With the growth in tourists looking for unique and interesting experiences, motorbike tourism is a niche but growing market in Southern Africa, with the potential to grow even further.

Over the past couple of years there has been a growing interest from markets such as China, Australia, America and Canada for on-road motorbike tours through Southern Africa. “There has been an uptake on motorbike tour requests over the past couple of years following the trend of out-of-the-ordinary experiences. Most of the requests for specialised motorbike tours come from markets such as Australia, UK and the USA,” Renier Friis, General Manager: Business Development & Contracting at Tourvest DMC.

Chris Reynolds, Owner of African Iron Horse Tours (AIHT), says he has seen a definite increase in international visitors on the tours his company runs. “We have seen interest from visitors from the UK, America and Canada. The most surprising interest has been from China,” he says.

Michael Oosthuizen, a travel consultant for Motorcycle Tours South Africa, says international tourists make up 90% of their tours, adding: “Our clients are mostly from New Zealand, Australia and the United States.” 

The main market is the baby boomer generation, according to Oosthuizen: “Most of our clients are older, 50 years plus.”

Reynolds says the majority of the riders are people who have bikes for recreational purposes and have been riding for many years. “We do get some younger riders, from about 25 to 35 years old, but we mainly have older riders.”

This is often due to the riding experience needed for the longer trips. “As stated earlier, at least a year or two’s riding experience is needed for the longer tours. For the safety of the rider and the rest of the tour group it [long tours] is not recommended for novice riders,” explains Reynolds. “We do offer shorter rides, from a few hours on a breakfast run to a two-day, one-night stay out in the country for novices.”

Motorbike tourism can be a bit tricky. “For longer motorcycle tours it is better to book this with a skilled and knowledgeable travel specialist that can co-ordinate the logistics of bike hire and all the relevant equipment,” says Victoria Rodenacker, Market Manager for Spain, South America, Australia and New Zealand at Tourvest DMC.

Friis says: “It does take tailor making knowledge and skill to put together an entire itinerary around motorbike excursions, therefore it would be recommended that such a tour is booked through a tour operator, as it can get complicated logistically.”

Reynolds says a bike tour is different to most vacations: “Visitors have to take biker culture into consideration – riders must be able to pack everything they need for a seven- or 14-day trip into small bags, and they need to have at least a year or two’s riding experience for the longer tours.” While there are vehicles that follow the tours with spare parts, first-aid kits and extra fuel, there is not a lot of space for extra bags.

There are different ways a motorbike tour can be packaged and marketed, depending on the target market and what they want, says Sethu Komani, Marketing Manager at Tourvest DMC. “Tourvest DMC offers both add-on day tour experiences where guests can enjoy a thrilling afternoon on the back of a chauffeured Harley-Davidson, as well as extensive tailor-made itineraries where enthusiasts can combine their passion for motorbikes with scenic South African landscapes and iconic destinations,” Komani explains.

AIHT does trips throughout South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. “We visit the main place like Cape Town, but we also visit little out-of-the-way towns and stay at boutique hotels,” he says. “We try and make the tours as interesting as possible by teaching our guests about the places we visit, like Kimberley, Lambert’s Bay and so on. It is not just about visiting South Africa, it is about learning about its people and culture,” says Reynolds.

“South Africa is a great destination for motorcycle tours; we have plenty of scenic routes all across the country. The most popular ones being Chapman’s Peak Drive, the Garden Route, Route 62 and the N7 highway that runs along the west coast between Cape Town and Namibia,” concludes Rodenacker.