Durbanville gravel routes

[HristoZA]

Hey hey,

I’m down for the holidays and I’ve brought my gravel bike with me. I’m staying here in Durbanville (close to Glengarry), and I’m trying to find some gravel routes but I’m struggling. 

I’ve done the green route in Bottleray Conservatory and that was lekker. I’ve also got the Tygerberg permit.

I have 50mm tyres and I’m rather competent off-road so I am not too shy but some of the MTB routes are for sure too rough haha.

Anyone else here riding gravel willing to share some routes? Maybe via pm? 

Thanks!

[Skubarra]

35 minutes ago, HristoZA said:

Hey hey,

I’m down for the holidays and I’ve brought my gravel bike with me. I’m staying here in Durbanville (close to Glengarry), and I’m trying to find some gravel routes but I’m struggling. 

I’ve done the green route in Bottleray Conservatory and that was lekker. I’ve also got the Tygerberg permit.

I have 50mm tyres and I’m rather competent off-road so I am not too shy but some of the MTB routes are for sure too rough haha.

Anyone else here riding gravel willing to share some routes? Maybe via pm? 

Thanks!

What are the distances you are looking to do?

Tygerberg not really suitable for "standard" gravel riding (as in it is mostly singletrack and not jeep track.

Around Durbanville actually less gravel options than one would imagine for farmlands. Mostly rides will be a mix of gravel/tar. Close to you there are Spes bona and Occultdale gravel roads that you can link with tar to do about a 40km loop from Durbanville.

Further east to Paarl's side you have the waarburgh, eenzaamheid, lanvlei, slent roads from which you can do a roughly 80km loop.

 

[HristoZA]

14 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

What are the distances you are looking to do?

Tygerberg not really suitable for "standard" gravel riding (as in it is mostly singletrack and not jeep track.

Around Durbanville actually less gravel options than one would imagine for farmlands. Mostly rides will be a mix of gravel/tar. Close to you there are Spes bona and Occultdale gravel roads that you can link with tar to do about a 40km loop from Durbanville.

Further east to Paarl's side you have the waarburgh, eenzaamheid, lanvlei, slent roads from which you can do a roughly 80km loop.

 

During the week 30-40k weekends 70-100km. I also have an mtb to test em out first haha. Anything stellies side? Can maybe connect via bottleray hills but then i need another permit. I don’t mind tar riding tbh. 
 

i see quite a few okes on gravel bikes so i always wonder where they’re riding but I’m always going the other direction so i can’t ask them 😂

Edited November 25 by HristoZA

[Skubarra]

10 minutes ago, HristoZA said:

During the week 30-40k weekends 70-100km. I also have an mtb to test em out first haha. Anything stellies side? Can maybe connect via bottleray hills but then i need another permit. I don’t mind tar riding tbh. 
 

i see quite a few okes on gravel bikes so i always wonder where they’re riding but I’m always going the other direction so i can’t ask them 😂

Lots of mtb & tar options in the Stellenbosch direction but very limited gravel routes.

For the week from Glengarry the Spes Bona/Occultdale loop towards Malmesbury probably your best option. For longer rides the roads I mentioned above and then towards Paarl there are gravel options to get to 100km (best option probably the Paarl Mountain Nature reserve)

[Mamil]

Here's a 400km long gpx starting at the occultdale road outside durbanville and headed north east - the best and safest gravel roads I've used over recent years.

As noted there is very little that happens from Stellies and the access in and out of Stellenbosch is getting more and more dangerous from a crime point of view.

This mish mash excludes the paarl option mentioned above.

Note I'm not proposing this as a route - I usually stitch these various roads together into a route - sometimes starting in Melkbos, sometimes in Durbanville and sometimes starting in southern suburbs of CT where I live.

Wellington - Hermon - Tulbagh - Bainskloof is quite nice with the pass on tar at the end - there is a gravel / mtb route down the pass not mapped here.

 

gravel mish mash.gpx

Edited November 25 by Mamil

[HristoZA]

1 minute ago, Mamil said:

Here's a 400km long gpx starting at the occultdale road outside durbanville and headed north east - the best and safest gravel roads I've used over recent years.

As noted there is very little that happens from Stellies and the access in and out of Stellenbosch is getting more and more dangerous from a crime point of view.

This mish mash excludes the paarl option mentioned above.

Note I'm not proposing this as a route - I usually stitch these various roads together into a route - sometimes starting in Melkbos, sometimes in Durbanville and sometimes starting in southern suburbs of CT where I live.

 

gravel mish mash.gpx 509.94 kB · 0 downloads

You absolute legend! Thank you!

[milky4130]

6 hours ago, HristoZA said:

Hey hey,

I’m down for the holidays and I’ve brought my gravel bike with me. I’m staying here in Durbanville (close to Glengarry), and I’m trying to find some gravel routes but I’m struggling. 

I’ve done the green route in Bottleray Conservatory and that was lekker. I’ve also got the Tygerberg permit.

I have 50mm tyres and I’m rather competent off-road so I am not too shy but some of the MTB routes are for sure too rough haha.

Anyone else here riding gravel willing to share some routes? Maybe via pm? 

Thanks!

https://www.strava.com/routes/3428395061528942944

[HristoZA]

2 hours ago, milky4130 said:

https://www.strava.com/routes/3428395061528942944

Is this area by phisantekraal safe? I remember an incident years ago but recently haven’t looked recently. 

[milky4130]

2 hours ago, HristoZA said:

Is this area by phisantekraal safe? I remember an incident years ago but recently haven’t looked recently. 

I've not heard of a recent incident. Strava says it was frequent 85 times this month alone on various days & times.

https://www.strava.com/segments/19125690?filter=overall

[Shebeen]

22 hours ago, HristoZA said:

Hey hey,

I’m down for the holidays and I’ve brought my gravel bike with me. I’m staying here in Durbanville (close to Glengarry), and I’m trying to find some gravel routes but I’m struggling. 

I’ve done the green route in Bottleray Conservatory and that was lekker. I’ve also got the Tygerberg permit.

I have 50mm tyres and I’m rather competent off-road so I am not too shy but some of the MTB routes are for sure too rough haha.

Anyone else here riding gravel willing to share some routes? Maybe via pm? 

Thanks!

check this thread out. 

 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Have a look on Strava heat maps or Komoot as well especially around the Wellington, Hermon and Riebeeck area - also up to Tulbagh. Lots of nice gravel rides around there. Paarl - If you want some fun go up Paarl mountain via Jan Phillips and then you will have a lot of options - all on gravel roads - some include some pretty big climbs. Very pretty up there at this time of year.

[Nestus]

On 11/25/2025 at 5:36 PM, milky4130 said:

https://www.strava.com/routes/3428395061528942944

I am familiar with Occultdale, Spes and the Klipheuwel traverse. The other gravel sections, are they on private land?

[milky4130]

49 minutes ago, Nestus said:

I am familiar with Occultdale, Spes and the Klipheuwel traverse. The other gravel sections, are they on private land?

Not sure but we've rode it plenty of times with no issues with farmers.

[Skubarra]

1 hour ago, Nestus said:

I am familiar with Occultdale, Spes and the Klipheuwel traverse. The other gravel sections, are they on private land?

Assuming you refer to the gravel sections on the eastern side of the route - those are all public roads

[Geco Cycles]

Leeuwenfontein Eenzaamheid route is an idea. loads of gravel to ride in that area.

 

[HristoZA]

Thoughts on this? Seems like a nice long ride without any dangerous areas. Could also skip the loop part by botties and come back along the same gravel roads after and also perhaps explore the mountain more by paarl to get some elevation in  

 

https://www.strava.com/routes/3430467830169413838