You can ignore a trail because it’s popular for only so long, so let me fess up and admit the reason I haven’t yet featured Tokai Forest in my column so far is because too many riders hang out there on weekends. Rush hour is a high-speed charge of bikes, zigzagging the switchbacks and congestion in the rock gardens. Then recently I rode the trail again, early on a Sunday before the crush, and experienced Tokai as the mountain-biking heaven it is.
About the Tokai Mountain Bike Trail
The thing about the Tokai MTB Trail is that it’s a constantly changing, somewhat bitter, never sweet, son-of-a ride. It’s a working plantation, which means your favourite stretch of single-track may disappear when a section of trees is felled, or when erosion closes another route. It also means you’ll never be bored.
So let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. Whichever way you look at it, you’re going to have a serious climb from Tokai Arboretum, but you can decide whether to do the scenic single-track route or blast your calves along the jeep-track. The former works well if you’re technically adept, as you ride along the gorgeous Fairy Garden and Mamba single-tracks all the way up to the higher-level contour roads. This may take a while and remember to keep a constant lookout for riders bombing down these routes.
You can also go the whole hog by keeping left and continuing up to the Silvermine boom (if you stick to the right, you have a gritty climb towards Elephant Eye Mast). Instead of labouring to the top, take a right to Vlakkenberg, where the tar road starts, and head down the white-knuckle curves of the impossibly tight Bridle Path.
From here, it’s easy to link up the downhill single-tracks for a non-stop ruckus of a ride back to the arboretum. Combine Mamba, Snake Eyes, Vasbyt, Your Roots and Fairy Garden, then collapse in a sweaty heap of happy endorphins once you bottom out in the car park.
Getting to the Tokai Plantations
From Cape Town CBD, follow the M3 towards Muizenberg. Turn left at the Tokai offramp to pass under the highway, then continue past a traffi c circle. After about a kilometre, turn left just before Tokai Manor to the arboretum.
What you need to know about the Tokai Plantations
Tokai is perfect to ride throughout the year. The forest protects you from the sun and the brunt of the summer southeaster. When winter kicks in, check if any trails have been closed to avoid erosion and surface damage.
Gear for the Tokai mountain bike trails
Your derailleur snaps as you’re about to set off from Tokai Arboretum … what do you do, except curse prolifically at the sky? A way more effective option is to shoot a couple of kilometres down the road to the new Trail and Tar shop in Tokai, where Grant Bender and the guys will fix it in no time.
While you’re there, take advantage of the 30-minute Lube and Wash Mini Check-up (R150), and take on the trails with absolute peace of mind. Tel 021-712-1781, www.trailandtar.co.za.
Tokai Plantation route facts
Grading: Intermediate to difficult
Duration: Two to three hours
Configuration: Return and circular routes (about 25 kilometres)
Start point: Tokai Arboretum
Terrain: Gravel roads and single-track
Entry requirements: A once-off MTO permit is available from Tokai Permit Office for R25 or you can load your Wild Card with an annual MTB permit.
Cell reception: Good coverage for 95 per cent of route
GPS co-ordinates: S34º 03’ 39”, E18º 24’ 58”
Contact: Tel 021-701-8692
Enter the Mast Challenge
Keen to prove your hero status to your Facebook fan club? One way to do this is to enter the annual Mast Challenge, a run-and-ride combo pitting you against gravity as you fi rst run, then ride up the gruelling climb to Elephant’s Eye Mast. www.mastchallenge.co.za
More mountain biking trails in South Africa
For detailed information on various mountain-biking trails across South Africa, go to www.mtbroutes.co.za.
