South Africa boasts unadulterated wilderness side-by-side first world cities steeped with five-star entertainment, food, and housing. Here, you can spend the night surrounded by luxury, only to wake the next morning to speed down sheer cliff-face roads overlooking spawning whales and the chatter of African penguins. The best way to experience all of the expansive landscapes, thrilling country roads, multicultural cities, and unique wildlife South Africa has to offer is to plan an extended holiday and take the long road from provincial capital to provincial capital: Johannesburg to Cape Town.

"An agonizing feeling, that tele-tubby box of a camera haunted my dreams. The more I saw it the more I wanted to scream inside. Not out of anger, but out of disbelief that something so ugly could take over the market like a tidal wave." - Marc Barros - Co-Founder of Contour Inc. (Source: marcbarros.com)

Folks, I can't believe it happened, but the best helmet camera company out there just shut down last month. A classic example of how big money and huge marketing budgets can propel an inferior product to the front of the market and squash the best camera companies into oblivion, this is quite a shame.  Equally shameful is that this kind of thing happens in many other industries, including the motorcycle touring & renting business. Big money and advertising has many customers "running to the biggest" company, instead of getting the most value out of their dollar with others who don't spend as much on advertising.  Oh well, such is business for now I guess. 

Hands down, the highlight of most every Peruvian adventure is a journey to the mystical heights of Macchu Picchu. However, to reach its summit requires travel measures largely excluding motorcycle routes. So aside from motorcycling the jungle, a backwoods tour from Cusco to the end of Manu National Park might be just what adventure riding enthusiasts are looking for.
Leaving Cusco, begin your journey just northeast of the city and ride along the fabled Sacred Valley. These winding back-valley dirt roads encompass ancient Incan ruins and rural Quechua villages. Outside these clusters, you will glimpse farmers wearing traditional clothing as they work the terraced

The best way to experience the uniqueness of South Africa is by the power of two wheels. This unforgettable country has all of the necessary ingredients - favorable climate, quality roads, expansive scenery - the traveling motorcyclist could want. For a trip complete with urban flair, sublime deserts, mountains, and rocky coastlines, take an extended holiday with one of our South Africa motorcycle rental options and travel the famed Garden Route.

Consider beginning your tour just north of Johannesburg in the capital city of Pretoria. From here, it's a delightful ride through the Orange Countryside and down into the Kingdom of Lesotho. Upon Lesotho's border crossing, make your way towards Katze Dam along some of the country's most exciting roads. Here, for 80km you will experience sharp curves with steep gradients and little to no traffic. A motorcycle riders' dream.

Next, ride through the Golden Gate National Park on winding roads bordered by sandstone cliffs and populated by antelope herds and screeching vervet monkeys. The park opens up to a day's ride through the Drankensberg mountains and onto South Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.

South Africa is an incredible and vibrant country that offers a premier traveling experience. For the motorcyclist, this experience is made even more rewarding by way of the journey. If you are looking for the best backdrop for your next adventure, here are five excellent reasons to explore South Africa on a motorcycle trip.

1. Rich in biodiversity
Despite South Africa covering less than one percent of the world's land surface, this country contains ten percent of all of the world's plant, fish, and bird species; in addition to including six percent of the world's known mammal and reptile species. Any ride taken throughout the winding roads of South Africa's bushveld and savannah regions will find a myriad of classic African species. For those especially eager to sight one of the famous Big Five's, the African elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard and rhinoceros's, consider including a trip to Kruger National Park, a day's ride from Johannesburg. This park alone has herds of over 10,000 elephants, 20,000 buffaloes, and an estimated 2,000 lions. After a day spent capturing shots of these magnificent creatures, spend the night underneath the stars in a wilderness bush campsite, or bed down in comfort in one of the national park's more urban-minded, luxury lodges.

With abrasion resistance, armor, and high-tech features that Batman himself could aspire to, few adventure jackets are as coveted as the Klim Badlands Pro, but is this high-performance jacket worth it's high price tag?

When people speak of traveling to Peru, their sights are generally focused on visiting the epic ruins of Machu Picchu. However, this exquisite South American country is ripe with many other opportunities and unique adventures; especially for those wandering by motorcycle and its afforded freedom. Whether you are traveling to Peru for the first time, or planning your fifth holiday retreat, consider this time making the exciting route up the Peruvian southern coast.

If you start at the southern end of Peru and head northbound on the Panamerican Sur highway, you will find yourself riding through an unrivaled stretch of exquisite desert scenery, until you reach the quaint port of Puerto Inca. This hidden beach resort was once an important coastal harbor of Inca Cuesco nobles.
Continue northbound on lazy highway stretches and on to the mysterious Nazca. This dusty desert outpost is home to one of the most mysterious, and too often overlooked, archeological sites in the world: the Nazca Lines. Surmised to be a part of an astronomical pre-Inca calendar, the Nazca Lines consists of hundreds of desert-etched figures of spiders, hummingbirds, monkeys, and more. Each representation ranging in intricate complexity.

Most every great adventure story set in South Africa includes a visit to Cape Town. Located on the shore of Table Bay in the Western Cape, this vibrant city serves as a great trail head to cross-country motorcycle adventures, while also eliciting its own surprises. Whether you are new to the city, or making your fifth journey to the region, one of the most scenic rides is that from Cape Town to the southern tip of Cape Point.

Not going to lie here:  The fact that people are choosing to "Ride the World" on Self-Guided Motorcycle Trips seem to be all the rage right now.

Dutch for "Valley of the Baboons," the Baviaanskloof Road meanders along the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Beginning in Patensie in the east, this mostly unpaved throughway stretches 197 km to Willowmore in the west. Its rough roads and considerable mountain twists create a ride more suitable to the experienced rider, but those who dare travel its length are in for an unforgettable motorcycle adventure.

The Baviaanskloof region is often regarded as a region of some of the most unspoilt African wilderness. The road generally follows the river, leading first through the rugged beauty of the Grootriver Gorge. On both sides, the motorcyclist will be privy to colorful cliff faces and unique rock formations that are characteristic of the region's predominant hard sandstone. Throughout this section, pinnacles and sandstone slabs overhanging the road are decorated with lucent lichens.

The gorge eventually opens into the Poortjies Valley and the last remnants of the Knysna forest. This is an ecologically sensitive system; its vegetation and wildlife unique to this one region. Following this valley is the road's first pass, known as Combrink's Pass. Here, the road is steep and especially narrow where it snakes upwards. For each turn, however, the adventure motorcyclist is happily rewarded with breathtaking drops and the most dramatic of sceneries; where one can truly begin to understand the wonder and hardships of life as a first settler and pioneer.
At the top of Combrink's Pass is the extensive Bergplaas grassland plateau. This was the location of more recent region zebra re-introductions and parts of these herds are still seen playing throughout the area. The plateau itself offers magnificent panoramic, bird's-eye views. For those seeking a short riding break, this area also serves as an excellent trail head for many great hiking trails into the Berg Plaatz Wilderness area. For more experienced climbers, consider taking the stimulating route up Mac Mountain.