South Africa - Take a Ride on the Wild Side
Visit Active Escapes: http://www.active-escapes.co.za/tours/cycle_tours.htm for a truly inspirational cycling holiday!
Tripping on the Wild Side
Carving up pool noodles and zip-tying them to your bicycle. Our sporty steeds were starting to look as if they might attend a dance party. But if this kept them from a watery grave on some remote Wild Coast estuary, then so be. This was finally happening. A week long mountain biking tour along South Africa’s pristine ‘Wild’ Coast. No meeting requests or urgent deadlines – just seven friends ready to throw stress to the wind. Of course there was the small issue of luggage to sort out first.
Our tour operators, Paul and Sarah Colvin of Active Escapes, requested that we each bring “one small duffel bag”. I guess ‘small’ is a relative conception. An ‘excess luggage’ charge at the airport should have rung warning bells for some! After the dinner suit, six extra lube bottles and individual cleaning boxes were deemed ‘unnecessary’, we streamlined our equipment to one large box of spares (broken derailleurs were not going to prevent us from finishing this ride) and seven half-fill, albeit oversized, tog bags. After a delicious dinner of coconut curry and a few games of pool at the local tavern, we were ready to hit the sack in anticipation of the mothers and shark-infested waters, which lay ahead.
We awoke to bright sunshine and a south-westerly tailwind. The weather was breaking us in gently. The ferry ride across the broad muddy waters of the Kei marked the official start of our adventure which was to end in Port St John’s – seven days and 200km later. I shot a quick picture, clipped in, and cranked hard to catch the others who were eagerly climbing the first hill. On summating, we got our first Wild Coast vista. Aquamarine ocean stretching out to the horizon and rolling green grasslands, peppered with cattle, lay before us. “Hmm, so this is why the Imana has a ten year waiting list!” “Not bad. Not bad at all” I thought.
Over the next few days we were to ride through some of South Africa’s most scenic and remote sections of coastline. Dramatic cliff faces, jutting headlands and deserted beaches - there's really no better way to appreciate the splendour of this ‘untamed’ coastline than from the vantage of your saddle, as you wind your way from cliff-top to sandy bay, across grassy plateau and up forest tracks, passing friendly rural villages along the way. Navigation proved easier than anticipated. Our tour operator provided us with a map and detailed route instructions, but one soon discovers that there is no ‘one right-path’. Depending on tide and wind conditions, it was sometimes better to take a longer inland route, whilst at other times, sticking to the coast ate up the mileage along hard flat beach. Initially, we spent much time debating our proposed route, but after the first day, agreed to disagree. There was a contingent amongst us who always argued for the inland option (even if it meant some stiff hill climbing); whilst others remained headstrong in their conviction of ‘sticking to the beach’ – not letting hard toil against a north-easterly headwind deter them. Sooner or later, all tracks lead back to the ocean, and the two groups would meet at a predetermined point. Of course this also meant ‘friendly’ stage races, to prove whose route really was the better option.
From the outset, we had decided that the holiday was to be more about the riding, than staying in luxury hotel accommodation. Our tour operator was able to provide us with some great backpacker, nature reserve and private holiday cottage alternatives – all with a unique ‘sense of place’. A well scheduled ‘lay day’ was spent at Bulungula Lodge – a fair trade tourism lodge overlooking the stunningly beautiful Belungwini estuary and golden miles of wild shoreline. Here, some of the boys mended broken chains and bent dropouts, whilst the others went…er… fishing!
On our fourth day cycling we descended from a high-cliff plateau down to hole-in-the wall. Getting a birds-eye descent on this massive, freestanding rock arch with its famous hollowed centre, kept the cameras clicking for sometime. Arriving at hole-in-the-wall on the high tide meant the deepest river crossing yet. Luckily a friendly guy in canoe offered to ferry our daypacks across, whilst we swam with the bikes. Chris generously thanked him for his service, by removing his lycra’s (to which we had now become accustomed at all river crossings) and making a beeline for the wife and kids on the other side! After some emphatic apologies to the ‘distressed’, we gathered for lunch – drying our wet-salted bodies in the sun, munching sweet-chilli and cheese sarmies thinking that this was about as close to paradise as you get! Paradise was soon forgotten, however, on the last 10km of district road into Coffee Bay. No amount of staminade (or sarmies, for that matter) could have prepared us for the bastard ‘mother-in-laws’ which lay ahead. Extreme conditions call for desperate measures, and so it was that we surrendered to fishing in our pockets for any remnants of sweet, energy-bar …or pumpkin seed, to fuel the kids offers of “push your bike uphill for sweet”. Trying to keep a straight line on a 45 degree slope, whilst being pushed from all angles by enthused kids, proved a tricky task indeed. Still preferable nonetheless, to cranking up that gradient unaided. That evening, the black labels and ‘potjie’ provided at Bomvu backpackers, was demolished with gusto.
Participants of the Imana Wild Ride would normally ride from Coffee Bay to Umngazi River Bungalows on their fourth and final day – a mighty 63 kays - if you keep on-track. Given that we were here for pleasure, our tour operators advised that we break the final section into two days, stopping overnight at Mpande. Nine hours later, as we limped into Mpande with the setting sun casting a golden halo on the bay before us, we were much relieved to have taken that decision! Given that this was also the longest day, the girls had earnt themselves a fine, having craftily snatched the yellow jersey from Larry, our leader.
That evening we stayed in a luxurious holiday cottage perched on a high cliff with fantastic views over the ocean. Some of the guys braved an early morning swim and were rewarded for their efforts in seeing a large school of dolphins frolicking in the waves. It was with some sadness that we left Mpande, for the final homestretch into Port St Johns. A relatively easy 5hrs riding and we arrived at Jungle Monkey backpackers. Nine peddle-weary bodies gleefully jumped fully clothed into the swimming pool - to the bemused stares of the other backpackers. Sarah placed the final cherry – by serving us fresh crayfish as an entrée to our tour ‘fines’.
If you have some previous mountain bike experience, can ride all day at a slow but constant pace and a have a few like-minded individuals to join you, there’s no reason why you too shouldn’t take a ride on the ‘wild side’. From hotel-hopping tours to friendly backpacker and holiday cottage alternatives; fully-supported to more self-guided alternative – Active Escapes will customise a tour to suit your group’s time, fitness, and budget. Let them take care of the logistics, whilst you make the most of an unforgettable holiday! Visit their website: http://www.active-escapes.co.za/tours/cycle_tours.htm Or contact Sarah Colvin:Landline: +27 033 3431564Cellphone: +27 (0)84 240 7277
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Howard
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... Awsome ride,Just a little far from Cape Town but after this fantastic article I'm making a effort to get there this year. |
Dipesh
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... Stayed at Umngazi River Bungalows (Aug 2009) and managed to get a rid in with the in house mtb guide. A fun 2 hours loop with a shallow river crossing. Which challenged fitness more than skill, but enjoyable non the less. |
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