppie Loop uses jeep tracks and informal singletrack built by local riders through the granite outcrops south and east of Olifantshoek. The loose rocky terrain on the koppie sections provides genuine technical challenge — sharp granite edges, steep short ascents and descents, and the constant need for route reading through boulder fields. The plateau grassland sections between koppies are fast, flat riding with excellent visibility across the Kalahari plain. Gemsbok, springbok and steenbok are commonly visible from the saddle. The extended 50km Kalahari connector northwest enters classic red dune terrain toward Kokomis — a full half-day of empty Kalahari riding.

    Getting There

    Olifantshoek is on the R385, approximately 60km north of Postmasburg. GPS: -27.9500, 22.7167. From Kuruman: R385 west approximately 80km. From Upington: east on R31 to Postmasburg, then R385 north.

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    Namaqualand Diamond Coast Bikepacking Route

    ByMtbApp

    The Namaqualand Diamond Coast Bikepacking Route is the definitive multi-day cycling experience in the Northern Cape — a 400km loop that connects all the defining landscapes of the region: the N7 wildflower corridor, the Namaqualand copper mountain passes, the diamond coast ghost towns, the Cape fur seal colony, the Atlantic shipwreck coast and the remarkable frontier hospitality of Scott’s Seaside Inn at Port Nolloth. It can be ridden in either direction; the north-to-south clockwise version is described here as the preferred August-September wildflower season itinerary.

    The Route Day by Day

    Day 1 — Garies to Kamieskroon (50km): North on N7 through the Anenous Pass approach — wildflowers on the farmland in season — to Kamieskroon. Overnight at the legendary Kamieskroon Hotel.

    Day 2 — Kamieskroon to Namaqua NP and Springbok (90km): West to Namaqua NP Skilpad (peak wildflower day in season), then north through Namaqualand copper country to Springbok. Overnight in Springbok — resupply, rest, and an evening at a Springbok restaurant.

    Day 3 — Springbok to Port Nolloth via Spektakel Pass (90km): North on N7 to Steinkopf, west on R382 over Spektakel Pass descending to the Atlantic coast at Port Nolloth. Overnight at Scott’s Seaside Inn — the most atmospheric overnight on the route.

    Day 4 — Port Nolloth to Kleinsee (72km): South on coastal roads to Kleinsee — the diamond ghost town. Boulder Heritage Circuit, seal colony, Pink Salt Lake. Overnight in Kleinsee.

    Day 5 — Kleinsee to Hondeklip Bay (35km + optional 37km shipwreck route): South to Hondeklip Bay via coastal road. Overnight at Honnehokke Resort — crayfish if in season.

    Day 6 — Hondeklip Bay to Springbok via Messelpad Pass (104km): The hardest day — 104km on gravel, climbing the Messelpad and Wildeperdehoek passes back to Springbok through the copper mountain heartland.

    Self-Sufficiency Note

    Carry minimum 5 litres of water at all times on this route. Mobile signal is absent in many sections. Download the full GPX track and carry a paper backup map. A comprehensive repair kit is essential — the nearest bike shops are in Springbok and Cape Town.

    Getting There

    Start: Springbok, 570km from Cape Town on the N7. GPS: -29.6641, 17.8866. Tel: +27 27 712 8035. Springbok is serviced by Intercape and SA Roadlink buses from Cape Town and Johannesburg.

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    Britstown Karoo Gravel Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Britstown is one of the most genuinely peaceful small towns in the Northern Cape — a quiet dorp on the Ongers River in the flat centre of the Upper Karoo, 60km from the nearest N1 junction at Three Sisters and surrounded by sheep farming country that has barely changed in character since the Anglo-Boer War. The Britstown Caravan Park on the Ongers River is one of the best-value and most pleasantly situated overnight options in the Upper Karoo — the mature camelthorn trees along the river bank provide shade, birdsong and the contrast of green riparian vegetation against the surrounding beige Karoo plains that gives the park a genuine tranquillity.

    The Ongers River Valley Loop (25km) follows gravel roads along the river valley floor — camelthorn woodland provides shade and birding, and the river itself flows seasonally (mostly winter and spring), with the African fish eagle present when water fills the pools. The broader Plains Circuit (50km) extends onto the open Upper Karoo farmland east and west of town — flat, fast and completely quiet, with the characteristic Karoo dolerite koppies visible on the horizon in every direction providing just enough visual interest to anchor an otherwise infinite flat landscape.

    Getting There

    Britstown is on the R389, 60km south of Three Sisters on the N1. GPS: -30.5833, 23.5000. From Cape Town: N1 east to Three Sisters (700km), then R389 south 60km to Britstown.

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    Aggeneys Desert Mine Gravel Ride

    ByMtbApp

    Aggeneys exists because of the Black Mountain Mine — a world-class base metals deposit discovered in the 1970s containing zinc, lead, copper and silver in extraordinary concentrations. The mine and its associated company town were developed in the early 1980s in one of the most remote inhabited areas of South Africa, surrounded by flat Bushmanland desert with no other settlements for 50km in any direction. The town has the characteristic self-contained quality of a mining company settlement — functional, well-maintained and entirely focused on the operation of the mine.

    For cyclists, Aggeneys is primarily significant as a staging point — midway on the Pofadder-to-Pella bikepacking route across the Bushmanland interior, and on the main desert route between Springbok and the Bushmanland towns to the east. The 40km desert loop around the town on gravel farm roads and the R358 corridor provides a day of straightforward but scenically distinctive riding through the quartz-strewn Bushmanland plains, with the mine infrastructure providing an unusual industrial backdrop to what is otherwise completely empty desert.

    Getting There

    Aggeneys is on the R358 between Springbok direction and Pofadder. GPS: -29.2833, 18.8500. From Springbok: N14 east to Aggeneys junction, then south on R358. Confirm fuel availability before extending beyond Aggeneys toward Pofadder.

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    Hopetown First Diamond Gravel Route

    ByMtbApp

    In 1866, on a farm near the Orange River at Hopetown, a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus Jacobs picked up a pretty stone that he used to play skip-rock on the river. His neighbour Schalk van Niekerk recognised it as unusual and sent it to Grahamstown for testing. The stone was identified as a 21.25-carat diamond — the Eureka Diamond, South Africa’s first. Within two years, news of the discovery had reached Europe; within four, Kimberley had been founded; within ten, the entire trajectory of South African history had been altered irreversibly. All of it began on a gravel bank beside the Orange River at Hopetown.

    The Route

    The 45km Hopetown Orange River Loop follows the gravel farm roads beside the Orange River and across the flat alluvial diamond plains surrounding the town — the same geology that produced the Eureka Diamond and the subsequent rush of prospectors who swarmed the riverbanks looking for diamonds in the gravel. The Hopetown Museum documents this history with a small but well-curated collection that includes the discovery story, the subsequent commercial rush and the social upheaval that followed. The museum is worth an hour before the ride — riding the historical landscape with context transforms the experience entirely.

    The flat alluvial terrain makes the riding technically accessible for all fitness levels — the challenge is distance and heat rather than climbing. The Orange River provides visual punctuation on the valley sections.

    Getting There

    Hopetown is on the N12 between De Aar and Kimberley. GPS: -29.6167, 24.0667. From Kimberley: N12 south 120km. From De Aar: N12 south 50km. From Cape Town: N1 to Three Sisters, N9 to Hanover, then east to De Aar and south on N12.

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    Hanover Karoo Gravel Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Hanover is a quiet Upper Karoo dorp on the R389 between Richmond and Britstown — a characteristic Karoo town of Victorian church, wide dusty streets, corrugated iron roofs and the enormous sky overhead that defines the Karoo experience. The town sits at approximately 1,300m altitude on the flat Upper Karoo dolerite plains — the same geological surface that extends continuously from here to Victoria West, Britstown, Colesberg and beyond, only interrupted by the occasional weathered koppie or river drainage line.

    The 50km Hanover Plains Loop follows gravel farm roads east and north of town through sheep and game farm country — a classic flat Karoo gravel ride with excellent bird sightings (the Upper Karoo is one of the best areas in South Africa for the national bird, the blue crane, which grazes in large groups on the Karoo vleis). The R389 south to Richmond (55km) is a worthwhile extension: Richmond is South Africa’s mohair capital — a larger Karoo town with several excellent guesthouses, a good restaurant and a small fossil museum with Karoo vertebrate fossil specimens from the surrounding farms. The combination of Hanover riding and a Richmond overnight creates a satisfying Upper Karoo cycling day.

    Getting There

    Hanover is on the R389 between Richmond and Britstown. GPS: -31.0667, 24.4500. From Cape Town: N1 east to Three Sisters, N9 north through Hanover direction. From Colesberg: N10 south toward Hanover (120km).

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    Loxton Village Gravel Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Loxton is the secret jewel of the Upper Karoo — a perfectly preserved Victorian farming village 60km east of Victoria West where the grid of whitewashed 1890s cottages around the Dutch Reformed Church has changed so little in 130 years that the sense of temporal displacement on arrival is complete. There are no chain stores, no traffic lights, no advertising billboards. The main street is unpaved. The village dam on the eastern edge of town provides a swimming hole for summer heat relief that has served this function for a century. The blesbok and springbok graze the commonage on the village outskirts as they presumably always have.

    For cyclists, Loxton provides the archetypal quiet Karoo gravel experience: flat farm roads in every direction through Upper Karoo sheep country, the enormous sky above, the absence of other traffic and the village church tower as an anchor point on the horizon for the return. The 20km village circuit is a gentle introduction; the 40km hills extension ventures into the low escarpment country northeast of town where game farms add wildlife sightings and the first hint of topographic relief to the otherwise pan-flat terrain. A cold drink at the Village Café after the ride, with the Loxton village square in the afternoon light, is one of the Northern Cape’s most quietly satisfying small pleasures.

    Getting There

    Loxton is on the R61, 60km east of Victoria West. GPS: -31.4667, 22.3667. From Cape Town: N1 east to Three Sisters, R29 north through Loxton direction (700km total).