Tankwa Karoo bike packing - help please

[capediver]

12 hours ago, Mook said:

I did survive yes, and so would you. Do not allow the elements to spoil your memories.

The Tankwa understands OBS for breakfast 😛

I am happily assuming that the i and e is missing between the B and S, since past experience has triggered fond memories of survival in part due to this famous elixir known for warding off the cold brought on by hours of submergence in the freezing Atlantic Ocean!

[capediver]

So after over 6 months of the seed planted, the tree grew arms and legs and bore fruit, thanks to all who watered it along the way (PS Tankwa demands OBS!!):

Da Doer to Gannaga...stayed the night at Da Doer and Danielle and her team were awesome...wind was up so I pitched my tent inside the kombuis of the camp site!!! I'll be taking screw type tent pegs with me next time.... long day in the saddle and donnered by the poor roads (sand and corrugations that would not look out of place on a BMX pumptrack...i swear almost 6 inches high in some places...and long stretches of it!!) and then a long climb at the end of "only" 6k's up Gannaga Pass, a spectacular place where you will only see the ancient mudstone fossilized wave patterns outcrops if you pushing a bike slowly uphill! I saw 3 different levels of evidence of seas/lakes on the way up!

Gannaga to OuPoort Ecofarm....road was mostly good except near the lodge where it is scarred with deep ruts from the rain a few months back...via Middelpos, meeting Koos and getting cokes in glass bottles while the ladies from the hotel started the fire for roester cook for the afternoon annual Middelpos bazaar! Long slow gradual undulating climb from Middlepos is a mind bender!!

At Oupoort, I was hosted by Len and Juanie and they showed typical Karroo hospitality, supplying a braai basket of local lamb chops, P salad and Malva pudding!!!! Under the stars under a tree in the veld...they are from E Slummies so we had a great skinner over a few zamaleks!

OuPoort to Surtherland...plan was to go to top of Ouberg and wild camp then head down back down into Tankwa...but heard from a number of folks on the road...very bad condition and snakes! Easy choice to skip for now! (I'll be back!) Len also gave me ride and running commentary of the goings on the area, I couldn't believe how fertile that stretch is along the Vis River, and just down the hill in the Tankwa its barren!

Sutherland...stayed at the V8 with Shelley and met Johan tuning a Cosworth-powered, double Weber carb, rocket engine inside a steroid pumped Ford Escort Mark 2 specially designed for hill-climbing!!! Watched the rugby with the locals at the Boorgat...if you ever in town, this place is a must see...think the set of MadMax...Also went to Oom Jurg at Sterland to check out the moon on International Moon Watching day!! Yoh, we on this tiny planet Earth are but a speck of dust in the cosmos!!! BTW Oom Jurg has an excellent setup for tents and vans...1km outside Sutherland towards Matjiesfontein.

Sutherland to Tankwa River Lodge....begged and pleaded with Peter from the lodge for a place...he was full, but said come along, speak to Gerhardus!!!! He of gentle giant stature and hands the size of a standard dinner plate! He took me to a spot in the veld...windpomp, small reservoir and a sheeps water trough...pointed to a small Acacia Karoo and said I heard you looking for a tree! So there I was in the middle of butt...F8...an unbelievable experience especially close to full moon!

Tankwa River Lodge to Da Doer...the wind that almost blew the windpomp off its bearings over night, didn't slow down and I had in on the head and right shoulder for 35 of the 56 ks back to Da Doer...and oh it was also back in the park and those roads mentioned above! From Tankwa River Lodge until the main park road, the surface is ok with a few drops and then a constant slow stepped climb again, after that the road was a killer all the way back to Da Doer, and I remembered how excited I was the first day to be out and how the reality of the conditions smacked me directly between the eyes and on my wrists!

Saw plenty of Springbok, rooibok, a few zebras and 2 gemsbok, was woken at night by a roaming aardvark and meet so many amazing people at the accommodations, lodges and even those that stopped me on the road or rode slowly next to me chatting from the comfort of their super-hyper deluxe 4x4 complete with rooftop tents or trailers...

Would I recommend it?..absolutely but know what you getting into..distances are big, work out how much water you will need then double it

Would I do it again?..maybe but shorter loops cause there are spots I still would like to see eg Apollo De Karroo.

Definitely a massive tick in the box and now I got to trawl through my footage to create a montage of the experience that may possibly convene to anyone the magnificence of the place

Summary:

247.49ks excluding 67 between OuPoort and Surtherland

5 days

Max elevation was about 1600m just outside Sutherland en route Matjiesfontein..I still need to check elevation gains etc etc

Temps ranged from 35 on day 1 down to 4.5 on morning of day 5 just outside Sutherland

Sleeping out was no issues under a K-Way Multi-quilt with standby First Ascent Compact Down (which I only pulled over early one morning) on a lined SeatoSummit Ether Light XR Pro all inside a First Ascent Stamina one-man tent...all packed into Thule 22L x 2 panniers and Tailfin Bar Cage and bag combo...carried by Pardus Uragano 11 spead GRX shode with 50mm Panaracer Gravel Kings SK's, powered by hooman muscle and mental prowess! and a not small pinch of malness!

PS some sample pics below...one looks just like a stoney ridge line...but look very carefully along the line...when you see it, you'll know how elusive these guys are!!!

Edited October 7, 2025 by capediver
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[DJR]

Lovely writeup CapeDiver. I wish more people would go to the trouble, like you did, to put an experience like this into more words than just a five-word sentence. But then, I suppose I fall easily for any story from the lonely desolate part of the world where I am from originally. (You can take the boy out of the Karoo, but you can never take the Karoo out of the boy - is my type of story.)

[michaelbiker]

Looks like an amazing experience. Do you have a screenshot of the map / route? Would be cool to get an idea of the locations after your write up. 

[leorust]

Well done Cape Diver! 

Very similar route to what we did a few months ago: https://leorust.com/2025/08/01/freezer-burn-4-days-bike-packing-in-the-tankwa/

Basically the route we did is opposite direction to yours (and the Munga Grit route).

I have linked Strava files for each day and overnight info. 

There is also a Peter Slingsby map that has just been published by Tracks for Africa which I would definitely take along. 

 

[capediver]

12 hours ago, michaelbiker said:

Looks like an amazing experience. Do you have a screenshot of the map / route? Would be cool to get an idea of the locations after your write up. 

I do...run up in Ride With GPS...

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52956797

Let me know if you get to see it..

Tankwa 5 Day Gravel.GPX

Edited October 8, 2025 by capediver

[capediver]

4 hours ago, leorust said:

Well done Cape Diver! 

Very similar route to what we did a few months ago: https://leorust.com/2025/08/01/freezer-burn-4-days-bike-packing-in-the-tankwa/

Basically the route we did is opposite direction to yours (and the Munga Grit route).

I have linked Strava files for each day and overnight info. 

There is also a Peter Slingsby map that has just been published by Tracks for Africa which I would definitely take along. 

 

OK wow, hectic distances you doing there! I don't like doing more than 50-60k a day so I can rest and enjoy the stops...I also carry the kitchen sink! My "rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" syndrome! I'm trying to cut down with every trip but always end up "ja, I might need this!"!!

 

BTW I saw you mentioned Houdenbek..that is up at the dam on the property, Charl and Johalet's place??...a very special place to camp!!!!

Lessons Learnt..

Water, carry as much as you can

Don't forget factor 50 and lip screen/zinc

Tankwa Padstal is closed on Wednesdays

Day one should be downhill!

Even if you dropping elevation, there's ALWAYS an uphill! You just haven't seen it yet!

Edited October 8, 2025 by capediver
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[capediver]

Day Zero....Trek to Da Doer...

 

[Anthem24]

Great video -- looking forward to the rest.

I just happened upon this while looking for something else on the SANParks site, so the staff must be gatvol of the road conditions too!

 

Edited October 8, 2025 by Anthem24

[capediver]

1 hour ago, Anthem24 said:

Great video -- looking forward to the rest.

I just happened upon this while looking for something else on the SANParks site, so the staff must be gatvol of the road conditions too!

 

Ja! I was told at the park office that the graders had been there just 2 weeks ago, and they only come once a year...another lesson learned...find out when they grading!!! 

Look, its a real issue as it needs constant care and the surface varies so much with some exposed hard clay/rock shelf and then feet of sand as evidenced by the high margins in some areas especially around Sandlaagte and Ongeluks River areas! It only takes a few 4x4 and trucks to ruin it...and there is work on a dam nearby Da Doer so that stretch is under siege by construction activities...

 

[mrcg]

34 minutes ago, capediver said:

Ja! I was told at the park office that the graders had been there just 2 weeks ago, and they only come once a year...another lesson learned...find out when they grading!!! 

Look, its a real issue as it needs constant care and the surface varies so much with some exposed hard clay/rock shelf and then feet of sand as evidenced by the high margins in some areas especially around Sandlaagte and Ongeluks River areas! It only takes a few 4x4 and trucks to ruin it...and there is work on a dam nearby Da Doer so that stretch is under siege by construction activities...

 

The problem is not necessarily the 4x4's as they usually run lower tyre pressures and have decent suspensions. The high tyre pressure runners with poor suspension and heavy weights (read trucks) are the problem - they are the cause of the bad corrugations, together with wind, heat and "floods".

[capediver]

Day ONE is an introduction to the desolation of the Tankwa! FLAT...dry, dusty and empty! Road is varied from hard clay...very little of that...to soft sand and huge corrugations...plenty of that! Day ONE was the biggest, a sufferfest ending with a big push up the final pass to the refuge of Gannaga Lodge....

 

[capediver]

14 minutes ago, mrcg said:

The problem is not necessarily the 4x4's as they usually run lower tyre pressures and have decent suspensions. The high tyre pressure runners with poor suspension and heavy weights (read trucks) are the problem - they are the cause of the bad corrugations, together with wind, heat and "floods".

You're right, apologies, I wasn't having a go at the 4 x 4 specifically, just traffic in general, I supppose.

[Shebeen]

17 hours ago, leorust said:

Well done Cape Diver! 

Very similar route to what we did a few months ago: https://leorust.com/2025/08/01/freezer-burn-4-days-bike-packing-in-the-tankwa/

Basically the route we did is opposite direction to yours (and the Munga Grit route).

I have linked Strava files for each day and overnight info. 

There is also a Peter Slingsby map that has just been published by Tracks for Africa which I would definitely take along. 

 

Awesome. With so many local options I don't really have a tankwa loop on my top 5 bucketlist, but something to be said for the emptiness and then oasis overnight options. 

[DJCilliers]

You can pay at Gannaga Lodge for the day permit in the Tankwa Karoo National Park. 

 

We did however get stopped once by rangers but they just made us fill out a form and we were on our way. 

Below is the link to my Strava route we did from Rooidakkies to Gannaga Lodge. It's a long day in the saddle. At least you will be going down hill 😅

 

Our day two was from Gannaga Lodge to Tankwa tented camp. 

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/3zpniurakXb

[capediver]

2 hours ago, DJCilliers said:

You can pay at Gannaga Lodge for the day permit in the Tankwa Karoo National Park. 

 

We did however get stopped once by rangers but they just made us fill out a form and we were on our way. 

Below is the link to my Strava route we did from Rooidakkies to Gannaga Lodge. It's a long day in the saddle. At least you will be going down hill 😅

 

Our day two was from Gannaga Lodge to Tankwa tented camp. 

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/3zpniurakXb

Permit? I stopped at the SANpark office for water on my way to Gannaga Pass...was told I don't need a permit...!?