Tankwa Karoo Gravel Loop

The Tankwa Karoo National Park is one of the most remote and austere landscapes in South Africa — a 144,000-hectare protected desert basin where annual rainfall can be under 100mm, temperatures exceed 40°C in summer and below freezing in winter, and the horizon stretches unbroken in all directions under the biggest skies in the country. For the right kind of rider — self-sufficient, experienced and drawn to solitude — it is a cycling destination without equal.

The Trails

The park’s official mountain bike trail is the Buitekring MTB — a 50km circular route starting and ending at Oudebaaskraal Dam, graded hard, with 737m of elevation gain across desert plains, hills and valleys. It is also used by multi-day hikers (allow 2-3 days on foot). Outside this route, cyclists are permitted to use marked park roads near booked accommodation — which in practice opens up substantial gravel exploration on the park’s network of 4×4 roads and farm tracks.

The Gannaga Pass 4×4 track in the northeast provides the park’s most dramatic cycling terrain — a technical climb above the ancient Tankwa basin with extraordinary escarpment views, descending into the basin on loose shale. The Tankwa Flats section toward the informal Skaapwagter area is more accessible: flat open desert gravel that lets riders fall completely into the rhythm of the Karoo, punctuated only by birds (187 species recorded), ostriches and the occasional hartebeest.

Important: Thick sand sections exist on some park roads — carry extra water (minimum 3 litres per hour in any season), a comprehensive repair kit and a downloaded GPS track. Mobile signal is absent throughout most of the park. Always inform someone of your planned route and expected return time.

Stargazing After the Ride

The Tankwa Karoo’s proximity to Sutherland (70km, home of the Southern African Large Telescope) makes it one of the best places in the Southern Hemisphere for naked-eye and telescope stargazing. Accommodation at Elandsberg or Roodewerf on a clear winter night is one of the great Northern Cape experiences.

Getting There

The park is accessed via Middelpos from the north (R356 from Calvinia) or via the Gannaga Pass road from Ceres direction. GPS for Roodewerf Reception: -32.3167, 19.8333. Tel: +27 23 317 0937. Roads are dirt and gravel — high clearance vehicle strongly recommended.

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🌐 Visit Official Trail Website →