Manor House

May 28, 2015

Tokai Forest is located on the slopes of Table Mountain. It is a mountain bikers dream with single and duel track routes zigzagging up and down through the forest. If you are looking for a soft cycle or something more extreme, Tokai forest offers it all.

Route maps are available at the Arboretum information office. All routes are mostly gravel roads, but you can choose single tracks from a number of different routes depending on your riding ability and confidence.
No picnicking is allowed in the plantation, but there is a coffee shop for refreshments.
Directions
Travel along the M3 towards Muizenburg, pass the Constantia turnoff and take the Retreat/Tokai exit. Drive 500m to the stop street and turn right into Tokai Road. Continue to the traffic circle and cross over to Orphen Road. You will see the little wooden ticket office on your right. Once you have bought your ticket continue up the hill and at the T-junction in front of the Tokai Manor House follow the gravel road to the left, round the bend and look out for the Arboretum and guesthouse signboards. The road ends at the car-park where you are likely to see cyclists preparing for their trip.

Trail Length
15 Km

Trail Level
Intermediate

Trail Type
Singletrack & Fire Roads

Permit
Obtain a R30 permit at the starting point
Take With
puncture kit
spare tube
tools
refreshments and water
camera

GPS
Please Note
It is recommended, if this is your first time, to join a rider who knows Tokai Forest reasonably well. You will enjoy it all the more if you are with someone who knows the route and at the parking spot all you need to do is chat to one of the other cyclists there and ask if they mind you joining them. It is such a phenomenal MTB experience, you can only love it.
It is extremely slippery during or after rains so do take care. Also bear in mind that you are sharing the forest with baboons, Horse Riders and Hikers!

At the start, the ascent is a gradual climb into the Tokai plantation. After about 300 meters, you’ll enter to the left of the little wooden gate. When you reach the first fork, turn right (after about 2.4km). Generally stick to the purple route as per the map which you can obtain at the Safcol ticket office. When you get to the T-junction at roughly 5.4 km, you can either turn left and the climb will take you to the Silvermine gate, or if you turn right it joins the tar road that leads up to the Sentech tower. Here keep right (about 7.3km) through a dip and onto an excellent little singletrack switchback with hairpin bends – take care of the slippery pine needles! Head right in order to climb along a gravel section and then you are able to bomb onto the blue section of singletrack which dips down to your right at 12.4km.
Beware! The slippery pine needles and hairpin bends as well as some steep drops along one section are aimed at technically skilled riders.
Hold tight onto your handlebars here because this is where things get really fun. “Basically, you’re railing a super-tube banging across the forest roads along which you cranked up” (MTB routes.co.za). After 5 kms of exciting and daring single track you will see a narrow wooden bridge to T-bone with the main gravel road. Thereafter it’s an easy ride home again through the gate and back into the arboretum parking area.

Contact Details