About the Route
This route takes you from Kirkwood to Grahamstown via one of our favourite routes so far. It is a mixture of gravel and tar, but mostly gravel. Early into this route you will get on your first pass named Doringnek. A lovely easy pass with stunning views and the area changes quickly from the valley down below. When you see the Zuurberg Mountain Village on your right, be prepared for deteriorating road conditions from there on. You will now get on the suurberg pass, which is more suitable to 4x4 vehicles. It has sections of loose rocks on an incline that makes it a bitmore difficult for the motorbikes. The views are beautiful as you climb up further. This route does not do the whole suurberg pass. At around three quarters up the pass, you will get a crossroad, here we left, off the pass. This piece of gravel road leads through a camp where there are elephants and some other game farms. You are allowed to go through! Once you get to the gates, there will be a button that opens the gate. Please make sure you close the gates behind you again each time! Also adjust your speed, not just in the elephant camp, but also as you pass through the others. There are plenty of impala, kudu, nyala, zebra's and even giraffe in this thick bush and you often don't see them till the last moment. Half way through this route there is a small section of tarred road, until Alicedale. From there you take the gravel roads again to Riebeek East and you once again enter a game reserve. As you go through this Game Reserve, you will go over the Kalmoesfontein Pass, which can be rather tricky. There are some steep rocky sections and rather muddy after the rains. We throughly enjoyed this pass! Once you get to Riebeek East, you only have an easy gravel road ahead of you (one again passing through a reserve), with beautiful views all the way to Grahamstown.