Mountain biking in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve

Yippie, around 10:00am today we went to our bike provider and received our bikes! Each of us got a Specialized MTB-Fully and a helmet! Without a helmet, biking is not allowed in the Nature Reserve! I even wanted some protectors, but they didn't have them. The Nature Reserve is located in the middle of a mountainous landscape and you can choose from numerous trails of different difficulty levels.

First, we saved the huge map with all the trails on our phones so that we wouldn't get lost! The lady from the Nature Reserve explained the rules in the park to us! There are also paths for pedestrians and a jeep track! The good signage made it clear where bikes were allowed and in which direction to ride the trails!

We finally started! We followed the signs to the first trail! We had to ride up this one and go down at another place! Yes, it was nice, but we wanted to ride uphill constantly. So we snaked our way up the switchbacks on a gravel path! I actually love riding uphill without stopping in between! But we kept stopping and taking photos because we had such amazing views of the mountains and even Stellenbosch! With the heat and effort, my water bottle was quickly empty! We heard the trickling of a small stream. I had to struggle through endless thick bushes to reach the water! Ugh, I hate running through thick bushes because of the creepy crawlers! Once I reached the bottom, I couldn't fill my bottle, damn it! I went back up and Daniela had to check me for any critters! Luckily, there was nothing on me! Not even 50 meters ahead, there was actually a larger waterfall where we could fill our bottles by stretching our arms! Thank you :-)!

We received a map of the Nature Reserve and I wanted to check something about our route. That's when Daniela said to me, 'oh look, we have to watch out for Cape Cobras here!' 'Excuse me, and I'm trudging through this bush'?! It sent shivers down my spine. Okay, now we knew!

The ride continued uphill, and it was not easy in the heat! But the view compensated for the efforts of riding uphill! Then, as a reward, we had a picnic on a huge rock with a great view. Before we sat down, we checked if there was a snake anywhere! No snake, so out came the sandwiches! It was fantastic to stay there and enjoy the silence! We felt completely alone! A small lizard darted across the path, but other than that, there was no one in sight! Wonderful - no cars, no crowds of e-bike riders...

After our snack, we went up a little more, and THEN, yes, then came the descent! It was super cool racing down the gravel track, which was filled with rocks, bumps, and small jumps, at lightning speed! Yoo-hoo, it was amazing! When we reached the bottom, we high-fived each other and as a reward, we had an energy drink :-)!

We cycled back to the bike station at a leisurely pace! I think you could've cut the smile off our faces! We can really recommend the bikes from ride-inn-cafe!

We ended the day by relaxing and recuperating in the pool. Warm greetings from the two of us :-).