Southernmost Cycling

Overview
The Southernmost cycling holiday is set in the Agulhas Plain, located in the southern Overberg (Over the Mountain) region of the Western Cape, South Africa. The route travels along country roads through farmland, nature reserves, and charming villages at the tip of the African continent, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. This rugged, windswept coastal plain is geographically striking, with a rich natural and cultural heritage.

Villages
Explore charming historical villages such as Stanford, Napier, Elim, and Agulhas.

Coast and plains
Ride along a rocky, ruggedly beautiful coast and through inland sand plains, farmland, vineyards, wetlands, and dunes.

National Park
Experience Cape Agulhas National Park, which covers about 21,000 hectares. It is home to more than 9,000 species of flowering plants and a coastline that supports rich marine and intertidal life, including breeding sites for rare birds such as the African Black Oystercatcher. The park showcases splendid examples of lowland fynbos, particularly those growing on limestone soils – an endangered ecosystem largely restricted to the southern Overberg.

Flora
The Overberg area is the smallest plant kingdom in the world with the highest diversity of species. Of the nine thousand species, some are endemic to this region. The Strandveld of the Agulhas Plain is internationally significant for its rich biodiversity. The Cape Floral Kingdom consists mostly of fynbos and renosterveld, including notable species such as the mountain bluebell, the flame-red Bredasdorp lily, the granny bonnet, and the Cape everlasting.

Views
Enjoy stunning views, beautiful beaches, pebble bays, and rock pools, with opportunities for whale watching from September to November.

Conservation
The Nuwejaars Wetland Special Management Area (SMA) is a conservation initiative by 25 private landowners and local communities, jointly managing 46,000 hectares of often critically endangered habitat on the Agulhas Plain. The project focuses on biodiversity and wetland conservation, promoting sustainable farming practices. Notably, buffalo have been reintroduced to the Agulhas Plain for the first time in over 200 years, with their numbers steadily increasing. This collaboration between landowners and communities is the first of its kind in South Africa, and UNESCO has shown interest in this SMA as a model for its Man and the Biosphere programme.

Shipwrecks
The coastline around Agulhas is renowned for its shipwrecks, with streets and businesses bearing the names of ill-fated vessels such as the Meisho Maru, St Mungo, Brederode, Nossa Senhora dos Milagros, Juno, and Martha. Over time, approximately 250 ships have been wrecked along this coastline.

History
Cape Agulhas is home to South Africa's second-oldest working lighthouse, built in 1848 at L'Agulhas. Historical features also include the 200-year-old fishing village of Kassiesbaai and traditional fisherman’s cottages at Hotagterklip. Visitors can explore fish traps and other cultural artifacts left by the Khoikhoi beach nomads who lived along this coastline for centuries.