|

Kakamas Vineyard Ride

🏔️ TRAIL CONDITIONS TODAY
Updated 2 hours ago · 🗺️ Northern Cape (province average)
☀️
27°C
Clear skies · Perfect conditions
✅
Perfect Conditions
Great day to ride — 0% chance of rain, dry trails expected.
💧 Precipitation 0%
💦 Humidity 15%
💨 Wind 10 km/h
🚵 HOW ARE THE TRAILS TODAY? Tap your condition then submit
📌
RIDER REPORTS
What riders are saying on the trail
Loading reports…

Kakamas is the last town before the Augrabies Falls National Park on the N14 — a small Green Kalahari service town built on the Orange River irrigation scheme that transformed this desert stretch of the river into productive vineyard and date palm agricultural land in the late 1800s. The irrigation channels that radiate from the Orange River create a network of quiet farm roads that are ideal for flat, accessible gravel riding through some of the most unusual agricultural landscapes in South Africa.

The Ride

The 25km Kakamas loop follows irrigation channel roads through vineyards, date groves and orchards along the riverbank — flat, low-traffic riding in a landscape that oscillates between lush cultivated green and the ochre-red Kalahari desert. The Griqua cultural history of the area adds a layer of historical significance — Kakamas was established in 1898 as a labour settlement for destitute Griqua people under the Dutch Reformed Church, and many of the original settlement buildings remain. A northern extension toward the Griqua heritage landscape provides longer gravel riding on desert farm roads for riders wanting more distance.

Getting There

Kakamas is on the N14, 20km east of Augrabies Falls and 90km west of Upington. GPS: -28.7739, 20.6281. Kakamas Tourism: +27 54 431 0838.

Trail Overview

📍 Location Kakamas, Orange River, Green Kalahari, Northern Cape
📏 Total Distance 25km of trails
⚡ Difficulty Easy to Moderate
🚵 Discipline Gravel
🛤️ Trail Type Gravel Road, Farm Track
🪨 Surface Flat Orange River valley gravel and farm access roads — well-maintained irrigation channel roads — low traffic
🕐 Opening Hours Kakamas Hotel (accommodation),Fuel station,Basic town facilities,Augrabies Falls (20km — see separate listing),Kalahari Adventure Centre (Augrabies — river rafting and canoeing)
🏘️ Nearest Town A 25km accessible gravel loop through the vineyards, date groves and orchards that line the Orange River irrigation channels near Kakamas — the gateway town to the Augrabies Falls. Flat desert river valley riding at its most accessible, with the Green Kalahari wine country as backdrop.

Trail Listings

Trail Name Distance Difficulty
Kakamas Orange River Vineyard Loop 25km Easy-Moderate (from Kakamas town along Orange River irrigation channel roads — past vineyards, date groves and orchards — flat and accessible — links to Augrabies direction)
Griqua Cultural Route Extension varies Moderate (north from Kakamas into Griqua heritage landscape — gravel roads — history and desert)

Permits & Costs

  • Cost: Free — public roads and community paths.
  • Where to buy: Year-round during daylight.

Amenities & Facilities

  • April to September. Avoid December-January extreme heat.

Contact & Getting There

Best Time to Ride: Kakamas (base) | Augrabies Falls (20km) | Upington (90km)

n

🌐 Visit Official Trail Website →

Rate This Trail

—
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
No ratings yet
5 ★
0
4 ★
0
3 ★
0
2 ★
0
1 ★
0

How would you rate this trail?

More Trails in Northern Cape

9 trails
MTB Hard

Witsand Nature Reserve MTB Loop

Olifantshoek (75km via gravel road) | Postmasburg (100km) | Upington (200km)

South Africa's most unusual MTB destination — white sand dunes up to 60m high rising from…

40km
MTB Hard

Olifantshoek Rocky Outcrop MTB

A deeply Kalahari MTB experience — Olifantshoek's granite outcrops and rocky koppies rise dramatically from the red dune grassland plain

Olifantshoek (Elephant's Corner) is named for the elephants that once roamed the Kalahari plains in this…

35km
Gravel Moderate

Namaqua Coastal Sprint

The least-visited section of Namaqua National Park — the coastal zone where the succulent karoo reaches the Atlantic Ocean on an undeveloped Namaqualand shore. A 35km gravel sprint through the park from N7 direction to the Groen River mouth

The Namaqua National Park's coastal section is the least-developed and least-visited part of the park —…

35km
Gravel Expert

Namaqualand Diamond Coast Bikepacking Route

The complete Namaqualand cycling adventure — 400km connecting the N7 wildflower corridor

The Namaqualand Diamond Coast Bikepacking Route is the definitive multi-day cycling experience in the Northern Cape…

400km
Gravel Moderate

Loeriesfontein Windmill Trail

The capital of Bushmanland and home to the world's most remarkable windmill museum — 27 working windpumps from countries across the world spin and creak on the Loeriesfontein plains in the only museum of its kind outside North America. Gravel cycling through the flat Bushmanland semi-desert and the nearby Gannabos quiver tree forest creates one of the Northern Cape's most atmospheric riding days.

Loeriesfontein occupies a unique place in the Northern Cape landscape — the self-declared capital of Bushmanland,…

45km
MTB Hard

Steinkopf Rocky Descent

The gateway to the Spektakel Pass — one of the great mountain descents in the Northern Cape — Steinkopf's granite koppies offer informal rocky singletrack with some of the most technical terrain in Namaqualand

Steinkopf (Stone Head, named for a prominent granite dome visible from the town) is a Nama…

30km
MTB Hard

Goegap Nature Reserve MTB Loop

Springbok (15km) | Cape Town (570km via N7)

35km of 4x4 track MTB through the Klein Koperberge granite peaks and desert plains of Namaqualand…

35km
MTB Expert

Richtersveld 50km Desert Loop

Port Nolloth (80km) | Alexander Bay (120km) | Springbok (180km)

One of the most remote cycling destinations in South Africa — the Richtersveld is a UNESCO…

50km
Gravel Moderate

Kenhardt Salt Pan Gravel Loop

A remote Northern Cape salt pan gravel loop from the small town of Kenhardt — flat desert terrain with extraordinary salt crystal formations in the dry season

Kenhardt is a quiet N10 town in the Northern Cape interior — neither famous nor heavily…

varieskm