{"id":65825,"date":"2023-11-30T09:47:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T07:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/?p=65825"},"modified":"2024-06-25T13:05:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T11:05:55","slug":"trail-daze-2-0-summerplace-game-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/trail-daze-2-0-summerplace-game-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Trail Daze 2.0 | Summerplace Game Reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I was presented with the opportunity to shoot a Trail Daze episode that included riding in a game reserve, among wildlife, I didn\u2019t hesitate. There is something magical about the thought of sharing the soil with free roaming creatures. It’s a riding experience that isn\u2019t available around every corner and certainly not back home in the Western Cape (as far as I am aware). We headed to a province not yet featured in Trail Daze – Limpopo. It is scenic, diverse, and rich in wildlife. Our destination was Summerplace Game Reserve<\/a>, a 3,500 hectare family-owned guest farm just a few kilometres outside the small town of Vaalwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling from Cape Town, it is a quick and easy flight to O.R. Tambo International Airport. Followed by a 3 hour mellow drive along the N1 \/ R33 towards Vaalwater. Our vehicle for the week was the spacious and ultra-luxurious Mercedes-Benz V-Class V300d<\/a>, which ate up the kilometres effortlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small town of Vaalwater is your last chance to stock up on supplies. It offers a Spar, an excellent bakery, and butchery. It\u2019s only a few kilometres (with a bit of gravel road) to the game reserve gates. It\u2019s not long before you\u2019re exposed to an abundance of wildlife as you make your way to the Bike Village – the centre point of your Summerplace experience. During our stay we saw giraffe, roan antelope, sable, tsessebe, blue wildebeest, zebra, impala, and warthogs to name a few. There are apparently also a handful of leopards in the area but as it goes with most wild cat species, they are very elusive and typically avoid all human contact, and do not pose a threat to cyclists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the riding, Summerplace offers an exceptional amount of diversity and options. With over a 100 kilometres of marked trails, there are endless combinations offering different difficulty levels. They cater for marathon riders looking for hours in the saddle, but also XCO, trail and enduro riders looking for technical ascents and descents. Landowner, trail builder and avid mountain biker David Baber cleverly makes use of the natural flow and topography of the hills to include rock features, gullies and other elements unique to the bushveld – ensuring an engaging and interesting ride with mega stoke each time you head out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t even have to bring your own bike. The Bike Village offers (among other things) rentals of a wide range of the latest Specialized mountain bikes, including e-bikes. This was particularly convenient for us coming from Cape Town, as traveling with a bike can be a bit of a hassle, and one less item to worry about is a huge bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The Summerplace Game Reserve Bike Village offers bike rentals and high quality cycling kit. There is also bike wash and minor service facilities available.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Our wheels for the week provided by our vehicle partner Mercedes-Benz. This Mercedes-Benz V-Class V300d<\/a> ate up the kilometres and turned the three hour drive from OR Tambo into a luxury pleasure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
Only a few hundred meters into Summerplace Game Reserve and we had already seen an abundance of wildlife.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Our Joburg based guest riders, Sam Bull and Cade Badenhorst getting ready to head out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
With the temperatures set to hit 37C, we made sure to be on the trails by dawn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Summerplace offers a truly unique mountain biking experience amongst the natural African bush and wildlife. It has become one of our favourite riding weekend getaways. The trails are raw and engaging, but still have an amazing flow to them. Dave and his trail building team have managed to incorporate the natural features of the area into their trails perfectly. To start the day with a good coffee, ride, and then finish with a beer or glass of wine at the Bike Village just adds to the world class experience. This place ticks all of the boxes and is one of those must-visit destinations for any mountain biker.<\/em><\/p>\nSam Bull<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
From tall giraffe, to the small insects below, there is an abundance of life all around the reserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
We share the same soil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
There are plenty of fast enduro lines with rock features for those seeking more technical riding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
Sam’s MAXXIS Dissector 2.4 digging in and finding traction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
This Mountain Aloe is found only in Southern Africa, and at Summerplace there are some towering up to 14 meters tall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
This juvenile giraffe was ‘hiding’ behind the trees but still very curious to see what we were getting up to. There are several herds of giraffe at Summerplace Game Reserve and they tend to be less skittish than the antelope – making for good photo opportunities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

My family and I like to visit Summerplace quite regularly for the great trails and peaceful bush getaways. It\u2019s not too far from Jo’burg and the accommodation is reasonably priced. As an Enduro racer, I love that the trails are well-built and while there are proper technical sections, there\u2019s always good flow, even in the rocky stuff. Also, the scenery is beautiful and being a game reserve, wild animal encounters are quite common.<\/em><\/p>\nCade Badenhorst<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
Back at the Bike Village after a great morning of trails and wildlife spotting. Nanna served us with an ice cold, freshly made berry smoothie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
The Bike Village offers the exact vibe you’re looking for after a morning ride. Including a delicious lunch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Very typical to this part of the country – an afternoon thunderstorm to cool things down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Dramatic afternoon skies as the sun pierces thru the thunder clouds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
A fully stocked bar for ice cold post-ride beers and banter. Winning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
The main man behind the amazing, world class food we had during out stay – Alfred Mosenyi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n
With a fully functional kitchen and full time chef, dinners like these and other meals can be booked in advance, but is not available a la carte.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
A new day, another beautiful African sunrise and another opportunity to go ride your bike straight from your accommodation at Summerplace. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Trails, trails and more trails. You won’t be disappointed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Directions & permits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Map: Summerplace Game Reserve<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day visitor permits can be purchased at the Bike Village<\/a> for R150, otherwise it’s all included with your accommodation for the duration of your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next episode, where we bring you a visual essay from another awesome South African trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Supporting sponsor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was presented with the opportunity to shoot a Trail Daze episode that included riding in a game reserve, among wildlife, I didn\u2019t hesitate. There is something magical about the thought of sharing the soil with free roaming creatures. It’s a riding experience that isn\u2019t available around every corner and certainly not back home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[5353,5344,833],"featured_location":[338],"class_list":["post-65825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-and-travel","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-summerplace-game-reserve","tag-trail-daze","featured_location-bottom-row"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65825"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66017,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65825\/revisions\/66017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65825"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=65825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}