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Tanqua Kuru bicycle race photograph
Mapmaker Collective · Signature Route · 2027

THE
CROSS-
CAPE.

8 Days 6 Stages ±480 km 12 Riders Max Plett → Cape Town Ends at Cape Town Cycle Tour
6
Stages
±480 km
Total Distance
5
Iconic Passes
12
Riders Maximum
The Experience

More than
a bike ride.

The Cross-Cape is a six-stage journey from the wild Indian Ocean coast of Plettenberg Bay, through ancient mountain passes, the Klein Karoo, and the Cape Winelands — finishing on the start line of the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Every kilometre avoids national roads entirely. Coastal cliff paths, protected forest, hand-built passes, vineyard lanes and open Karoo roads that have barely changed in a century. Six stages. Five legendary passes. One extraordinary finish.

"South Africa's coastal roads are among the finest cycling roads on earth. The Cross-Cape was designed to prove exactly that."

Nick Wright — Co-Founder & Lead Guide, Mapmaker Collective
Cross-Cape riding
Tanqua Kuru bicycle race photograph
"South Africa's gravel roads cut through epic mountain passes and vast, remote landscapes that much of the world has yet to discover." Grant Clark — Co-Founder & Expedition Lead
Stage by Stage

The Stages

6 stages · ±480 km · Plettenberg Bay → Cape Town

Itinerary subject to change. Routes shaped around group and conditions.

Stage 1
Plett to Knysna via Phantom Pass
Phantom Pass · Thomas Bain 1880s · Outeniqua Forest
65km
900m ↑
Moderate
Phantom Pass cuts straight into the Outeniqua forest the moment you leave Plettenberg Bay — one of South Africa's great green corridors. Built by Thomas Bain in the 1880s, the pass threads through ancient yellowwood forest. The Indian Ocean disappears behind you as Knysna's lagoon opens ahead.
Stage 2
Knysna to Wilderness via Seven Passes
Seven Passes Road · 7 river gorges · 1880s gravel
70km
1,100m ↑
Moderate
Seven Passes Road was built in the 1880s to thread the Garden Route's impossible topography — seven river gorges, each crossed by its own hand-built bridge. Every pass is different: some tight and forested, some open and coastal. This is the Garden Route the N2 bypassed and forgot.
Stage 3
Wilderness to Oudtshoorn via Montagu Pass
Montagu Pass · 780m · Oldest unaltered pass in SA · 1848
95km
1,400m ↑
Hard
Built in 1848 by convict labour under engineer Henry Fancourt White, the Montagu Pass is the oldest unaltered mountain pass in South Africa. 780m of altitude, cobbled road surface, and a view from the top that stretches across the Little Karoo. A piece of living history under your wheels.
Stage 4
Oudtshoorn to Calitzdorp via the R62
R62 Klein Karoo · Calitzdorp Port Wine Capital
75km
700m ↑
Moderate
The R62 is the road the N2 stole traffic from decades ago, and the Klein Karoo has never forgiven it — which means you ride through a landscape almost entirely unchanged since the 1950s. Ostrich farms, wine cellars, dust and silence. Calitzdorp is the port wine capital of South Africa.
Stage 5
Calitzdorp to Greyton via Tradouw Pass
Tradouw Pass · "Path of Women" · Riversonderend Valley
80km
900m ↑
Moderate
Tradouw means "path of women" in the Khoikhoi language — a crossing used for centuries before any road existed here. The pass descends into the Riversonderend valley, then a long valley floor roll takes you into the white-walled village of Greyton, one of the Western Cape's most loved stops.
Stage 6
Greyton to Franschhoek via the Final Pass
Franschhoek Pass · 7km gravel descent · Thomas Bain
75km
1,100m ↑
Hard
The Franschhoek Pass is the final act and it delivers everything the week has built toward. Thomas Bain built this one too — 7km of gravel descent into the valley. The Winelands spread below you like a reward. You have ridden the length of the Western Cape. Time for wine.
Tanqua Kuru bicycle race photograph
The finale. 30,000 riders. The most spectacular urban race route on earth. Cape Town Cycle Tour · 14 March 2027 · 109km · 1,900m
The Finale

Cape Town
Cycle Tour.

Ride the event its organisers call the largest timed cycling event in the world, starting and finishing in the world's most beautiful city. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is the crescendo the entire week has been building toward.

30,000 riders. Chapman's Peak. The Cape Peninsula. 109km of racing around one of the planet's most dramatic coastlines. Mapmaker manages your entry, your race number collection, and your pre-race logistics.

30,000+
Riders
109km
Route
1,900m
Climbing
Cape Town Cycle Tour race
Where You Sleep

Seven Exceptional Properties.

Eight nights in handpicked luxury boutique properties, selected for location, character, and cyclist-friendliness. Secure bike storage at every property.

The Plettenberg
The Plettenberg
Night 0 · Plettenberg Bay
The Turbine Hotel
The Turbine Hotel & Spa
Night 1 · Knysna
Views Boutique Hotel
Views Boutique Hotel
Night 2 · Wilderness
Schoone Oordt
Schoone Oordt
Night 3 · Swellendam
The Marine Hotel
The Marine Hotel
Night 4 · Hermanus
Ludus Magnus Estate
Ludus Magnus Estate
Night 5 · Franschhoek
The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles
Nights 6–7 · Cape Town
Morea House
Morea House
Alternative · Camps Bay
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

What's Included

Included
8 nights luxury boutique accommodation (twin share)
All meals and soft drinks throughout
Daily ride support vehicle, dedicated mechanic & logistics
Daily ride nutrition — gels, bars and electrolytes
4 × 45-minute post-ride sports massage sessions
3 curated wine tastings — Hemel-en-Aarde, Franschhoek, Cape Town
Cape Town Cycle Tour entry — managed by Mapmaker
Custom Cross-Cape kit — jersey, bidon, cap
Airport transfers (Plett arrival / Cape Town departure)
3 expert guide-riders throughout (1:4 guest ratio)
GPS route files and stage briefings for all 6 stages
Not Included
International flights
Travel insurance (required — cycling specific)
Bicycle (own bike strongly recommended)
Bike rental — optional, available on enquiry
Single supplement (available on request)
Alcoholic beverages
Gratuities for hotel staff and support crew
The People Who Will Take You There

Your Guides

Nick Wright
Nick Wright
Co-Founder & Lead Guide

Interior architect by training, endurance cyclist by compulsion. Former SA triathlon representative. Travelled through 23 countries on a bike. Nick designed every kilometre of the Cross-Cape route personally.

SA Triathlon Rep23 Countries
Grant Clark
Grant Clark
Co-Founder & Expedition Lead

Cycled Cairo to Cape Town solo (11,000km). Silk Road Mountain Race. Lived 5 months in Antarctica and helped locate Shackleton's shipwreck. Grant has crossed this terrain more times than anyone alive.

Cairo to Cape TownAntarctica
Nic Lamond
Nic Lamond
Co-Founder & Head of Stories

Veteran journalist and athlete manager. Ridden on all seven continents. Nic brings the human story to every Mapmaker journey — the history of the passes, the people who built them, the riders who first crossed them.

7 ContinentsJournalist
Tanqua Kuru bicycle race photograph
Plettenberg Bay to Cape Town. We chart your course. The Cross-Cape · 6 March – 14 March 2027
A group is already forming.

The Cross-Cape runs once in 2027. A limited number of spots remain. Tell us you are interested and we will come back to you with everything you need.

Register Your Interest