Wild Coast to Cape Town
Ridden by the founder in 2019 · KTM 790 Adventure (the Silent Assassin)
Port St Johns down the old Transkei to Wavecrest, the Kei mouth pont, East London, Port Alfred, the Langkloof to Oudtshoorn and home through Seweweekspoort.
Open in the plannerChange the dates, stops and your vehicle. The planner works out fuel, night stops, sunset, weather and the grade of every road.
Distances and grades from the planner's route on OpenStreetMap roads. Your plan may differ.
Hardest stretch: Pre-single, rocks, steep climbs, sand, river crossings. The grade reads differently by vehicle: what's fun on an adventure bike can be slow and hard in a car.
Day by day
- DAY 1 · 360 km
Durban → Port St Johns - DAY 2 · 265 km · 88% gravel
Port St Johns → Wavecrest
Via Coffee Bay - DAY 3 · 272 km · 27% gravel
Wavecrest → Port Alfred
Via Morgan Bay, East London GP Circuit - DAY 4 · 530 km · 14% gravel
Port Alfred → Buffelsdrift, Oudtshoorn
Via Langkloof - DAY 5 · 488 km · 2% gravel
Buffelsdrift, Oudtshoorn → Cape Town
Via Cango Caves, Calitzdorp, Seweweekspoort
The story
The day of avoidance: dogs, pigs, goats, cows, horses, taxis, drunk taxis, potholes and ruts, on a roadbook from a local in Port St Johns. Rain had washed the gravel into ruts. I tried to ride places I'd never been, ran low on fuel looking for the Kei pont, and snuck a lap of the East London GP circuit. Missed the Baviaans turn lost in my thoughts and took the Langkloof instead. Last night at Buffelsdrift with an owner who'd built it for conservation. If your job is stressful, ride shorter days and stop more.
Good to know
- Livestock and taxis on every road in the old Transkei. Ride slower than you think.
- Fuel range lulls you. Fill up before hunting for the Kei mouth pont.
- Day 1 from Durban isn't in the blog; the story starts at Port St Johns.
Read the misadventures
Roads change. Check conditions before you go, and report what you find in the planner so the next rider knows.