Camdeboo MTB Odyssey. Outrides, tours and bike packing in the Garden Route and Karoo.
The heart of the Greater Karoo for most is a vast semi dessert to drive through as fast as possible. But to mountain bikers, it is a net work of tracks and trails far off the beaten track.
Camdeboo Odyssey
Route :
The Cambedoo Odyssey is a six day mountain bilking tour in the central Karoo. Starting east of Graaff Reinet, the 6 day route heads north via Neau Bethesda to Dwarsvlei south of Middleburg before turning south east to cross over the Ouwapadberg Pass to drop down and follow the Sundays River back to Graff Reinet. Highlights en route are crossing three passes, traversing 5 catchment basins and riding though four nature reserves
Distance and Altitude gain : Not for the feint-hearted, the route is 350km with 4100m altitude gain. Staring at an altitude of 800m, the route climbs three mountain ranges with the highest summit at 1805m
Accommodation : Cyclists stay in farm stays and guests lodges en route
Best Time to go : The Karoo is a semi desert and is extremely hot in the summer months between early Novemeber till mid April. The ideal time to plan for the Camdeboo Odyssey is in the winter period between May and November.
Highlights : This is a cycle tour for mountain bikers looking to slip the shackles of urban life. Besides riding through four nature reserves, the tour is along back roads, jeep tracks and at stages sheep tracks, and you can ride for 2 hours and not see a vehicle. Besides the livestock fences on either side of the road there is very little evidence of civilization and you are totaly immersed in this stark arid landscape.
Tour Group Size : We can accommodate groups between 4 and 12 riders. The largest bottle neck for the accommodation is the remote locations and the room configurations.
Route Options : While the primier route is a six day loop, variations can be created. If you require a shorter period either three day and four day itineraries can be configured.
