Cycling in Africa
Africa is a thrilling and surprisingly varied cycling destination, where road riders, gravel adventurers and mountain bikers all find world-class terrain. The continent offers everything from the lung-busting climbs of Rwanda’s thousand hills to the empty gravel highways of Namibia, the vineyard lanes of the Cape and the high passes of the Atlas Mountains, all set against landscapes and wildlife you will find nowhere else.
Much of the joy of cycling here comes from the human encounters as much as the scenery. In the Rift Valley or the Rwandan highlands you ride through villages where children run alongside and cycling is woven into daily life, while in South Africa’s winelands a ride can be punctuated by tastings and long lunches. The range of climates means there is good riding somewhere on the continent in every season, from cool highland mornings to warm coastal afternoons.
Practical planning matters, especially away from the developed tourist zones. Carry plenty of water, respect the fierce midday sun, and be realistic about heat and altitude, which can both be significant. In some regions guided tours or supported trips make sense for logistics and safety, while South Africa and Morocco in particular have excellent local operators, bike rental and established routes that make independent riding straightforward and rewarding.
Where to Cycle in Africa#
The Congo Nile Trail, Rwanda Tracing the shore of Lake Kivu for around 200 kilometres, this trail is Rwanda’s premier bikepacking route, rolling through terraced hills, coffee plantations and fishing villages with the lake glittering below. It can be tackled over several days on a mountain or gravel bike, staying in simple guesthouses and homestays along the way. The climbs are relentless in true Land of a Thousand Hills fashion, but the scenery and the warmth of the welcome more than repay the effort.
The Tour du Rwanda Climbs, Rwanda Rwanda has become the beating heart of African road cycling, home to a UCI World Championships and the punishing climbs of the Tour du Rwanda, including the legendary Mur de Kigali. Riding these smooth, steep tarmac roads through the highlands, past crowds who treat cyclists like heroes, is an unforgettable experience for road cyclists. The capital’s growing cycling culture and clean air make it a genuine emerging hub for the sport.
The Atlas Mountains, Morocco North Africa’s great mountain range offers epic road and mountain biking on passes like the Tizi n’Test and Tizi n’Tichka, climbing through Berber villages to over 2,000 metres before plunging toward the desert. Riders can string together multi-day tours linking valleys, kasbahs and the fringes of the Sahara, with mule-supported options for the more remote trails. Spring and autumn offer the best conditions, avoiding both summer heat and winter snow on the high passes.
The Garden Route, South Africa The same coastline that draws road-trippers is a fine cycling destination, with quiet back roads, forest trails and coastal mountain-bike routes threading between Mossel Bay and Storms River. Purpose-built tracks in Knysna and the Harkerville forest give mountain bikers world-class singletrack among the indigenous trees. The mild climate, good infrastructure and abundance of bike-friendly guesthouses make it ideal for a self-guided cycling holiday.
The Cape Winelands, South Africa The valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are laced with quiet lanes and dedicated wine-farm trails that make for idyllic, gently rolling riding among the vines and mountains. You can pedal from estate to estate, pausing for tastings and long alfresco lunches, in one of the most civilised cycling landscapes anywhere. Numerous operators offer guided wine-and-ride tours, and the region’s roads are well suited to both road and gravel bikes.
Namibia’s Gravel Roads, Namibia For adventurous gravel riders, Namibia offers a sublime emptiness of well-graded dirt roads running for hundreds of kilometres through desert, canyon and highland scenery with almost no traffic. Routes past the Naukluft mountains, the Fish River Canyon or toward the coast reward self-sufficient cyclists with solitude and vast, cinematic horizons. This is remote riding, so support vehicles, plentiful water and careful planning are essential given the distances between settlements.
The Rift Valley, Kenya The floor and escarpments of the Great Rift Valley provide dramatic riding through a landscape of soda lakes, volcanic hills and flamingo-lined shores within easy reach of Nairobi. Lake Naivasha and its surrounds are a popular base, with rides that combine tarmac descents, dirt tracks and encounters with giraffe and zebra on private conservancies. Kenya’s world-beating endurance culture makes it an inspiring place to ride at altitude among locals who take their sport seriously.
Stellenbosch, South Africa Widely regarded as the mountain-biking capital of South Africa, Stellenbosch is ringed by an extensive network of trails on the Jonkershoek and Coetzenburg mountains, from flowing beginner loops to technical descents. It hosts major international races and has the bike shops, coaching and rental infrastructure to match any European hub. Base yourself in the pretty university town and you can ride superb singletrack in the morning and taste wine in the afternoon.
The Drakensberg, South Africa and Lesotho The soaring Drakensberg escarpment offers some of the continent’s most spectacular mountain biking, with high-altitude trails, alpine meadows and the vertiginous Sani Pass linking South Africa to Lesotho. Riding to the top of the pass, the highest pub in Africa, is a rite of passage for adventurous cyclists. The thin air and steep gradients demand fitness, but the mountain vistas and cool climate make the effort worthwhile.
The Cederberg, South Africa North of Cape Town, the rugged Cederberg wilderness is a mountain biker’s playground of red-rock formations, ancient San paintings and remote gravel roads winding through fynbos and citrus valleys. Multi-day routes link farmstays and rooibos-tea estates across a landscape that feels genuinely wild and far from the city. The dry, clear conditions are excellent for most of the year, though summer heat calls for early starts.
Sossusvlei and the Namib, Namibia Fat-bike and mountain-bike excursions around the great red dunes of Sossusvlei let riders experience the world’s oldest desert under their own power, crunching across gravel plains toward the towering sand. Guided rides at dawn or dusk avoid the fierce heat and capture the dunes in their most photogenic light. It is a bucket-list ride for the scenery alone, best arranged through a lodge or operator familiar with the fragile desert terrain.
Zanzibar’s Coast and Spice Farms, Tanzania For gentler, tropical riding, Zanzibar offers flat coastal lanes and shaded tracks winding past spice plantations, fishing villages and palm-fringed beaches. Cycling is a wonderful way to reach quieter corners of the island and meet villagers away from the resort strips. The heat and humidity are considerable, so ride early, carry plenty of water and reward yourself with a swim in the warm Indian Ocean when the day heats up.