Base yourself at Mt Melsetter and cycle the popular local routes.
Choose your distances each day, your route, your accommodation – fully catered or in self-catering cottages.
Melsetter and cottages have 9 double bedrooms, 7 of which are en-suite. Undercover parking for 7 vehicles.
To cycle the regular 4-day routes there must be at least 8 per group.
Sneeuberg TrailThe Sneeuberg trail : we have a number of new options on this route: cycling on the east side of Compassberg via Nieu Bethesda, or cycling the western route via The Poplars. Both routes end in the celebrated town of Graaff-Reinet.
Fish River TrailFish River trail, following the road route of the Fish River Canoe Marathon, from Mt Melsetter past Grassridge Dam to Lowlands Country House (near Fish River station) and on to Cradock the next day, staying at the iconic Tuishuise & Victoria Manor Hotel.
Gariep TrailGariep trail (through three Provinces E/Cape, N/Cape & OFS), from Colesberg towards the Gariep Dam, cycling through two nature reserves, the Oviston and Gariep Reserves and then on to a choice of destinations.
Mt Melsetter TrailMt Melsetter has a number of cycling routes, both on the farm itself and on neighbouring farms and district roads.
Revel in the Karoo - on a bicycle!
Great Karoo Cycling trails (GKC) are the consequence of years of cycling the undiscovered and abundant dirt roads and jeep tracks meandering through the timeless panorama of the Cape Midlands area of the Karoo. Ride past and stay at celebrated farms en route. Mountain biking is the fastest growing sporting and leisure activity in the country. Great Karoo Cycling is offering secure and safe mountain biking trails on back roads with little vehicular traffic and no crowded venues. Cyclists are accompanied only by tranquil merinos grazing in the veld, quizzical meerkats, nimble springbok, blue cranes screeching and spurwing geese honking overhead as they pass by solemn, secretive ironstone koppies! Early risers will hear a prolific dawn chorus of Karoo endemics!
What to Expect
GKC, in collaboration with established Karoo Hospitality and Breakaway venues, offers you leisure cycling at its most affordable.
All on dirt roads and jeep tracks through well-known Karoo farms, staying over in established farm guesthouses
Option of river rafting on the Great Brak.
Minimum of 8 cyclists per group, ideal number is 12, maximum of 14.
The ride is between 45 and 60 kilometres a day. However, you can choose your own distance by simply jumping on and off the trailing vehicle.
Choose to cycle from 2 to 4 days.
Ebikes and 29-inch mountain bikes available for hire.
Our Karoo Cycling Trails
GKC offers six different trails to various towns in the Karoo. These are: