Hi there,
Well firstly the weather in Sept is hit and miss, it’s suppose to be a month past the rainy season but we had rain on our trip, it’s also the windy month along the coastal areas so you can expect an energy sapping headwind on occasion.
The scenery along the garden route is woldclass very varied and covers, mountain ranges, pine plantation, open farmland fields of commercial crops to the local fynbos. The coastal trip is by far the most scenic and can take you to the most southerly point of the continent, Agulas.
The heat didn’t bother us but then we are locals, the hottest day was 32c and the coolest about 20c.So Hydrate, hydrate, water is not sufficient you’ll need an energy replacement.
Mosquitoes at night can be troublesome, but apart from the itch we’re not in a malaria area, we have a type of fly, (We call it A Horsefly) it’s quite large and it gives a mean stinging bite that causes a nice lump and days of itching, so a good antihistamine is a must. I battle to sleep in strange places so the antihistamine helped for that to.
We slept in tents, in Caravan parks along the route, but I guess you guys will use bed and breakfast’s and if you have backup vehicles you don’t have to worry about getting to shops and accommodation before they close.
Then of course its how many k’s a day you are expected to ride and with that comes your own personal training, the terrain is series of up’s and downs so keep those hilly areas on your training rout.
Safety along the route with a back up team should not be a problem, we found the locals friendly and helpful, however there are opportunists that target tourists so apply your travel discretion. Like I would do visiting any foreign country, cameras valuables etc.
It’ll be an experience you’ll treasure forever, besides the cape’s wine routes the scubadiving, beaches shark diving and endless other outdoors experiences.
Howard.