Wupperthal, Doring River, Stonehenge, Tankwa NP, Ganagga Pass, Ouberg Pass

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LuckyStriker

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Here follows a short report about a very popular route through the Cederberg and Karoo.
The area is thoroughly explored and there are a lot of in-depth reports on this forum. I'm not going to busy you with a long story.

Friday, 4 January 2013

From Ceres you will ride 60km tarred road, through Prince Alfred's Hamlet, over Gydo Pass, and through a farming community called Op-die-berg.
Gravel road starts near the turnoff to the Katbakkies Pass. You will not see tar again until you return to Ceres. There will be occasional (but very rare) short stretches of cement road.


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This is near Eselbank in the Cederberg, en route to Wupperthal. Here you will find some of those short patches of cement road.
This section is nice and challenging for the beginner rider. It has technical bits like a few sandy patches and one long steep descent down to Wupperthal.


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Here Kaboef crosses the Doring River. In the background lies the S.A.S. Willehond (a raft built by esteemed forum member, tau), tied to a tree with a thick rope. It can transport one motorcycle at a time when the river is in flood.
The bottom of the river is sandy with many stones and a couple of holes. All of the larger rocks have been removed but a couple of submerged soccer ball-sized stones remain. Their dark shapes are easily spotted in shallow waters though.

Here is a video of a happy crossing under ideal conditions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IAOBzivOs


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We now leave the Cederberg and enter the Karoo. There are a few gates along the route. None of them are locked but if they are closed, you will be expected to close them again after you passed through.


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Here I am refueling my bike from a 5litre plastic container I sometimes take with. Photo by Kaboef.
Fuel is everywhere along the route, if you know where to look. Here is a list of places:

Ceres: full service station, all hours
Prince Alfred's Hamlet: full service station with limited operating hours
Op-die-berg: co-op pumps with limited operating hours
Cederberg Oasis: small amount of fuel in plastic containers
Wupperthal: small amount of fuel in plastic containers
Stonehenge: small amount of fuel in plastic containers
Middelpos: garage pump with limited operating hours

There are also a number of other places not far off the route where you can get fuel as well.


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Be prepared for setbacks. Here Kaboef runs into a spot of bother with his bike continuously cutting out.
Carry lots of water, it get's very hot in the Karoo. You may have to abandon your bike and walk out because there isn't a lot of traffic on the smaller roads.


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Two bikes on a Karoo trip is often better than riding solo. At least your buddy can tow you to the nearest beer where you can relax and resolve your bike issues in comfort.
Photo by Kaboef


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At Tankwa Tented Camp in Stonehenge Private Nature Reserve. Your friendly Malawian host cooks meat at no extra charge. They have beer, spirits, wine, snacks, bread, pap, but no vegetables as far as I could tell.


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The inside of the 'Onverklaar-bar' at Stonehenge is rustic, but clean.

Saturday, 5 January 2013


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The next morning, after few beers followed by a good nights rest, the problem is quickly fixed. A loose battery lead. It may seem obvious and trivial now, but in the hot Karoo sun you don't always think of the simple solutions first.


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Some decor around the campsite.


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Some vehicles used in the annual Afrikaburn - the local version of the Burning Man Festival


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Relics of Afrikaburn


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Comfortable seating around a fire pit - these stay outside permanently (it never rains here).


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Sun-heated jacuzzi


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Afrikaburn's site


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The Tankwa National Park is magnificent. No, there aren't any big game... and no, my photos don't do it justice.


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The Leeuberg 4x4-trail inside the Tankwa National Park. Any dual sport bike can negotiate this trail but be prepared for some sandy patches and some very steep ascents and descents. Street tyres are absolutely not recommended!

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The roads in the park are somewhat corrugated.
You WILL see game. From black backed jackals racing maniacally across the veld, nervous bat eared foxes diving for cover, Aloof gemsbok staring down at you, lithe springbok jumping and kicking in the air, blurry hares zipping out in front of you, zebras with generous buttocks and thundering hoofs, etc.

A small herd of zebras ran with my bike for a short time. It was wonderful. I tapped down and allowed them outpace me, I got a good roosting as thanks. It was great!


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Ganagga Pass. This photo was actually taken 4years earlier during a similar trip, but it still looks pretty much the same. The Karoo is timeless.
Do yourself a favour and stop at the Ganagga Lodge at the top of the pass for a beer or cold drink. The owner Johan is very knowledgeable and friendly.

Middelpos doesn't have much to offer except a hotel bar and expensive fuel. A big guy named Frank runs a workshop which can supply you with tools if you need to fix something on your bike. They won't have parts unless your bike was built by Massey Ferguson, and even then I doubt they'll have the right part. But a boer makes a plan...


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The very impressive Ouberg pass. Traveling upward rather than downward is advisable for newbies. It is quite steep and slightly slippery in places.

When you approach it from Middelpos or Sutherland the escarpment is sudden, abrupt, and quite unexpected. The whole world just drops away as if someone stole it.
The pass was built by Afrikaans boers long ago. You can tell by the complete absence of careful engineering (ala Bains) that follow the curves of the mountain. Instead you get a road that snakes violently left and right one minute and then heads straight down at breakneck speeds before spiraling this way and that at suicidal angles again.


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...I exaggerate of course, it's not bad and actually very pleasant to ride. The views are amazing. A must see.

Here are screen shots of the area in question. Ceres and other larger towns on the route are not displayed here:

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T4A Traveller's Africa 9.10

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Garmin SA DEM 2010.2

From Ceres back to Ceres the route is some 650km long. You can't be assured that the smaller stops along the route will have fuel so be prepared to abandon the trail and head over to nearby towns such as Calvinia or Sutherland if need be.



Thank you. I am LuckyStriker and let me tell you about the time a bottle of cheap whiskey exploded inside my luggage...
 
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