|

Keimoes Riverbank Trail

🏔️ TRAIL CONDITIONS TODAY
Updated 2 hours ago · 🗺️ Northern Cape (province average)
☀️
4°C
Clear skies · Good riding
Perfect Conditions
Great day to ride — 0% chance of rain, dry trails expected.
💧 Precipitation 0%
💦 Humidity 92%
💨 Wind 12 km/h
🚵 HOW ARE THE TRAILS TODAY? Tap your condition then submit
📌
RIDER REPORTS
What riders are saying on the trail
Loading reports…

Keimoes is one of the Northern Cape’s most unexpectedly beautiful destinations — a small Orange River town where the river fragments into dozens of channels around tree-covered islands, creating a labyrinth of date palm plantations, riverine forest and quiet water that bears no resemblance to the surrounding Kalahari desert. The 20km island and riverbank loop winds through this extraordinary landscape on flat gravel and earth paths, crossing the river channels via small causeways and bridges, past date groves and the famous island chapel of the Keimoes Mission.

What to Expect

This is gentle, accessible cycling — no technical skill required, almost no elevation gain. The terrain is flat throughout and the paths are well-defined. What makes Keimoes remarkable is purely the setting: riding slowly through the date palm groves with the river channels shimmering between the trees, and the knowledge that 5km in any direction beyond the river, the Kalahari reasserts itself completely. The Orange River Cellars cooperative cellar near town offers wine tasting — the Kalahari wine produced in this extreme heat and alkaline desert soil has a distinct character worth experiencing.

Getting There

Keimoes is on the N14 between Upington (50km east) and Augrabies Falls (70km west). GPS: -28.6847, 20.9731. Keimoes Tourism: +27 54 461 1030.

Trail Overview

📍 Location Keimoes, Orange River, Green Kalahari, Northern Cape
📏 Total Distance 20km of trails
⚡ Difficulty Easy
🚵 Discipline MTB
🛤️ Trail Type Gravel Path, Island Track
🪨 Surface Flat river valley terrain — compacted gravel and earth paths — some sandy sections on island tracks
🕐 Opening Hours Keimoes town (fuel and basic supplies),Orange River Cellars (cooperative cellar — wine tasting),Date palm groves (harvest season March-June — fresh dates available),Island chapel (historic mission on river island)
🏘️ Nearest Town A flat 20km loop through the date palm groves, river islands and island channels of the Orange River at Keimoes — the most lush and improbable cycling terrain in the Northern Cape, where the Great Orange River fragments into dozens of tree-covered channels and islands just 70km from the Augrabies Falls.

Trail Listings

Trail Name Distance Difficulty
Keimoes River Islands Loop 20km Easy (flat riverside and island paths — date palm groves, river channel crossings via small bridges and causeways — wildly scenic — suitable for all abilities)
Island Chapel Extension varies Easy (short diversion to the historic Keimoes island chapel — accessible via footbridge)

Permits & Costs

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

Amenities & Facilities

  • Year-round. April-October is most comfortable. Avoid midsummer midday (December-January heat reaches 42C).

Contact & Getting There

Best Time to Ride: Keimoes (base) | Upington (50km) | Augrabies Falls (70km)

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
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 Easy

Alexander Bay Coastal Loop

Alexander Bay (restricted access town) | Port Nolloth (50km south) | Springbok (230km)

The most remote and restricted cycling destination in South Africa — Alexander Bay sits at the…

20km
Gravel Moderate

Vioolsdrif Border MTB Trail

The most dramatic cycling gateway on the South African-Namibian border — the Orange River gorge at Vioolsdrif cuts through ancient bedrock in a rapid-filled canyon flanked by date palms and desert succulents. Combined with the Orange River canoe camps and cross-border gravel bikepacking access to Namibia's Fish River Canyon

Vioolsdrif is the Northern Cape's northernmost road crossing into Namibia — a 24-hour border post on…

varieskm
Gravel Moderate

Calvinia Hantam Gravel Rides

A remote Karoo plateau town in the Hantam

Calvinia is one of the Northern Cape's most charming small towns — a Victorian-era Karoo settlement…

varieskm
Gravel Moderate

Victoria West Karoo Loop

A peaceful Central Karoo gravel cycling base on the N12 between Beaufort West and Richmond — Victoria West offers open Karoo plains riding through one of South Africa's most fossil-rich landscapes with dolerite koppies

Victoria West is a quiet Northern Cape Karoo town on the N12 highway, positioned in the…

varieskm
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
Gravel Moderate

Pella Mission Village Loop

South Africa's most remote Catholic mission — Pella sits on the Orange River in the Northern Cape desert

Pella is one of South Africa's most extraordinary hidden gems — a remote Orange River mission…

20km
MTB Hard

Riemvasmaak Hot Springs MTB Trail

Kakamas (80km gravel road) | Upington (175km) | Cape Town (800km)

An ancient desert valley of volcanic rock and San rock art in the Aurus Mountains —…

varieskm
MTB Moderate

Wonderwerk Cave MTB Trail

A 45km ride south of Kuruman to the world's oldest archaeological evidence of controlled fire — Wonderwerk Cave contains 1 million years of human occupation deposits and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gravel reserve tracks link the cave to a broader Kuruman limestone hills cycling route.

Wonderwerk Cave is one of the most important archaeological sites in human history — a 140-metre-deep…

varieskm