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Into the Baviaanskloof
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BMW R 1200 GS Adventure
Jeff Buchanan
09/01/2006
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The first day of
riding was relatively easy, allowing us to blast along on the GS at a good clip
and penetrate the South African interior. The route gradually tightened in on
itself in a series of steep turns that steadily took us up into the mountains.
The landscape changed dramatically, from vistas and winding dirt roads, to heavy
foliage and rock cliffs.
The day ended with some rather humorous slow going
up a road of deep sand that tossed half the members of our tour on the ground;
the relatively harmless falls bruised more egos than bodies. The GS is built
with the understanding that people who ride it are most likely going to take it
off-road and BMW wisely designed the machine to brush off low-speed falls with
aplomb.
 The group takes a water break deep in the Valley of the Baboons. (Click image to enlarge)
After the spoiling we received at the Pezula Hotel, we assumed a
night in the bush would be relatively uncivilized. How wrong we were. Emerging
from the thicket, dirty and tired, we arrived at a parcel of land on the grounds
of the Sederkloof Lodge where luxury bivouacs had been erected. Sixteen private,
spacious tents, each equipped with a plush queen-size bed and fresh sheets
awaited. Nearby, an open-roof, bamboo structure enclosed hot showers and toilet
facilities under the African sky.
After washing off the day’s accumulated
dirt, we were treated to a gourmet dinner laid out at the base of a rock cliff.
Incongruous with the wilds of the surroundings, we drank wine from South
Africa’s finest vineyards and dined on ostrich, as mysterious animal sounds
emanated from the edge of the blackness. When we returned to our tents, we
discovered our hosts had provided turndown service—not exactly roughing it. That
night, I left the window panels unzipped; only screens separated me from the
African night.
 “Roughing it” in the South African bush. (Click image to enlarge)
The fresh air awoke many of us before dawn and we watched the
eastern sky sunrise blossom. Today, we would enter the Baviaanskloof, and were
told the ride would be a little tougher. As we strapped on our Camelback
personal water carriers, our South African guide told us we were heading into,
“Nirvana for off-road aficionados.” As the day unfolded, the dynamics of the
road Thomas Bain created all those years ago changed dramatically.
The
Baviaanskloof Road is passable most of the year with a two-wheel drive truck
(although a 4x4 is highly recommended). The skill level required to tackle the
route by motorcycle is intermediate or above, with off-road riding
experience essential. Vast sections of the route are dirt roads with the
occasional washed out segments that require a little finesse to negotiate. Water
crossings are handled with a certain amount of guesswork, a little faith, and
then simply a matter of just going for it. On the bright side, when the sun’s
hammering down on you, the splashing drench of cold river water is really quite
welcome.
 Deep into the Baviaanskloof, we discovered that our expeditionary
force was always under the watchful eye of the local inhabitants. They bounded
through the trees and huddled in numbers in the thick foliage, curious to our
passing. It was at a water stop, watching a family of the regal beasts nearby,
that the name Baviaanskloof was translated by one of the guides. Derived from
Old Dutch, it translates, quite appropriately to, “Valley of the Baboons.”
We
traveled through thick foliage, water crossings, plateaus, along riverbanks,
through dusty mountain trails, and along the edge of a gorge where the abyss
played havoc with confidence and balance. We climbed from 100 yards above sea
level to the zenith of the Baviaanskloof Mountains, an elevation of
three-quarters-of-a mile. The fuel-injected BMW R 1200 GS Adventure performed
beautifully throughout. It’s one of only a handful of machines built
specifically for this kind of travel. Combined with the legendary dependability
of the GS series, the new Adventure can take you far from civilization and, more
importantly, back again.
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