Drakensberg Mountains

The Roof of Southern Africa

The Drakensberg is the kind of trip that changes how you think about riding. The mountains rise in a continuous basalt escarpment for 1,000 kilometres, reaching over 3,400 metres above sea level. The approach roads — particularly the passes on the southern and central Berg — are among the best motorcycle roads on the continent.

We ride north from Cape Town through the Overberg and across the Hex River Mountains, then into the Great Karoo. The space is enormous and unsettling in the best possible way. On day two we cross into the Free State and the landscape slowly greens as the altitude rises toward Lesotho.

The central Drakensberg section takes us past Cathedral Peak and up the Giant’s Castle escarpment road. Royal Natal National Park is one of the most dramatic places in Africa — the Amphitheatre, a 5-km face of basalt rising 1,200 metres from the valley floor, is simply unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else in the world.

Sani Pass is the centrepiece. The original 4×4 track has been partially tarred but the upper section is still loose gravel and rocks — this is where the adventure bikes earn their keep. At Sani Top (2,874 m) you’re in Lesotho, the Mountain Kingdom. The highest pub in Africa serves cold beer to riders who’ve made the climb. On a clear day you can see for 100 kilometres in every direction.

The return route brings us back through the uKhahlamba foothills and the Midlands Meander — a scenic valley of arts-and-crafts studios, cheese farms, and fly-fishing rivers before the final run back to Cape Town.

This tour requires moderate off-road competence for Sani Pass. We assess every rider beforehand and the support 4×4 is available as a backup option for the gravel sections.