Documentation
You will need a passport and appropriate travel insurance. Currently UK citizens (and those from many countries) will be granted a tourist visa upon arrival in South Africa and Lesotho. It is, however, your responsibility to check that you can legally enter the country. Most ‘western’ driving licences are also valid (with photo and written in English), but please also check your status before travelling.
Currency
You should get by on around £400 spending money if you don’t do a lot of shopping. Cash and travellers’ cheques can be changed at the airport and in the larger towns. Cash points are widespread and most vendors accept credit/debit cards. Cash is best for fuel stations as it speeds up what can otherwise be a lengthy process. Depending on what bike you choose and how you ride it, expect to part with about £100 for fuel.
Lesotho currency called loti. Today for [currency amount=”1″ from=”GBP” to=”ZAR” append=”” round_append=”” iso=false between=’ you will get about ‘] lotis.
Climate
At the time of year we will be visiting, South Africa should be nice and sunny, but not too hot, even at the coast. Obviously, though, we can’t guarantee this and you should be prepared for the possibility of a couple of wet days. Lesotho, due to the altitude, can be cold in the early mornings and evenings, though generally the days are warm and sunny. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 30ºC on the coast/in the desert; the minimum 0ºC (at night in the mountains, if it has been overcast during the day).
Bike Kit
We advise riders to consider their kit in terms of layers, so you can adjust to be comfortable during the course of a varied day. Clothing as you would wear on a tour of Europe is perfectly suitable, whether leathers, or textiles. Some kind of waterproofing is a very good idea. Bring something warm for the evenings. Good gear can also prevent a minor spill causing a trip-ruining injury, so we require that you ride with no exposed skin (except your face).
Luggage
While your main luggage will be carried in a support vehicle, your bike will be equipped with a top-box for carrying spare kit, cameras, water, etc. Your main bag must be ‘soft’ and not a suitcase.
Fitness
You need not be any more fit on this tour than if you were riding in Europe. However, if you have any existing medical condition that may affect you during the tour, please consult your doctor and Blazing Trails before booking. With maximum altitudes of around 3000m, some altitude-related discomfort is a possibility, however altitude sickness at this level is unlikely.
Riding Skills
While we insist those joining us have a full motorcycle licence, and recommend a minimum of a year’s riding experience, time in the saddle and miles ridden are of more relevance to a tour like this. There are a couple of longer days in the saddle, up to a maximum of around 550km (350 miles) in a day. We do, though, try to design the tours so you get an easier day, or down day, after a long ride.
Health & Hygiene
South Africa and Lesotho are very clean and hygienic countries (in SA we’d say more so than the UK), with clean ablutions and usually safe tap-water, so the chances of getting even a ‘holiday tummy’ are low. The areas through which this tour passes has no malaria risk.
Eating & Drinking
South African restaurant food will be familiar to those coming from the West. Food is of a high standard and is very good value (especially meat and seafood dishes), being less than half the equivalent cost of the UK. One of the world’s great wine producers, South Africa is a great place to sample the grape, which is also great value for money. Decent beers (mainly lagers) are available everywhere.
On our tours, food other than breakfasts will only be inclusive where there is little or no choice, or where we have arranged something special (barbeques etc). For the number of meals included in the trip, see ‘What The Tour Price Includes’ (above). We have arranged the tour like this so participants can choose the what, wheres and explore for themselves. Not everybody wants to eat in a group every night, eat the same thing, or at the same time. We will, however, be happy to advise on eateries…
Excursions
As with eating, we do not want to prescribe what non-riding activities you choose to participate in. In many places there are several options, so we will be happy to advise, put you in touch with the right people and let you decide. If you want to add days to your tour, in order to do some wildlife viewing or any other activity let us know and we will arrange it for you.
Personal Safety
While South Africa has had some pretty bad press in recent years for violent crime, very little of this nature happens in the tourist areas through which we will be travelling. And, as ever, the media tends to sensationalize the bad and ignore the good. Being guided through the ‘right’ areas in a group greatly mitigates the chances of encountering unpleasantness. Petty crime – pick-pocketing and theft – happens, as it does in virtually all tourist destinations with a wide gulf between rich and poor. A few simple precautions, like keeping your wallet/docs in an inside pocket and leaving nothing unattended on the bike, should mean a trouble-free tour. The mountainous areas of Lesotho have incredibly low incidences of crime.
Medical facilities
Southern Africa has developed enough emergency services and an efficient private health-care system. Lesotho is less developed and so should a serious incident occur, any casualty would be evacuated to South Africa for treatment. Travel insurance, including medical cover, is compulsory on this trip.
