Premiere Hotels
Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.
Cellars-Hohenort
Constantia (2 nights)
A historic manor house in the Cape Winelands with stunning views of Table Mountain. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Retreat
Cederberg Mountains (2 nights)
This wilderness retreat features a gorgeous landscape, and is home to a wide variety of antelope and birds. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool, spa)
Mashatu Main Camp
Mashatu Game Reserve (2 nights)
A spectacularly remote luxury camp built around a water hole where one of southern Africa's largest elephant herds congregates. (pool)
Summerfields Rose Retreat & Spa
Hazyview (2 nights)
These luxurious tented lodge suites are nestled in a secluded valley along the Sabie River, where hippos sometimes bathe at dusk. (pool, spa)
Londolozi Private Game Reserve
Sabi Sands Game Reserve (2 nights)
An elegant game lodge on the Sand River offering chalets with balconies for observing elephants and hippos in the wild. Travel + Leisure World's Best. A Relais & Châteaux member. (pool)
This Trip Is Rated Levels 1-3
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
Daily Route Options (drag to see full )
| Daily Route Options |
| 1 |
Walking/Hiking |
1* |
0 |
|
|
7 |
1000 |
|
|
|
|
| Walking/Hiking |
2* |
600 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Walking/Hiking |
3 |
700 |
|
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|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Biking |
|
|
19* |
1000 |
25* |
1400 |
38* |
2500 |
|
|
| Walking/Hiking |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
Biking |
9 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 4 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
100 |
4 |
500 |
7 |
600 |
|
|
|
|
| Walking/Hiking |
4 |
200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other |
Evening Walk & Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| 5 |
Other |
Game Drive to Mashatu Main Camp (1 Hour) |
| Other |
Afternoon Game Walk (45 Minutes) |
| Other |
Evening Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| 6 |
Other |
Morning Biking & Game Drive (3.5 Hours) |
| Other |
Afternoon Bush Walk (1 Hour) |
| Other |
Evening Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| 7 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other |
Morning Biking & Game Drive (3.5 Hours) |
| 8 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
300 |
4 |
400 |
7 |
700 |
|
|
|
|
| 9 |
Other |
Summerfields Rose & Orchard Walking Tour (1 Hour) |
| Other |
Shangaan Community Tour (1.5 Hours) |
| Other |
Evening Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| 10 |
Walking/Hiking |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other |
Morning Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| Other |
Evening Game Drive (2 Hours) |
| 11 |
Other |
Morning Walk & Game Drive (1 to 2 Hours) |
|
|
Note:
On this trip, we'll be using titanium mountain bikes that are just right for the non-technical dirt road riding as well as the paved riding. (Approximately 50% dirt and 50% paved).
The walking terrain includes rugged bush trails, with the focus on game viewing. The biking routes on this trip follow narrow rocky paths and dirt and paved roads. All the walks and bike rides in game reserves are optional with game drives as an alternative activity.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies and other external factors.
Meals
All breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day’s ride is a bike that’s perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
Backroads Titanium Bikes (Included in your trip price)
Our custom-built titanium bikes are specially designed for you—and we offer different models for varied terrain so your bike is ideally suited to the region. Our custom-made bikes are included in your trip price.
Mountain Bike (Included)
Also Included
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Get the Straight Talk about This Trip
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Flights
On this trip we occasionally travel by turboprop plane to reach the exclusive hotels and activities this destination has to offer. We'll be flying by charter with Sheltam Aviation and Federal Air aboard turboprop planes that seat 10 passengers.
Why Travel with Backroads in South Africa and Botswana
One from the Heart
Christian Chumbley, our Regional Manager for South Africa, drew on 25 years of exploring to create this unique itinerary. The result is a trip where you don't sit in vehicles viewing elephants—you get on bikes and ride past them. And in private reserves with no fences limiting animals’ freedom, you spot game with some of the best rangers anywhere, gaining their expert insights and feeling their passion for the land—a passion that inspires every dimension of this trip.
We Stand Behind Our Trips
Most companies' trips in South Africa and Botswana are run by local operators. At Backroads we manage our own trips; we would never subcontract your precious vacation to a third party. So as you enjoy the support of your seasoned Trip Leaders, along with our expert local guides and drivers, you have the confidence of knowing we're with you every step of the way.
Only the Best Hotels
On this trip featuring Premiere Hotels, you can count on the best lodgings South Africa and Botswana has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
We Invented the Multi-Adventure Trip
After more than 30 years of creating Backroads Multi-Adventures, our trip designers know how to blend the perfect balance of biking and hiking with other activities to showcase the best of a region. And then they arrange the seamless transitions that would be so hard to orchestrate on your own—adding dimensions to your trip that are exciting, inspiring and just plain fun.
Everyone at Their Own Pace
We design and support our South Africa and Botswana trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
The Best Leaders in South Africa and Botswana
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in South Africa and Botswana, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Experts with Secrets to Share
In choosing the ideal experts to enrich your travel experience, we look for people with a wealth of local knowledge, but also the ability to convey their insights in English. Too often travelers find themselves smiling politely, not quite understanding what they're being told. Our experts share intriguing facts, anecdotes and inside stories that stay with you forever.
Quality You Can Measure
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
Kids Who Aren't Kids Anymore
Only Backroads offers active trips in South Africa and Botswana designed for families with older teens and 20s. These trips are aimed at you and the amazingly grownup members of your clan—whether they're almost high school grads, already in college or further along. Find out more in this blog post.
Our Cultural Roots Run Deep
Thanks to our extensive connections in South Africa and Botswana, Backroads takes you off the beaten track and deep into the region's culture in ways that traditional travel can never hope to do. We know the people and their customs, the legacy of art and architecture, the complex history and politics – and if we're not sure, our amazing local experts can fill in the blanks.
