Winelands Cycle

About Winelands Cycle

This tour starts and ends at the Cape Grace Hotel at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Guests will gather here for a trip briefing and introduction before jumping in our shuttle bus for the 45-minute trip to Paarl. We are happy to pick up guests from their Cape Town hotels and transfer them back after.

The Cape is literally surrounded by vineyards, which produce some of the world's finest vintages. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are world-renowned, attracting visitors from all over the world. But this is not your average Winelands Tour - it is for those who wish to be active and who enjoy the finer things in life. Where else can you explore rolling vineyards from the back of a bike?

It is in the quaint town of Paarl that we have developed our eco-active cycling excursion. Home to the mighty Paarl Rock, the second largest granite outcrop in the world and the Taal Monument, a tribute to the Afrikaans language, Paarl is a historic town resplendent with natural wonders and some simply superb wine estates.

The Trail: We arrive at Grande Roche Hotel, located within a vineyard below the majestic Paarl Rock. We gather for a cup of coffee and safety briefing where our guide explains the cycle excursion. We set off on our custom-made zebra and cheetah mountain bikes, down onto the main road, past a number of charming cafes and quaint guesthouses with the vineyards rolling down the slopes to greet us!

We make our way off the tarred road and onto Jan Phillips Mountain Drive, which leads us into the pristine Paarl Mountain and Nature Reserve, with the jagged peaks of the Paardeberg mountains glistening in the distance. We cycle through this shaded sanctuary, making our way up towards the mighty Paarl Rock. Paarl means Pearl in Afrikaans and it is from this massive rock that the town got its name as it glistens like a pearl in the early evening.

We climb up the hill, our only real climb of the day and are rewarded with magnificent views of the valley below as we near the Taal Monument, a tribute to the Afrikaans language. We ease our way downhill back onto tarred road, and join the Suid-Agter Paarl Road which brings us to Fairview Cheese and Wine Estate. Fairview is a world-famous estate and the perfect place to sample their selection of cheeses (brie, camembert and goat's cheese to name but a few) and awardwinning wines. We relax here, stretch our legs and refill our stomachs!

We continue on a tractor trail, meandering through lush vineyards with unparalleled views before us - Table Mountain is visible on a clear day, with farms spreading out across the deep blue horizon. This wonderful trail connects Fairview with Seidelberg Wine Estate, with over 300 years of rich winemaking tradition. Seidelberg boasts an impressive collection of vintages and must command one of the best vistas of any vineyard, anywhere in the world! We try some of their best wines, or grape juice if you prefer, while indulging in a gourmet lunch!

Our cycle ends at Seidelberg, so after all that hard work, guests are free to enjoy as much, or as little, wine as they like, without worrying about getting back on your bike or driving home. We will happily shuttle guests back home and you should be back in Cape Town by about 4pm, after the Eco-Active adventure of a lifetime!