GREAT KAROO CYCLING
GARIEP ROUTE – through three provinces (E Cape, N Cape & OFS)
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Day 1: travel to Colesberg and find your way to The Lighhouse guesthouse (situated on the
main drag through Colesberg at 40A Church St) to be welcomed by Bianca Kenmuir, herself
an enthusiastic cyclist. If cycling group is smaller than 10 people, travel directly to Hanglip
farm which is some 32km from Colesberg. Guests must arrive in good time for dinner,
preferably before 16h00 to enjoy Maeder Osler’s tour of the farm’s Busman rock etchings.
Day 2: guests will cycle out of Colesberg on the R58 towards Norvalspont, turning right
about 2km out of town onto the dirt road signposted to Steynsburg. After little more than
1km on this dirt road, take a left turn towards Gariep. After 28km from your point of
departure in Colesberg, you arrive at the farm Ratelpoort. This is the perfect pitstop for
toilets, tea, water break, etc. From there continue your trail to Bultfontein farm and its wellknown Karoo Nights guesthouse – your overnight stop. If your group spent the first night at
Hanglip Farm, owned by the celebrated Osler family, your first day’s cycling will be past the
Hantam Community Trust School, some 10km from Hanglip, turning left at the Vlakfontein
sign, following the road for some 50km and passing a number of the country’s best-known
thoroughbred stud farms. You eventually arrive at Bultfontein farm and its Karoo Nights
guesthouse. Your hostess, Marene (pronounced MAR-i-Nay) van Wyk, will provide you with
a light lunch and refreshments. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to do a game
drive on neighbouring Van Wyksfontein, viewing wild buffalo, rhino and many other species.
That evening, enjoy a farm dinner before retiring for the second night of your trail.
Day 3: Cyclists will be directed on the farm road to neighbouring Gelykfontein Stud with its
Morning Glory Cottages (20km) before crossing the R58 tar road into the Oviston Nature
Reserve, cycling some 35km along the southern shoreline of the dam, encountering a variety
of antelope en route to Gariep village. You will then briefly join the R58 turning right into
Norvalspont, continue over the single-lane bridge crossing the Orange River and
immediately turn left into Waschbank Guest Lodge, situated on the southern shore of the
Orange River. Your hosts, Sunel and Shane, will provide lunch and later dinner at the lodge.
There is a variety of activities on offer at Waschbank, including a cycle through the farm’s
game camps alongside the river, river rafting in inflatable rafts and, for flyfishing enthusiasts,
the opportunity to cast a line into the Orange River.
Day 4: Cyclists continue their journey on the northern shoreline of the dam on the road to
Bethulie. They will be guided en route through the Gariep Nature Reserve by Anthony
Hocking, renowned author of 14 books and owner of the famous “Book Hotel”, officially the
Royal Hotel in Bethulie. Arriving in time for a light lunch, guests then have the option to chill
out in rooms before exploring Bethulie’s places of interest with Anthony, including the
Anglo-Boer War concentration camp, the old railway station and the longest bridge in SA.
Before dinner at the Royal that evening you will be entertained by well-known concert
pianist, Bernard Fourie.
Day 5: Cyclists set off on the 42km Louw Wepener trail through various farms to the north
of the town, again guided by Anthony in trailing vehicle. This will include visits to a number
of interesting farms where one or two housewives will eagerly ply your lean, athletic frames
with cheese scones and other delicacies! Arriving back at the Royal in time for lunch, you
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then have the opportunity to jump into the Quantum bus and embark on a guided tour of
the fascinating Tussen die Riviere Reserve with its large variety of game, including rhinos
and buffalo. Dinner that night can be followed by a tour of the night skies with an amateur
astronomer.
Day 6: Following an early breakfast, guests are collected by Willie Els in his Quantum bus and
returned to Colesberg (approx 1hr 15 min) to reconnect with parked vehicles ahead of their
homeward journey.