Motorcycle dual-purpose and Adventure Kingdom in the Sky. Lesotho The roof of Africa

天 1 Port Elizabeth - Addo

From Port Elizabeth a short road transfer will take you to our HQ in Addo, where you will join us for a briefing and a barbeque (Braai) at our on-site pub.

天 2 Hogsback

Time to explore the rolling hills and swooping passes of the Eastern Cape, skirting many game parks and nature reserves with the opportunity to spot game long the way. The road alongside the Great Fish River Nature Reserve is a particular highlight. To end the ride we climb steeply into the deeply forested Amathole Mountains to reach cool and scenic Hogsback where we spend the night.

天 3 Hogsback - Maclear

Conditions permitting we will start the day with a 50km stretch of dirt track through rolling pastures, before taking to the lesser sealed roads, travelling north into the scenic southern Drakensberg. High above us on the towering escarpment we get our first glimpses of Lesotho. Taking a small diversion on to the dirt we find our comfortable night's accommodation on a remote farmstead in the hills.

天 4 Maclear - Underberg

Having returned to the tar, there's more super-swooping tamac that carries us into the impressive hills and mountains of Zulu Land. The views build and build as the high (3000m) mountains come into view. We spend the night at a smart guest house in Underberg, where we will cook up a meal over the fire.

天 5 Underberg - Sani Pass

Today we take on the Sani Pass, one of this trip's many highlights. The pass climbs 1332 vertical metres, from 1544m above sea level to 2876m. The ride can be tricky due to the gravel hairpins, but is not beyond the reach of the average rider, though pillions may opt to ride in the 4X4 support vehicle (two-wheel-drive vehicles are not permitted to climb the pass). In places the climb to Lesotho is 1:3 and the views back down to South Africa stunning. Plans are afoot to tar this classic dirt road, so come and ride it in its full glory while you can! A celebratory drink in Africa's highest pub is a must, before bedding down in a comfortable hotel.

天 6 Sani Pass - Lejone

Photographers may wish to see sunrise over the pass before breakfast and riding out onto the most extraordinary roads imaginable. Through the Maloti Mountians snakes our route, passing Thaban Ntlenyana, which at 3482m is the highest point in Africa south of Kilamanjaro. Bend-after-bend-after-bend, the theme is set for our Lesotho riding... and just when you thought it couldn't get any better, we plunge from the highlands on a ribbon of masterfully engineered road to the northern plateau. Soon we are again riding into the mountains and to the small village of Lejone, on the shores of Katse reservoir. The ride to Lejone is glorious, almost obscene in its excellence, featuring a 100km stretch that is so bendy it's dizzying.

天 7 Lejone - Malealea

Good morning, breakfast and off. Some brief tarmac bliss and then we're on a 60km section of dirt. The gravel winds along hillsides and through charming villages, with views into deep, river-carved valleys. When a sealed road magically appears, we're back on it! Again, the ride is so good you can barely see because your helmet is swinging from side-to-side in disbelief. Again when we leave the high country, having crossed many high passes (including the 'God Help Me Pass'), we descend to the plateau in the most brain-frying fashion. A tricky little dirt pass takes us to Malealea, where the night is spent in spacious, ensuite rondavell huts, entertainment courtesy of local band and choir.

天 8 Malealea - Malealea

After dazzling days of intense riding, it's about time for a break. For those not content to simply chill out and rest the posterior, walks (guided or not) to view ancient cave art and horse treks can be arranged.

天 9 Malealea - Semonkong

Another morning of mixed-surface riding takes us to the smoothly-tarred A5 road and yet more mountain magic. Passes, meandering river valleys and jagged mountain peaks again keep things interesting as riding bliss becomes business as usual. A dirt detour will take us to a spectacular cliff-top view of the Maletsunyane Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in Southern Africa. We finish the day's swervery at Semonkong, the 'Place of Smoke', ensconced in smart huts in a beautiful river valley. Best hit the bar for some tall tales, then...

天 10 Semonkong - Bethel

Designed by Valentino Rossi, in conjunction with Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Lemmy, the road rolls its way through and over the rocks of the Southern Highlands. Big views and big, giddy grins, it gets a bit too blissful to comprehend as we take our last long ride in Lesotho. We end at a lodge near the small town of Quthing. Perhaps one last Maluti beer for the exquiste road....

天 11 Bethel - Nieu-Bethesda

Today we cross back into South Africa, but the experience does not stop here. Oh no. Having crossed the border, we will weave through the quiet and scenic back roads of the Southern Drakensberg. It's twisites a first, but as we enter the edge of the Great Karoo the roads straighten out, with only the occassional mountain pass to offer some jinks. We are, however, riding through an ancient and beautiful landscape of desert and mountains. The last few miles of the day, we ride a lovely dirt road to the charming village where we overnight.

天 12 Nieu-Bethesda - Addo

Here's more cruising through big desert scenery as we head south on the highway, passing lonesome farms and small agri-towns. Towards the end of the ride we'll again head onto the gravel, heading for Eagle Falls where a river crashes into the valley below our accommodation. All is peace and natural beauty as we dine.

天 13 Addo - Port Elizabeth International Airport

One last ride and by no means a poor one as we cut through the coastal mountains and back to base at Addo. Food, beer, sleep.

If your flight out is in the evening you will have time to take a safari through the world famous Addo Elephant National Park, Home to over 600 elephants, lion, buffalo, hyena and a myriad of grazers.