Mountain Biking
 

Sabie - arguably the best mountain biking destination in South Africa - is the ideal springboard for both novice and accomplished mountain bikers to practice this sport in a secure environment amidst breathtaking scenery.  Sabie offer both the competitive and the casual mountain biker a wide range of expertly guided and well marked self-guided mountain bike trails.
These trails can get extremely slippery and muddy in wet conditions. “Slick” and “semi-slick” tyres are not recommended.  Ensure that you have spare tubes and a working pump before setting out. Energy drinks and food are essential to keep your strength and stamina levels up.	Self-guided Day Trails Self-guided Over-night Trails Guided Trails Competitive Mountain Biking
Permits You need a permit for these trails. Without it your may well be arrested by forestry security staff. Permits and route maps are available from:  Cycle Junkies 083 789-7780

Self-guided Day Trails
The self-guided trails all start and finish at the Castle Rock Municipal Caravan Park in Sabie.
 

Sabie River Route		Flat easy, non technical, kiddies route. Very easy route along the Sabie River and back.
Distance:	6 km
Duration:	˝ - 1 h
Difficulty:	Suitable for kids.

 

Waterfalls Route		Relatively flat, non-technical, family route of This route follows the Sabie River for a short while, takes a short-cut to Bridal Vail Falls comes back past Ceylon and takes a forestry road to Lone Creek Falls, then along the tar where you take the road to the right to Horse Shoe falls and then back to Castle Rock.
Distance:	20 km
Duration:	2 - 3 h
Difficulty:	Suitable for novice riders.

 

Tweefontein Route		Hilly, non-technical, route heads in a northerly direction towards the Tweefontein Plantation. You will cross the Tweefontein tar road and follow the railway track towards Graskop. At 14km, with about three quarters of the climbing done, you will take a left fork and head to the highest point where you head back to Sabie. This route has quite a few short climbs so a good level of fitness is required.
Distance:	25 km
Duration:	2 - 3 h
Difficulty:	Suitable for fit riders.

  Self-guided Over-night Trails
For the over-night trails you will need a hiking permit from Komatiland Eco-Tourism (Phone them on 013 754-2724 or contact them by e-mail on ecotour@klf.co.za).
 

Maritzbos Trail		A trail of medium length. The start is very easy along the river as far as Lone Creek Falls (8km), where the kids can turn back. A short steep climb of 2km to the top of the falls splits the fit from the unfit, and then follows lovely riverine vegetation to the Matizbos Hut, where lunch can be eaten before a leisurely ride back on an easy gravel road. Or arrange to sleep over before tackling the Black trail to Stables Hut (1900m a.s.l.) and the magic views which await you on top of the world.  The route should take 1.5  to 2.5 hours to complete.
Distance:	25 km
Duration:	1˝ - 2˝ h
Difficulty:	Suitable for intermediate riders.

 

Stables Trail		For a single day this is a long trail, mainly due to the steep climbs involved from 1000m a.s.l. to 1900m a.s.l. and back down again. You can split it by sleeping over at Maritzbos or Stables Hut at a reasonable cost. If the weather is good, views are endless, but the mist can move in within minutes! The 15km downhill is hard on the arms, hands and EXCELLENT brakes are essential. Be warned! This trail should take 3 hours for the fit and 5–6 hours for honeymooners.
Distance:	45 km
Duration:	3 - 5 h
Difficulty:	Experienced, and fit riders only!.

Guided Trails
A number of guided trails (from 40 -120 km stretching over 1 to 3 days) are offered by some tour operators.
Contact:
Trips SA on (013) 764-1177

Competitive Mountain Biking
Sabie is well known in the competitive mountain biker's fraternity for the annual challenging SUBARU Sabie Classic, the Sabie Shenanigan Team Mountain Bike Rally and the fun-filled Noon to Moon day/night race, as well as the National Cross-country, Downhill and Duel Eliminator races. These prestigious mountain biking events are hosted by the Mpumalanga Mountain Bike Association (MaMBA) and affiliated Lowveld Chaingang Mountain Bike Club.  For dates of these events, see our Calendar of Events page.

SUBARU Sabie Classic - 2007
Photo: Nicolene Olckers/Lowvelder