Northern Cape

  • |

    Upington Kalahari Gateway Gravel Ride

    ByMtbApp

    Upington is the urban hub of the Green Kalahari — a prosperous river town of 100,000 people built entirely on the improbable fertility of the Orange River in the Northern Cape desert. The N14 between Upington and Augrabies follows the river through the most productive date palm and grape region in South Africa, and the 50km gravel and tar road ride from Upington to Keimoes is a revelation: flat, scenic, and lined with river islands (the Orange River here divides around dozens of tree-covered sand islands), date palm plantations, vineyards and the constant presence of the river itself.

    Keimoes

    Keimoes is the midpoint destination — a small town famous for its date palm plantations, the island chapel of the Keimoes Mission (accessible by a small footbridge to a river island in the Orange), and the extraordinary contrast between the lush riverine vegetation and the bare Kalahari dunes visible on the horizon. The Orange River Cellars near Keimoes is one of the largest wine cooperatives in the world and an interesting mid-ride stop.

    Spitskop Nature Reserve

    The Spitskop Nature Reserve just outside Upington provides a different kind of riding — a 12km circuit through a small game reserve around the dramatic granite koppie that gives it its name, with gemsbok, kudu and springbok visible from the gravel reserve roads. Good birdwatching throughout. An ideal warm-up or cool-down ride before or after the longer river journey.

    Getting There

    Upington is accessible by domestic flight (from Johannesburg, 1h20) or by N14 from Cape Town (860km) or N12/N14 from Johannesburg (800km). GPS: -28.4478, 21.2561. Upington Tourism: +27 54 332 6064.

  • |

    Upington 15km Orange River Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Upington sits on the banks of the Orange River in the Green Kalahari — the stretch of riverine land along the Orange that is improbably lush against the surrounding desert, supporting vineyards, date palms, fig trees and a riverside culture entirely at odds with the extreme Kalahari landscape just kilometres away. The 15km Orange River Loop is an accessible, flat introduction to the area — a gentle riverside ride through Upington’s leafy waterfront, past the famous Kalahari-Oranje Wine Cooperative and the sprawling Orange River Cellars, before returning to town along the opposite bank.

    What to Expect

    This is easy, family-friendly riding on riverside paths and low-traffic roads — no technical skill required, minimal elevation change, plenty of shade from the riverside trees. The Orange River riparian belt is extraordinarily rich in birdlife, and the contrast between the lush green riverbanks and the red Kalahari sand beyond them creates a visual distinctiveness that is uniquely Northern Cape.

    The Kalahari-Oranje Wine Estate produces some of South Africa’s most unique wines — the extreme heat and alkaline desert soils produce wines with a character found nowhere else. A post-ride tasting is an essential part of the Upington cycling experience. Le Must Restaurant on the riverbank is consistently rated as one of the finest dining experiences in the Northern Cape.

    Getting There

    Upington is 120km east of Augrabies Falls on the N14, and the base city for all Green Kalahari cycling. GPS for waterfront start: -28.4478, 21.2561. Upington Tourism: +27 54 332 6064.

  • |

    Kimberley Diamond Fields Gravel Loop

    ByMtbApp

    The Diamond Fields Gravel Loop extends the Kimberley riding experience from the city’s heritage streets into the broader Karoo landscape that surrounds it — flat, accessible gravel road cycling through terrain that carries an extraordinary density of historical significance for a landscape that appears, on the surface, to be simply empty plains.

    The Route

    The 60km loop heads south and west from Kimberley on low-traffic gravel farm roads, passing the Magersfontein Battlefield — where on the night of 10-11 December 1899, General Methuen’s British column marching to relieve the Siege of Kimberley was ambushed by Koos de la Rey’s Boer commandos in one of the costliest British defeats of the Anglo-Boer War. The battlefield is a sobering and atmospheric stop on a gravel ride through this landscape. From Magersfontein, the loop continues toward the Modder River and back north, passing the remarkable Kamfers Dam on the return — a shallow pan just north of Kimberley that is home to one of the largest inland flamingo breeding colonies in Africa, with tens of thousands of lesser and greater flamingoes resident throughout the year.

    Getting There

    Start from Kimberley CBD — GPS: -28.7281, 24.7499. Download a Wikiloc or Komoot GPX track for the route before departing. Kimberley Tourism: +27 53 830 4117.

  • |

    Namaqua National Park MTB Routes

    ByMtbApp

    200km+ of park roads and 4×4 tracks through the Succulent Karoo biodiversity hotspot — the Namaqua National Park hosts the most spectacular wildflower display in the Southern Hemisphere during August-September, with over 1,000 endemic plant species. No formal MTB trails but all public roads are rideable — from the Skilpad flower loop to the epic 188km Caracal Eco-Route.

  • |

    Prieska River Ride

    ByMtbApp

    Prieska is a small Orange River town with a copper mining heritage and a riverside landscape of date palms, fig trees and the characteristic Green Kalahari riparian vegetation that lines the Orange wherever it flows through the desert. The 35km riverside loop follows the Orange on low-traffic gravel roads through the most accessible cycling terrain in the area — flat throughout, with river views and Griqua heritage landmarks along the route. The Orange River Cellars cooperative in the Prieska area contributes to the broader Northern Cape wine route that follows the Orange from Upington to Prieska and beyond. A quiet, unhurried base for riders exploring the central Northern Cape interior.

    Getting There

    Prieska is on the N10 and R357, approximately 200km southeast of Upington. GPS: -29.6667, 22.7500. Tourism: +27 53 353 0022.

  • |

    Postmasburg Iron Ore Gravel Route

    ByMtbApp

    Postmasburg is one of the Northern Cape’s significant mining towns — located amid the world’s largest known manganese and iron ore deposits, the area has been the focus of major mining operations since the mid-20th century. For cyclists, the surrounding Kalahari landscape provides accessible gravel road riding through an unusual combination of industrial heritage and raw Northern Cape nature.

    The Griquastad direction ride (40km west on the R385) provides historical depth — Griquastad was the capital of the Griqua people in the 19th century, a mixed-heritage community of Dutch, Khoi and later settlers who occupied much of the interior Northern Cape before colonial pressure pushed them progressively northward. The Griqua heritage and the Kalahari thornveld landscape combine for a flat, accessible gravel ride of significant cultural interest. Witsand Nature Reserve (100km north) is the most compelling day-trip destination from Postmasburg for cycling visitors.

    Getting There

    Postmasburg is on the N14/R385, 230km from Upington. GPS: -28.3667, 23.0833. Postmasburg Tourism: +27 53 313 0073.

  • |

    Colesberg Grassland Gravel Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Colesberg occupies a strategically important position at the junction of the N1 Cape Town–Johannesburg highway with the N9 and N10 — it is the Northern Cape’s most-transited town, and for travellers making the Cape to Joburg journey who want to break the journey with a ride, it offers an accessible entry point to the Northern Cape landscape. The 30km Doornkloof Loop on gravel farm roads is flat, accessible and provides a genuine taste of the Central Karoo transition zone — Karoo grassland, low shrubs, quartz-gravel plains and the big open skies of the interior Northern Cape without the extreme remoteness of the deep Kalahari. The Doornkloof Nature Reserve just outside town contains small Karoo game — springbok, gemsbok, blesbok — accessible on foot or by bike on reserve roads.

    Getting There

    Colesberg is on the N1, 690km from Cape Town. GPS: -30.7167, 25.0833. Tourism: +27 51 753 0678.

  • |

    Victoria West Karoo Loop

    ByMtbApp

    Victoria West is a quiet Northern Cape Karoo town on the N12 highway, positioned in the Central Karoo’s fossil-rich interior between Beaufort West and Richmond. The surrounding Karoo plains — open, flat and extraordinarily spacious — provide accessible gravel riding through a landscape that feels genuinely timeless: the same Permian-era dolerite koppies (Rocky outcrops formed by ancient volcanic intrusions) visible to the Karoo fossil hunters who first mapped this region 150 years ago are still there, unchanged, on the horizon. The Central Karoo contains one of the world’s richest Permian fossil records, and the gravel farm roads around Victoria West thread through this geological heritage landscape on terrain that is accessible to any cyclist.

    Getting There

    Victoria West is on the N12, 590km from Cape Town. GPS: -31.4000, 23.1333. Tourism: +27 53 621 0085.