the sani pass, south africa
 

has anyone ever riden up the sani pass in drakensberg, south africa ?

going by the reading, it looks ok on a bike as 4x4`s and donkeys can get up there, so a bike should be ok i think

The Sani pass road has been repaired and changed in places. Unfortunately. Now it is no problem at all for bikes. Used to be quite rough in some sections :-)

Nonetheless still as scenic as ever.

Enjoy!
Hans

thanks loads vaufi..............shame it will not be a challenge though http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

If you want a challenge, go in winter when it's iced up.....
Either way, don't miss it as it's a beautiful drive.

i was just being full of it geoff, i`m sure it will be a challenge for my inexperience as it is mate http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

I've been up and down the Sani on two different times. On a 1150GS with pillion. Down is easier. Up is a challenge. Smaller bike would be easier.

I’ve not been up it yet – I plan to go up in a few weeks to put my new 1200GS to the test. I’m more a ‘up’ guy than a ‘down’ guy. Descending such a steep gravel pass sounds too much like hard work…

I just read a magazine article about a bunch of yahoos who went up and down with their two stroke scooters! The only real problem they had was that due to the high altitude the scooters ran out of breath. Even after taking out the air filters they had to walk them up in a few sections.

I’m also told that the route does become impassable at times due to heavy rain or snow. Nevertheless, the pass should be ok – it’s the roads around Semonkong that I’m looking forward to!

chaps, is there anywhere else in south africa you would recommend riding............as my planning stands at the moment : fly to cape town, rent a ktm lc4 adventure, garden route,durban, natal......obviously thats a very brief desciption.......im reading lots and talking to lots of people, but any opinions will be greatly appreciated http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

Siggsy
I’m rather partial to the Baviaanskloof between Willowmore and Port Elizabeth. You will get to see plenty of game (but no large predators) along the road if that noisy KTM don’t scare them off first…
Another place I can definitely recommend is the road through the Golden gate national park and the countryside around the town of Clarens.
Visit www.bmw-motorrad.co.za for more routes and trips in South Africa.

P.S… for some reason you Brits seem to love the arid parts of the country so check out the Namaqualand (flowers), Augrabies (waterfalls) and the Karoo (err…sheep).

[This message has been edited by LuckyStriker (edited 21 February 2005).]

You could turn left from the Garden Route, visit Bavianskloof and carry on to the area around Lady Grey just south of Lesotho. Great passes there. Then enter Lesotho and carry on to Sani Pass, down into Kwazulu-Natal and carry on how you had planned to do.

I reckon this would offer you the finest mountain trails in southern Africa.

If you want to do some more scenic enduro biking, visit the Western Cape nature reserves page and look for 4x4 trails. There are lots of them. Same in the Tsitsikamma mts.
Try this link: http://www.capenature.org.za/main.html

Enjoy your trip!
Hans

lucky & hans...........thank you very much for the info !! http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

you`ve mentioned places that are exactly what i want...

lucky, your right about us brits and the arid parts......recon its coz the nearest we see of this is in our imaginations or in the movies !

thanks again boys !

fellas....hope it isn`t a sensitive subject, but as most places in the world, south africa must have areas to be avoided.....so i was wondering if you could help me out with a brief comment on such places ?...cheers

…Just have to comment on something Hans said…
‘Cape Nature’ does offer good 4x4 trials but many parks have recently stopped allowing quad-bikes in because they do severe damage to the environment. If they think you’re a hothead on a grungy bike with huge knobblies they may refuse you entry.

About safety…
I don’t know about other South Africans but I find it to be a slightly embarrassing topic… a bit like asking about my underpants.
Some racial tension still exists. Many Black & White people still look at one another with suspicion and you, son, will fall into one category or the other irrespective of your nationality.

Cape Town – Safe in city and suburbs. Avoid the cape flats because gangs roam the streets and they are NOT as friendly as they seem (Think Neds with guns).

All cities have bad areas – Poverty is still a problem and can drive people to crime – That said, most people (of all races) will treat you with respect and kindness.

Highways – Be careful of speeding drivers. Many drivers completely ignore the 120km/h limit (especially BMW drivers). Highways are infuriating and dangerous, most motorcycles stay off them whenever possible.

Rural areas are great – the people are always friendly, if a little quirky.

This post is getting a bit long now… my apologies
One last thing –
Paranoia will spare you the indignities of crime but keep you from having a really great time.
…hey, that rhymes!

thanks a miliion again lucky, great post mate you just made me laugh out loud !!

i thought the subject of safety over your beautiful place would be a bit embarissing, sorry mate...,chatting to a lot of your lot over here at the moment, they all get a bit cagey and protective,when i mention these things, which i hate putting them through, because all of them are such good natured and sincere people......think i`ll leave those questions alone now......its because of the south africans i`ve become friends with here in london, that has swayed it for me to visit......

i met up with one of my brit mates whos travelling with me and we decided to not dwell on the paranoia for the same reason you mentined , that it will spoil the small time we have !

lucky, let us know how you get on with the sani pass when ya get back mate, i would love to see what you thought and how the bike got on !

cheers again !

Siggsy,

Tuesday's Evening Standard had a really good pull-out supplement on travelling around SOuth Africa. They dealt briefly with a few of the more out of the way places that you would be interested in going to.
See if you can't find yourself a back issue.
Geoff